James earned US$36.9m in terms of salary and winnings with the Lakers this season along with a staggering US$90m in endorsements. According to the Sportico, the 37-year-old has endorsement deals with Nike, Rimowa, Walmart, GMC, AT&T, PepsiCo and Crypto.com. UFC star Conor McGregor was the top earner in 2021 but dropped down to the 22nd spot. Former world number one tennis player Naomi Osaka is the highest female on the list in 20th spot with combined earnings of $US53.2m, with just $1.2m of that coming from earnings on the court. Basketballers dominate the top 100 with 36 NBA stars making the list, followed by the NFL (25), football (13) and baseball (12).

Source: New Zealand Herald May 12, 2022 07:43 UTC