The True Heirs to Air: Athletes Earnings Most of Their Cash From Endorsements

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ESPN’s Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” gave viewers young and old a chance to relive some of the heady days of the legendary basketball player’s career. But, while Jordan’s success on the court is what often gets him the most press, it’s his prowess as a celebrity endorser that might have had the most lasting impact.

Jordan’s career earnings in basketball are nothing to sniff at, but they’re absolutely dwarfed by the enormous sums of money he made hawking products for Gatorade, Hanes and, of course, Nike. In many ways, Jordan was a precursor to the athletes of today — many of whom understand that the checks they get for their feats on the field of play are slight in comparison to the fortunes that await them off it.

In fact, some athletes consistently see endorsement money outpace the compensation for their play. Country club sports like golf and tennis, in particular, don’t pay that well on the surface — but the fact that their audiences are especially affluent means you can cash in by helping sell designer watches and luxury cars.

All told, while few can match Jordan’s athletic legacy, plenty can say they’re following in his footsteps when it comes to marketing. Using the top-earning athletes of 2019-2020, according to Forbes, GOBankingRates laid out the true “heirs to Air” — that is, those who pull in a big chunk of their annual income from endorsements rather than their sport.

Check out who made the list.

Last updated: Apr. 13, 2021

Paul George

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $8,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $32,800,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 24.39%

Cam Newton

Sport: Football
2020 earnings from endorsements: $5,500,000
Total 2020 earnings: $22,200,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 24.77%

Neymar

Sport: Soccer
2020 earnings from endorsements: $25,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $95,500,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 26.18%

Tom Brady

Sport: Football
2020 earnings from endorsements: $12,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $45,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 26.67%

Aaron Rodgers

Sport: Football
2020 earnings from endorsements: $9,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $30,100,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 29.90%

Lionel Messi

Sport: Soccer
2020 earnings from endorsements: $32,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $104,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 30.77%

Anthony Davis

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $10,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $30,400,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 32.89%

Conor McGregor

Sport: Mixed Martial Arts
2020 earnings from endorsements: $16,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $48,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 33.33%

Drew Brees

Sport: Football
2020 earnings from endorsements: $15,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $44,800,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 33.48%

Mohamed Salah

Sport: Soccer
2020 earnings from endorsements: $12,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $35,100,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 34.19%

Klay Thompson

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $14,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $38,800,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 36.08%

Kylian Mbappe

Sport: Soccer
2020 earnings from endorsements: $13,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $33,800,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 38.46%

Damian Lillard

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $14,500,000
Total 2020 earnings: $37,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 39.19%

James Harden

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $19,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $47,800,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 39.75%

Cristiano Ronaldo

Sport: Soccer
2020 earnings from endorsements: $45,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $105,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 42.86%

Kyrie Irving

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $18,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $41,900,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 42.96%

Russell Westbrook

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $27,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $56,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 48.21%

Kevin Durant

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $35,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $63,900,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 54.77%

Rory McIlroy

Sport: Golf
2020 earnings from endorsements: $30,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $52,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 57.69%

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $28,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $47,600,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 58.82%

Stephen Curry

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $44,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $74,400,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 59.14%

Rafael Nadal

Sport: Tennis
2020 earnings from endorsements: $26,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $40,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 65%

LeBron James

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $60,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $88,200,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 68.03%

Novak Djokovic

Sport: Tennis
2020 earnings from endorsements: $32,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $44,600,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 71.75%

Zion Williamson

Sport: Basketball
2020 earnings from endorsements: $20,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $27,300,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 73.26%

Serena Williams

Sport: Tennis
2020 earnings from endorsements: $32,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $36,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 88.89%

Naomi Osaka

Sport: Tennis
2020 earnings from endorsements: $34,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $37,400,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 90.91%

Virat Kohli

Sport: Cricket
2020 earnings from endorsements: $24,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $26,000,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 92.31%

Roger Federer

Sport: Tennis
2020 earnings from endorsements: $100,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $106,300,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 94.07%

Jordan Spieth

Sport: Golf
2020 earnings from endorsements: $26,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $27,600,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 94.20%

Tiger Woods

Sport: Golf
2020 earnings from endorsements: $60,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $62,300,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 96.31%

Kei Nishikori

Sport: Tennis
2020 earnings from endorsements: $31,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $32,100,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 96.57%

Phil Mickelson

Sport: Golf
2020 earnings from endorsements: $40,000,000
Total 2020 earnings: $40,800,000

Endorsements as a percentage of 2020 total earnings: 98.04%

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: In order to find the athletes earning most of their cash from endorsements, GOBankingRates looked at Forbes’ 2020 World’s Highest-Paid Athletes and found the following factors for the top 100 highest-paid athletes: (1) 2020 earnings from endorsements; (2) total 2020 earnings; and (3) percent of 2020 earnings made up of endorsements. Factor No. 3 was the only factor that determined inclusion in the final rankings. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 2, 2020.