‘Forbes’ Reveals 2022’s Highest Paid Athletes

'Forbes' has revealed its list of the highest-paid athletes of 2022, and once again, LeBron James left his mark, as did Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

May 11, 2022

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers during their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors — Image via Getty/Cole Burston
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Forbes has revealed its list of the highest-paid athletes of 2022, and once again, LeBron James left his mark.

While he didn’t top the list, James did land comfortably at No.2. He broke the record for most money earned by an NBA player last year with $96.5 million, and did it again this year with a huge $121.2 million in pre-tax earnings. Still, LeBron couldn’t best Lionel Messi, who came in at No.1 with $130 million in earnings, with Cristiano Ronaldo rounding out the top 3 with $115 million.

Unlike 2021, basketball is the most-represented sport in the top ten with four athletes, while soccer is in close second with three individuals. Brady, meanwhile, is the only NFL athlete to make the list with $83.9 million in earnings at No. 9—the same spot he occupied last year.

Of those present on last year’s list, Conor McGregor is notably absent. The UFC fighter topped the 2021 list, since he’s yet to return to fighting, he was missed this year’s list altogether. Dak Prescott and Lewis Hamilton slipped from the list this time around, too.

Here’s the full list of Forbes’ richest athletes of 2022:

No.1: Lionel Messi — $130 million
No.2: LeBron James — $121.2 million
No.3: Cristiano Ronaldo — $115 million
No.4: Neymar — $95 million
No.5: Stephen Curry — $92.8 million
No.6: Kevin Durant — $92.1 million
No.7: Roger Federer — $90.7 million
No.8: Canelo Alvarez — $90 million
No.9: Tom Brady — $83.9 million
No.10: Giannis Antetokounmpo — $80.9 million