Athletes Who Bring Home the Bacon

Tiger Woods

(Based on salary, winnings and endorsement income of U.S.-based athletes over the past four years.)<br><br>Far and away the richest athlete in the world, Woods had an average annual take over the past four years that exceeded his career tournament winnings of $81,146,008, through July 1, 2007.

Shaquille O'Neal

Despite pulling down $20 million annually from the Miami Heat and millions more from endorsements and celebrity appearances, Shaq finished his bachelor's degree and earned an MBA in 2005, prompting him to say: "Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else."

Phil Mickelson

For just four days of work at the 2007 Players Championship, Mickelson earned $1.62 million (about $100,000 for every hour on the course) from the richest purse in golf history.

Oscar De La Hoya

Hyped by the HBO series "De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7," De La Hoya's May fight against Floyd Mayweather brought in $150 million in pay-per-view sales with De La Hoya taking home the biggest prize in boxing history at $45 million.

LeBron James

James, who has said he wants to be "the richest man in the world," signed a $90 million endorsement contract with Nike before even being drafted into the NBA four years ago.

Kevin Garnett

The $126 million contract the Timberwolves awarded the then-21-year-old Garnett during the 1997-98 season was one of the driving forces behind the NBA lockout the following year.

Kobe Bryant

The Lakers' star has intimated he may opt out of his current deal in 2009 to become a free agent and bolt Hollywood -- a move that would leave two years and $47.8 million on the table.

Alex Rodriguez

Despite still owning the most expensive contract in the history of professional sports ($252 million over 10 years), Rodriguez is rumored to be considering opting out after this season to seek even more on the open market.

Derek Jeter

Everyone knows that fans (and the New York tabloids) prefer Jeter to A-Rod, but it's a lesser known fact that the lifelong Yankee has taken in $1 million more in total compensation in each of the past two years than the man with whom he shares the left side of the infield.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior's new, five-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports has been estimated at upwards of $100 million.

Andre Agassi

He earned more than $30 million in prize money during his career, third-best all-time, in addition to the $25 million per year he was reaping in endorsements from companies like Nike and Canon during his prime.

Peyton Manning

Before even winning his first Super Bowl in 2007, Manning was already the NFL's highest-paid and most marketable player. His $99.2 million contract with the Colts set a record when he signed it in 2004, and he's appeared in popular ads for DirecTV, MasterCard, Reebok and Gatorade.

Allen Iverson

Iverson has nearly $40 million left on his NBA contract over its final two years, which is supplemented by the $7 million he pulls in annually from the "lifetime" deal with Reebok he signed in 2001.

Tracy McGrady

Despite never having made it out of the first round of the playoffs, T-Mac is one of the top 15 highest paid players in the NBA in addition to being the primary pitchman for shoemaker Adidas.

Manny Ramirez

When Manny requested to be traded from the Red Sox last offseason, he put his downtown Boston penthouse apartment on the market for $6.9 million.

Michael Vick

The $130 million contract ($37 million guaranteed) that Vick signed in late 2004 is the richest in the history of the sport.

Jeff Gordon

Gordon, who has earned more than $80 million in prize money during his career, has helped NASCAR cross into the mainstream; in 2003 he became the first NASCAR driver to host Saturday Night Live.

Barry Bonds

Suspicion of steroid use and a combative relationship with the media have cooled his endorsement appeal, but the 42-year-old Bonds has a one-year deal with the Giants that could be worth more than $19 million if he reaches certain incentives.

Vince Carter

Carter may not be in the running to be the next Michael Jordan anymore, but he's still marketable and just agreed to re-up with the Nets for $60 million over four years.

Jason Giambi

The oft-injured and heavily criticized Yankees first baseman has virtually no endorsements but is guaranteed $21 million in each of his final two seasons with the Bronx Bombers -- unless they try to void it because of steroid suspicions.

Chris Webber

C-Webb may have averaged a career-low 11.0 points per game in 2006-07, but he's still living pretty off the cash he earned from the seven-year, $127 million contract the Kings gave him during his prime in 2001.

Michael Finley

Finley is slated to make $18.6 million in salary next season for the Spurs, which will be paid by the Mavericks, who cut him in 2005.

Tim Duncan

The four-time NBA champion has three years and $61 million left on his current contract with the Spurs and is rumored to be in talks to extend that for two years and another $50 million.

Grant Hill

In seven seasons with the Magic after signing a $93 million contract, the oft-injured Hill played just 200 games, meaning he earned a cool $465,000 for every time he took the floor during his time with Orlando.

Tom Brady

The former sixth-round pick restructured his contract this spring, foregoing an immediate $6 million option bonus to allow the Patriots to trade for Randy Moss.