Who were the richest athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?
The Olympic Games bring together both amateur athletes, who cannot make a living from their sports, and professionals whose incomes sometimes reach astronomical sums. It doesn't matter how many titles you pick up, you cannot underestimate the appeal of an Olympic gold medal.
Medial outlet Sportico, which specializes in the business aspect of sports, has revealed the 15 highest-paid athletes who went chasing their Olympic dream in Paris this year.
In 15th place, we find the only Frenchman in this ranking, namely Rudy Gobert. An NBA basketball player whose income including salary, bonuses and sponsorship was $42.7m (€39m, £33.4m) over the last twelve months.
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With an estimated income of $43.5m per year (€40m, £34m), American basketball player Jayson Tatum comes in 14th position in the Sportico ranking.
Tennis also pays well, with Carlos Alcaraz ranked 13th, whose income over the last twelve months is estimated at $45m (€41m, £35m).
In 12th place in the ranking, golfer Viktor Hovland has an estimated income of $45.9m (€42m, £36m).
In 11th position, we have another NBA star in Anthony Davis, whose annual income is estimated at $46.7m (€42.6m, £36.5m).
While Team USA and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, opens the top 10 of this ranking with his annual income of $48.1m (€43.9 m, £37.6m) between his franchise salary and his sponsors.
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In 9th place, yet another NBA star, but not an American this time. Serbian Nicolas Jokic earned $54.7m (€50m, £42.8m) over the last twelve months, according to Sportico estimates.
In 8th place, we have one of the big stars of the NBA – Joel Embiid. His annual income is estimated at $57.7m (€52.7m, £45.7m).
Moving away from basketball, we find golfer Scottie Scheffler in 7th place, whose earnings are estimated at $62.6m (around €57m, £49m).
Golfer Rory McIlroy enters in 6th place. According to Sportico's estimates, his salary and endorsements have earned him $77.9 million (€71.1m, £61m) in the last twelve months.
Back to basketball for 5th place with Kevin Durant, a huge NBA star, whose earnings are estimated at $89.7m (€82m, £70m).
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the 4th in this ranking. The Greek NBA basketball player alone earns $100.8m (€92m, £78.9m) with all his contracts.
Stephen Curry is obviously in the top 3! The NBA superstar's income is estimated at $101.9m (€93m, £79.8m).
On the second step of the podium: LeBron James. His annual income is around $127.7m (€116m. £99.4m), which is not really surprising given his status in the game.
The number 1 in the ranking is a certain Jon Rahm. The Spanish golfer is one of the best in the world and has really come into the money since signing with Saudi backed LIV Golf at the start of the year. His yearly salary works out to as an estimated $210m (€191.7 m, £165m) putting him well and truly ahead of everyone else at the Games.
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