Popular magazine Forbes unveiled the 50 highest-earning sportspersons in the world for 2025. Incredibly, if you just count out the Americans from that list, it only shortens to 29 men. That means 29 US-based athletes make it into the world’s top 50 highest-earning athletes list. Sportsnile lists the top highest paid American athlete based on their per year or annual income in 2025. Highest Paid Golfers in the World This Year.
Highest Paid American Athlete Per Year (2025)
| Highest-Paid US Athlete Name | Sports | Annual Overall Earnings |
| Stephen Curry | Basketball | 156 Million US Dollars |
| Dak Prescott | American Football | 137 Million US Dollars |
| LeBron James | Basketball | 133.8 Million US Dollars |
| Kevin Durant | Basketball | 101.4 Million US Dollars |
| Scottie Scheffler | Golf | 92.5 Million US Dollars |
| Deshaun Watson | American Football | 91.8 Million US Dollars |
| Patrick Mahomes | American Football | 86.8 Million US Dollars |
| Jordan Love | American Football | 83 Million US Dollars |
| Jared Goff | American Football | 80.8 Million US Dollars |
| Trevor Lawrence | American Football | 80.5 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Herbert | American Football | 73.6 Million US Dollars |
| Tua Tagovailoa | American Football | 72.4 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Jefferson | American Football | 72.2 Million US Dollars |
| Damian Lillard | Basketball | 67.5 Million US Dollars |
| Blake Snell | Baseball | 67.4 Million US Dollars |
| CeeDee Lamb | American Football | 66.7 Million US Dollars |
| Josh Allen | American Football | 66.1 Million US Dollars |
| Anthony Edwards | Basketball | 62.1 Million US Dollars |
| Joel Embiid | Basketball | 60.4 Million US Dollars |
| Jimmy Butler | Basketball | 59.8 Million US Dollars |
| Devin Booker | Basketball | 58.3 Million US Dollars |
| Bradley Beal | Basketball | 58.2 Million US Dollars |
| Kawhi Leonard | Basketball | 57.3 Million US Dollars |
| Paul George | Basketball | 56.3 Million US Dollars |
| Jayson Tatum | Basketball | 55.8 Million US Dollars |
| Tiger Woods | Golf | 55.4 Million US Dollars |
| Kyler Murray | American Football | 54.6 Million US Dollars |
| Xander Schauffele | Golf | 53.6 Million US Dollars |
| Russell Wilson | American Football | 53.6 Million US Dollars |
Who is the Highest Paid Athlete in USA?
NBA star Stephen Curry is America’s highest-earning sportsman right now. With his 156 million yearly pocketing in 2025, he stands at the very top. His immense 100 million a year sponsorship deal puts him at the pole spot, though. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors pay the Point Guard an annual payment of 56 million dollars. On the other hand, if you just count out the on-field salary and incentives, then Dak Prescott has the highest salary among all American athletes. His massive 127 million yearly payment from the NFL side, the Dallas Cowboys, is unparalleled. So, Stephen Curry is the Highest Paid American Athlete right now.
Top 10 Highest Paid American Sportsman
| 10 Highest-Paid American Athletes | Sports & Team | Annual Overall Earnings |
| Stephen Curry | NBA (Golden State Warriors) | 156 Million US Dollars |
| Dak Prescott | NFL (Dallas Cowboys) | 137 Million US Dollars |
| LeBron James | NBA (Los Angeles Lakers) | 133.8 Million US Dollars |
| Kevin Durant | NBA (Houston Rockets) | 101.4 Million US Dollars |
| Scottie Scheffler | Golf | 92.5 Million US Dollars |
| Deshaun Watson | NFL (Cleveland Browns) | 91.8 Million US Dollars |
| Patrick Mahomes | NFL (Kansas City Chiefs) | 86.8 Million US Dollars |
| Jordan Love | NFL (Green Bay Packers) | 83 Million US Dollars |
| Jared Goff | NFL (Detroit Lions) | 80.8 Million US Dollars |
| Trevor Lawrence | NFL (Jacksonville Jaguars) | 80.5 Million US Dollars |
Highest Earning American Athletes’ Salary & Endorsement Chart
Take a look at the famous American sportspersons’ yearly earnings from salary, incentives, and endorsement deals.
| American Athlete Name | Annual Salary & Incentives | Yearly Sponsorship Deal |
| Stephen Curry | 56 Million US Dollars | 100 Million US Dollars |
| Dak Prescott | 127 Million US Dollars | 10 Million US Dollars |
| LeBron James | 48.8 Million US Dollars | 85 Million US Dollars |
| Kevin Durant | 51.4 Million US Dollars | 50 Million US Dollars |
| Scottie Scheffler | 62.5 Million US Dollars | 30 Million US Dollars |
| Deshaun Watson | 90.8 Million US Dollars | 1 Million US Dollars |
| Patrick Mahomes | 58.8 Million US Dollars | 28 Million US Dollars |
| Jordan Love | 79 Million US Dollars | 4 Million US Dollars |
| Jared Goff | 75.8 Million US Dollars | 5 Million US Dollars |
| Trevor Lawrence | 74.5 Million US Dollars | 6 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Herbert | 63.6 Million US Dollars | 10 Million US Dollars |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 68.4 Million US Dollars | 4 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Jefferson | 68.2 Million US Dollars | 4 Million US Dollars |
| Damian Lillard | 49.5 Million US Dollars | 18 Million US Dollars |
| Blake Snell | 66.6 Million US Dollars | 0.8 Million US Dollars |
| CeeDee Lamb | 64.2 Million US Dollars | 2.5 Million US Dollars |
| Josh Allen | 60.1 Million US Dollars | 6 Million US Dollars |
| Anthony Edwards | 42.1 Million US Dollars | 20 Million US Dollars |
| Joel Embiid | 50.4 Million US Dollars | 10 Million US Dollars |
| Jimmy Butler | 48.8 Million US Dollars | 11 Million US Dollars |
| Devin Booker | 49.3 Million US Dollars | 9 Million US Dollars |
| Bradley Beal | 50.2 Million US Dollars | 8 Million US Dollars |
| Kawhi Leonard | 49.3 Million US Dollars | 8 Million US Dollars |
| Paul George | 49.3 Million US Dollars | 7 Million US Dollars |
| Jayson Tatum | 35.8 Million US Dollars | 20 Million US Dollars |
| Tiger Woods | 10.6 Million US Dollars | 45 Million US Dollars |
| Kyler Murray | 51.6 Million US Dollars | 3 Million US Dollars |
| Xander Schauffele | 33.6 Million US Dollars | 20 Million US Dollars |
| Russell Wilson | 47.6 Million US Dollars | 6 Million US Dollars |
This chart shows the on-field and off-field earnings of the top 30 highest-paid American athletes in 2025. The amounts are authentic and published by Forbes. However, Spostsnile rearranges all those sums and names in a chronological order based on the overall yearly income.
Highest-Paid American Sports
If you closely take a look at the chart, you will find as many as 13 NFL (American Football) stars on this list, the highest number from any sport. The following sport is the NBA (Basketball), which represents 12 stars on this list. Meanwhile, there are 3 Golfers on the chart and only 1 baseball star. NBA Commentators Salary (Highest-Paid NBA Announcers).
By the way, this list will vary if you count players from different nationalities. In that case, among the top 50 highest-earning sportsmen in the entire world, the largest number belongs to the NBA Basketball with as many as 16 representatives, and the NFL (American Football) follows with 12 representatives (All Americans). Moreover, 2 players belong to the Auto Racing (F1), 3 stars belong to the Baseball (MLB), 3 more stars from Boxing, 5 Golfers, as well as 8 soccer stars. Professional Sports Salary Caps & Comparison (2026).
