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

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.

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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%

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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%

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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%

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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%

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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%

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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%

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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%

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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.

About the Author

Joel Anderson

Joel Anderson is a business and finance writer with over a decade of experience writing about the wide world of finance. Based in Los Angeles, he specializes in writing about the financial markets, stocks, macroeconomic concepts and focuses on helping make complex financial concepts digestible for the retail investor.

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