Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steph Curry has led the way again among US superstars in Forbes’ list of the top 10 highest paid athletes of the year.
The 2025 line-up also features NFL player Dak Prescott, eight-time Ballon d’Or-winning footballer Lionel Messi and basketball legend LeBron James.
Baseball aces Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani make the top 10, as does 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant.
101GreatGoals.com takes a look at the highest paid athletes of 2025, including how much Curry is said to have collected and his reported salary.
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Who is the highest paid athlete in the world?
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest earning athlete of the year for the third time in a row and the fifth overall, according to the financial outlet.
The 40-year-old earned $225 million on the pitch for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr during the year and is said to have received $50m through interests off the pitch, including investments in wearable tech company Whoop, porcelain manufacturer Vista Alegre and supplement brand Bioniq.
Golden State Warriors’ Curry is a considerable way behind in second, while Prescott is fourth, Messi fifth, James sixth, Soto seventh, Ohtani ninth and Durant 10th.
Top 10 highest paid athletes 2025
Here are Forbes’ top 10 earners for 2025.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (football) – $275m (£206.8m)
- Steph Curry (basketball) – $156m (£117.3m)
- Tyson Fury (boxing) – $146m (£109.8m)
- Dak Prescott (American football) – $137m (£103m)
- Lionel Messi (football) – $135m (£101.5m)
- LeBron James (basketball) – $133.8m (£100.6m)
- Juan Soto (baseball) – $114m (£85.7m)
- Karim Benzema (football) – $104m (£78.2m)
- Shohei Ohtani (baseball) – $102.5m (£77.1m)
- Kevin Durant (basketball) – $101.4m (£76.3m)
Highest paid NBA player 2025: Steph Curry, LeBron James
Curry is up from ninth on the 2024 list, on which fellow NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo was fifth and James was fourth.
Golfer Jon Rahm was second last year following his lucrative move to LIV Golf, but the 30-year-old is 12th this time around, having made an estimated $100m.
Antetokounmpo is 13th ($94.4m), with the other basketball players in the top 49 published by Forbes including Damian Lillard (29th, $67.5m) and Anthony Edwards (33rd, $62.1m), as well as stars of the sport in all 10 of the positions between 35th and 44th.
Steph Curry salary: Highest paid NBA player
Curry is said to have made $56m from the game this year and $100m from off-court deals, boosted by a contract as the figurehead of Under Armour’s Curry Brand that is reportedly worth $75m in future stock compensation alone.
His latest investments include Nirvana water, women’s basketball league Unrivaled and sports drink brand Plezi Hydration.
How much does Steph Curry make a year?
The Warriors gave Curry a $62.6m one-year extension in August to keep him with the team until the 2026/27 season, set to make the 37-year-old the highest paid NBA player throughout the deal.
Lionel Messi contract, salary
Messi remains the most high-profile footballer in the world alongside Ronaldo and has an optional extra year in his Miami contract.
Speaking to Marca after Messi’s arrival was first announced, Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said the four-time Champions League winner would earn up to $60 million a year.
Messi’s purported playing salary of up to $20.4m is considerably more than any other player in the US and is heftily increased by holding equity in the club and payments from league broadcasters Apple.
Miami captain and reigning MLS Most Valuable Player Messi signed a deal until December 2025 when he joined the franchise as a free agent in July 2023, and The Athletic has described renewal talks as “advanced”, citing sources in the US.
Messi said he felt “very happy” at Miami in February, while owner Jorge Mas predicted in early April that the 37-year-old’s future would be resolved “within 60-90 days”.
“It’s solely his decision,” Mas told FDP Radio Miami, adding that “the stars are aligning for something great, for a beautiful future for the club and for Lionel”.
“My hope has always been — and everything we’re doing — is to see Messi play at our new stadium in 2026. Hopefully, that happens.”
