Biggest Pro Athlete Endorsement Deals of the Last Decade
Endorsement deals can contribute greatly to athlete earnings.
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Pro athlete endorsement deals are big business. From 2012 to 2019, 16 athletes each made more than $100 million solely from endorsements. The biggest endorsement deals tend to go to athletes who are well known worldwide.
One potential exception is Mahendra Singh Dhoni, No. 16 on the list of highest-earning athletes when endorsements are factored in. MS Dhoni, as he commonly is known, is a cricketer who captained India’s national team from 2007 through 2016. While he isn’t a household name across the United States, he is an international superstar. As a result, he snagged endorsements from brands such as Reebok and PepsiCo to the tune of $104 million from 2012 to 2019.
Overall, the list of top 30 pro athlete endorsement deals is dominated by basketball and tennis players. Collectively, athletes in these two sports occupy 15 of the 30 spots.
The sole track star on the list is the incomparable Usain Bolt, who comes in at No. 14. The fastest man in history earned $122.9 million in total income from 2012 to 2019, and $120 million of that came from endorsements. Since track and field isn’t a high-paying sport, Bolt has the highest percentage of income coming from endorsements among the athletes on the list.
On the other end of the spectrum is Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, No. 30 on the list, who owes the vast bulk of his income to his sport. Even though he earned $41.5 million in endorsements from 2012 to 2019, his total income was a whopping $324.5 million over that time period, higher than all but eight of his fellow athletes on the list. That means just 12.79% of Hamilton’s income came from endorsements, even though those endorsements totaled tens of millions of dollars.
At the top of the group are iconic athletes who earn hundreds of millions from their lucrative endorsements. From 2012 to 2019, seven athletes earned at least $200 million in endorsements, including superstars like LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
GOBankingRates analyzed data from Forbes’ list of top athlete endorsements from 2012 to 2019 to determine the biggest deals of the past decade. For the purposes of the list, athletes were ranked in reverse order in terms of total endorsements received over that time period.
Here’s a look at the top pro athlete endorsement deals from 2012 to 2019.
Lewis Hamilton
- Sport: Formula One
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $324.5 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $41.5 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 12.79%
- Notable endorsements: Bose, L’Oréal, Mercedes-Benz, Monster Energy, Police, Puma, Sony, Tommy Hilfiger
Peyton Manning
- Sport: Football
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $126.5 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $46 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 36.36%
- Notable endorsements: Buick, DIRECTV Group Inc., Fanatics, Gatorade, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Nike, Papa John’s International
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Sport: NASCAR
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $103.7 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $48 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 46.29%
- Notable endorsements: Chevrolet, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Wrangler
Kei Nishikori
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $56.8 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $48 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 84.51%
- Notable endorsements: Asahi Group Holdings, Jaccs, Jaguar, Japan Airlines, Nike, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, Nissin Foods, Tag Heuer, Uniqlo
Gareth Bale
- Sport: Soccer
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $168.4 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $49 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 29.10%
- Notable endorsements: Adidas, Konami, Wish
Li Na
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $60.2 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $50 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 83.06%
- Notable endorsements: Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Rolex, Samsung Electronics
James Harden
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $159.5 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $59 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 36.99%
- Notable endorsements: Adidas, BodyArmor, Electronic Arts, State Farm
Dwyane Wade
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $146.9 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $59.5 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 40.50%
- Notable endorsements: Gatorade, Hublot, Li Ning, New Era, Panini
Russell Westbrook
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $196.3 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $61 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 31.07%
- Notable endorsements: Nike, PepsiCo, Samsung Electronics, True Religion Apparel
Serena Williams
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $96.3 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $61 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 63.34%
- Notable endorsements: Audemars Piguet, Beats Electronics, Bumble, Chase, Gatorade, Chase, Nike, Upper Deck
Derrick Rose
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $142.2 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $68 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 47.82%
- Notable endorsements: Adidas, Powerade
Drew Brees
- Sport: Football
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $224.6 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $76 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 33.84%
- Notable endorsements: Microsoft, Nike, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Wrangler
David Beckham
- Sport: Soccer
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $93.2 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $79 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 84.76%
- Notable endorsements: Adidas, Hennes & Mauritz AB, Sainsbury’s, Samsung Electronics
Maria Sharapova
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $111 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $90 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 81.08%
- Notable endorsements: Avon Products, Evian, Head, NetJets, Nike, Porsche Automobil Holding
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
- Sport: Cricket
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $119 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $104 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 87.39%
- Notable endorsements: PepsiCo, Reebok
Stephen Curry
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $204 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $119 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 58.33%
- Notable endorsements: Chase, Nissan Motor, Under Armour
Usain Bolt
- Sport: Track
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $122.9 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $120 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 97.64%
- Notable endorsements: Gatorade, Hublot, Puma
Jordan Spieth
- Sport: Golf
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $179.4 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $131 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 73.02%
- Notable endorsements: AT&T, Coca-Cola, NetJets, Rolex, Titleist, Under Armour
Neymar
- Sport: Soccer
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $354.6 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $137 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 38.64%
- Notable endorsements: Beats Electronics, DAZN, Electronic Arts, Gillette, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Nike, Red Bull, TCL
Kobe Bryant
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $219.9 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $148 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 67.32%
- Notable endorsements: Hublot, Nike, Panini
Novak Djokovic
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $272.8 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $167 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 61.22%
- Notable endorsements: Asics, Head, Lacoste, NetJets, Seiko Watch Corp., Ultimate Software Group
Rory McIlroy
- Sport: Golf
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $251.2 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $175 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 69.67%
- Notable endorsements: Nike, Omega, TaylorMade, UnitedHealth Group, Upper Deck
Rafael Nadal
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $250.5 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $189 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 75.45%
- Notable endorsements: Babolat, KIA Motors, Nike, Telefónica, Tommy Hilfiger
Lionel Messi
- Sport: Soccer
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $618.2 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $202 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 32.68%
- Notable endorsements: Adidas, Gatorade, Huawei, Mastercard, PepsiCo
Kevin Durant
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $381.9 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $213 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 55.77%
- Notable endorsements: Alaska Air Group, Google, Nike
Related: 17 Athletes Who Made the Biggest Mistakes Turning Down Big Paydays
Cristiano Ronaldo
- Sport: Soccer
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $644.1 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $256 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 39.75%
- Notable endorsements: Altice, DAZN, Electronic Arts, Herbalife, MTG, Nike
Phil Mickelson
- Sport: Golf
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $386.6 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $346 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 89.50%
- Notable endorsements: Amgen, Callaway Golf, Intrepid Financial Partners, KPMG, Rolex
LeBron James
- Sport: Basketball
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $587.8 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $393 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 66.86%
- Notable endorsements: Beats Electronics, Coca-Cola, KIA Motors, Nike, RIMOWA
Tiger Woods
- Sport: Golf
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $438.9 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $403 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 91.82%
- Notable endorsements: Hero MotoCorp, Monster Energy, Nike, Rolex, TaylorMade, Upper Deck
Roger Federer
- Sport: Tennis
- 2012-2019 total earnings: $549.8 million
- 2012-2019 total endorsements: $489 million
- Endorsements as percentage of total earnings: 88.94%
- Notable endorsements: Barilla, Credit Suisse Group (ADS), Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Uniqlo, Wilson Sporting Goods
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Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the biggest pro athlete endorsement deals of the past decade by looking at Forbes’ highest-paid athletes’ data for the years 2012 to 2019; endorsement figures prior to 2012 were not readily available. GOBankingRates calculated the following three factors: (1) total earnings from 2012 to 2019; (2) total endorsement earnings from 2012 to 2019; and (3) the percentage endorsement earnings represented of total earnings from 2012 to 2019. Only factor No. 2 was considered in overall rankings. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 5, 2020.
Note: For years 2016 to 2018, endorsement data was available only for the top 25 highest overall paid athletes. For all other years (2012 to 2015, 2019) the top 100 overall highest-paid athletes were analyzed with those making $3.5 million in endorsements included. For athletes who made $3.5 million in endorsements one year, all data was collected on those athletes even if they didn’t make $3.5 million every year.
About the Author
John Csiszar
After earning a B.A. in English with a Specialization in Business from UCLA, John Csiszar worked in the financial services industry as a registered representative for 18 years. Along the way, Csiszar earned both Certified Financial Planner and Registered Investment Adviser designations, in addition to being licensed as a life agent, while working for both a major Wall Street wirehouse and for his own investment advisory firm. During his time as an advisor, Csiszar managed over $100 million in client assets while providing individualized investment plans for hundreds of clients.
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