LeBron James passes Kobe Bryant on SI's 'Fortunate 50' highest-earning athletes list
LeBron James (right) passed Kobe Bryant on a list of highest-earning athletes. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Thirteen NBA stars are among 2013's Fortunate 50, a Sports Illustrated ranking of the top-50 highest-earning professional athletes compiled by Daniel Roberts.
LeBron James leads the way among basketball players, ranking No. 2 overall on the list with a salary of $17.5 million and estimated endorsements worth $39 million, giving him a total take of $56.5 million. James, who boasts endorsement deals with Nike and Samsung, trailed only boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather on the list after ranking No. 5 overall in 2012.
The 2013 MVP moved past Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for the top spot among NBA players. Bryant, an endorser for Nike and Lenovo, ranked No. 4 overall in 2013, holding the same spot as last year. The highest-salaried player in the NBA, he took home $27.9 million from the Lakers and an estimated $19 million in endorsements for a total of $46.9 million.
Bulls guard Derrick Rose (No. 7 at $33.4 million), Heat guard Dwyane Wade (No. 11 at $28.7 million) and Thunder forward Kevin Durant (No. 12 at $27.7 million) were also among the top-15 of the Fortunate 50 this year.
The 2013 Fortunate 50 is comprised of 25 MLB players, 13 NBA players, eight NFL players, two golfers (Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson), one boxer (Mayweather) and one NASCAR driver (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.).
Here's how the NBA players on the list fared.
No. 2: LeBron James, Heat: $56,545,000 | $17,545,000 salary | $39,000,000 endorsements
No. 4: Kobe Bryant, Lakers: $46,850,000 | $27,850,000 salary | $19 million endorsements
No. 7: Derrick Rose, Bulls: $33,403,000 | $16,403,000 salary | $17 million endorsements
No. 11: Dwyane Wade, Heat: $28,682,000 | $17,182,000 salary | $11,500,000 endorsements
No. 12: Kevin Durant, Thunder: $27,670,00 | $16,670,000 salary | $11 million endorsements
No. 16: Carmelo Anthony, Knicks: $25,300,000 | $19,500,000 salary | $5,800,000 endorsements
No. 24: Amar'e Stoudemire, Knicks: $23,450,000 | $19,950,000 salary | $3,500,000 endorsements
No. 31: Dwight Howard, Magic: $21,936,000 | $19,536,000 salary | $2,400,000 endorsements
No. 33: Chris Paul, Clippers: $21,580,000 | $17,780,000 salary | $3,800,000 endorsements
No. 35: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks: $21,307,000 | $20,907,000 salary | $400,000 endorsements
No. 37: Pau Gasol, Lakers: $21,100,000 | $19,000,000 salary | $2,100,000 endorsements
No. 43: Joe Johnson, Nets: $19,953,000 | $19,753,000 salary | $200,000 endorsements
No. 47: Chris Bosh, Heat: $18,545,000 | $17,545,000 salary | $1,000,000 endorsements
Forbes
