Probably only a few will parade in Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium behind the flag of their respective national team, but global stars of the Sport System will also participate in the Tokyo Games. Forbes has compiled the ranking of the 10 richest athletes who have decided to chase Olympic gold in Japan. The ranking was compiled by analyzing the earnings between May 2020 and May 2021, considering both “sports” income (cash prizes, salaries and bonuses) and non-sports income such as sponsorships and licensing. Certainly for some of the stars the effects of the pandemic weigh: for example, the NBA basketball players have had to deal with a 20% cut in salaries. Among the richest stars in Tokyo are six, along with three tennis players and a golfer. Together in 12 months they have grossed just over 350 million dollars.
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The podium
Top of the chart is the star of the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant, which has already won two Olympic gold medals in London and Rio, with 75 million. The two-time NBA champion has also invested in the Boardroom multimedia network, has a 5% stake in the Philadelphia Union franchise of MLS and a venture capital firm, Thirty Five Ventures. In second place is hoisted Naomi Osaka who broke earnings records for female athletes, surpassing veteran Serena Williams and former record holder Maria Sharapova. The 23-year-old, considered the new face of tennis, earned 55 million in sponsorships and 5 million in prize money in 12 months. With over 20 partners, including newcomers like Google, Louis Vuitton, Workday and Levi’s, Osaka is at No. 12 on Forbes’ list of highest paid athletes for 2021. Portland Trailblazers point guard and six-time NBA All-Star are on the bottom step of the podium Damian Lillard. The 31-year-old has amassed $ 40 million by entering into sponsorship deals with Adidas, Gatorade, Hulu and 2K Sports, among others. In 2014, Lillard renegotiated a new 10-year contract with Adidas worth $ 100 million for its best-selling shoe line, Dame. Lillard, also known by her rap alias Dame DOLLA (Different On Levels the Lord Allows), has released three studio albums under her record label, Front Page Music. The Olympian rookie appears on both the Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack and in the film (playing the role of Chronos). In reality, Jayson Tatum (fourth) closely chases Lillard having signed a contract with the Boston Celtics worth 39 million per season.
tennis and golf
Fifth is the number one in men’s tennis with 34.5 million dollars Novak Djokovic who is looking for the Golden Slam in Tokyo, winning the four Grand Slam tournaments (he only misses the US Open, after the victories in Australia, Paris and Wimbledonm which earned him 2.4 million) plus Olympic gold. A 3-in-a-row that was only successful for the German Steffi Graf in 1988. In addition to the cash prizes, the Serbian tennis player earned 30 million from sponsorships with companies such as Lacoste, Peugeot, NetJets and the Austrian manufacturer of tennis equipment Head. Rory McIlroy, considered one of the greatest golfers along with Tiger Woods, is instead sixth on the Forbes rankings, having raised $ 29 million from business partners such as Nike, Omega and UnitedHealth Group. He also founded GolfPass with NBCSports, a $ 10-a-month subscription digital streaming package where he offers enthusiasts his exclusive technical instructions. Another Japanese tennis player in the ranking, in eighth place, is Kei Nishikori which earns 30 million in rich sponsorships secured by brands such as Japan Airlines, Lixil and Nissin, which are also Olympic partners
Superstar Nba
Nishikori is preceded by another Nba superstar Devin Booker – seventh with 30.5 million – who led the Phoenix Suns to the 2021 NBA final lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee. Booker became the highest-paid player in Suns history by signing a $ 158 million five-year contract in 2018 and earned $ 7 million from sponsors such as Nike and Call of Duty.