LeBron James will be the first self-made billionaire to compete in the Summer Games, but who else stands on the earnings podium in basketball, tennis, golf and other sports?
LeBron James will be the first self-made billionaire to compete in the Summer Games, but who else stands on the earnings podium in basketball, tennis, golf and other sports?
While the Paris Olympics are sure to produce a new set of heroes, the 2024 Summer Games are not likely to mint many new millionaires. “Winning a medal helps with opportunities, but that also is a fairly short-lived thing, to be honest,” says Mikaela Shiffrin, a decorated alpine skier who won her first Winter Olympics gold in 2014. “The world moves on fairly quickly, so if you don’t continue to show success or value in the marketplace, then that excitement from the medal disappears.”
Even in popular Olympic sports like gymnastics, swimming or track and field, there is little hope for big paydays directly through competition. While many countries pay bonuses to medal winners—in the United States, it’s $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, $15,000 for bronze—a lack of professional leagues and four years between Olympics means that athletes have to be smart about capitalizing on their newfound fame.
If Forbes was ranking this summer’s highest-paid Olympians without breaking it down by sport, the list would be dominated by NBA players, professional golfers and tennis stars—athletes Forbes tracks throughout the year with large playing contracts or prize money winnings and millions of dollars in brand endorsements and business ventures off the field.
