Fresh off his victory over Manny Pacquiao last month that netted him a check for $100 million, Floyd Mayweather tops the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Forbes estimates that Mayweather earned $300 million between June 1, 2014 and June 1, 2015, with $285 million of that sum being earned in his two fights during that period, his May 2, 2015 bout vs Manny Pacquiao (who is #2 on the list) and his victory over Marcos Maidana on Saturday, September 13, 2015. No wonder his nickname is Money! Whether he fights once or twice in the next period, expect the “King” of boxing to also be the “King” of this list a year from now.
LeBron James, who is currently competing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, lands in the top 10 at number six with a total of $64.8 million. Think you see King James in a lot of commercials? You do! While $20.8 million of that figure is LeBron’s NBA salary, 68 percent of that total, or $44 million, comes from his many endorsements. LeBron has two more games to win to secure his third NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP Award, and he has to increase his earnings before he is the King of this list, but he may get there before his Hall of Fame career comes to an end.
There are only two women on the list, but one is Serena Williams, fresh off of winning the twentieth Grand Slam title of her career this weekend when she captured the 2015 French Open. Serena ranks at #47, with earnings of $11.6 million on the court and $13 million in endorsements, for a total of $24.6 million. As the number of Serena’s Grand Slam singles titles continues to grow, expect her endorsements to grow, as well, and she should return to the list next year.
For the complete list, visit https://www.forbes.com/athletes/
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