The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!!

by **nashko_force** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:03 am

No. 1 Tiger Woods
$110 million

Woods has earned almost $900 million in prize money, endorsements and appearance fees during his 13-year professional golf career and next year is poised to become the first athlete to earn $1 billion during a career. Woods racked up more than twice the earnings of any other athlete over the past 12 months despite being sidelined for eight months after knee surgery thanks to lucrative endorsement deals with Accenture, Gillette and Nike as well as a thriving golf course design business.

by **nashko_force** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:13 am

The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!! Kobebr11

No. 2 Kobe Bryant (Tie)
$45 million

Bryant secured his place among the NBA's all-time greats when he won his fourth NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in June. The Black Mamba's popularity is at its zenith as his No. 24 jersey is the top seller in the U.S., Europe and China. Bryant pads his $21 million Lakers salary through endorsement deals with Nike, Upper Deck, Activision and VitaminWater.

The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!! Michae10

The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!! Michae10

No. 2 Michael Jordan (Tie)
$45 million

MJ retired as a player for the third and presumably final time six years ago, but he is still the most famous athlete in the United States. The Jordan Brand is approaching $1 billion in sales for Nike which turned Jordan into a marketing phenomenon. Jordan is on the short list of potential buyers for the Charlotte Bobcats where he is head of basketball operations and a minority owner.

by **nashko_force** Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:17 am

The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!! Kimrai11

No. 2 Kimi Raikkonen (Tie)
$45 million

Formula One's highest-paid driver finished a disappointing third in the World Championship standings last year after winning the title in 2007. This year has been even worse for the Iceman who sits in 10th place in the current standings. Ferrari resigned Raikkonen in September to a one-year contract extension keeping the Finn behind the wheel for Ferrari through 2010.

The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!! Beckha10

The Highest Paid Athlete in the World!!! Beckha10

No. 5 David Beckham
$42 million

Becks is far from the best player on the pitch, but he is still the most famous which is why companies like Adidas, Giorgio Armani and Motorola pay him millions for his endorsement. Beckham spent five months on loan this year playing for AC Milan before his planned return to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in July when the MLS season is half over.