10 Highest-Paid Athletes of the Last Decade

With the decade coming to a close, Forbes released their list of athletes who made the most money in the past 10 years.

Floyd Mayweather came in at No. 1, which you could have increased your net worth betting on. Mayweather, who made just under $1 billion, brought in over $500 million in dominating wins over Manny Pacquiao, who also made the list, and Conor McGregor.

The order following Mayweather was a bit more eye-opening. In the United States, most would've assumed it was the most-covered athlete, LeBron James, at No. 2. But James came in fourth, also trailing the world's two biggest soccer names.

10. Lewis Hamilton: $400 million

9. Kevin Durant: $425 million

8. Manny Pacquiao: $435 million

7. Phil Mickelson: $480 million

6. Tiger Woods: $615 million

5. Roger Federer: $640 million

4. LeBron James: $680 million

3. Lionel Messi: $750 million

2. Cristiano Ronaldo: $800 million

1. Floyd Mayweather: $915 million

For as massive as the NFL is, none of its players made the top 10. But what is even more surprising, not a single baseball player made the list. For whatever the national interest in the MLB is at this point, the league remains in the news for its players signing decade-long deals worth unfathomable amounts of cash. Most recently, it was Bryce Harper inking a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies.

On the court, Kevin Durant was the second-highest paid NBA player of this decade, but the bet here would've been Steph Curry made more. With the appeal of Curry's game, shoes, and size, it's rather head-scratching Durant made this list over his former teammate.

Looking ahead to this list in 10 years, put me down for Canelo Alvarez being on it. Canelo is the biggest star in boxing and this list proves the financial benefits of star power in individual-based sports. Though it occurred in this decade, Canelo inked a $365 million contract with the streaming service DAZN.