Who is the highest paid Olympian?

The highest paid Olympian varies by year depending on endorsements, but as of Paris 2024 and the lead-up to LA 2028, the highest paid active Olympians are typically professional basketball, tennis, and golf players who are already multi-millionaires from their pro leagues. For Paris 2024, the highest paid Olympian by total annual income was American basketball star LeBron James, who earned over $120 million in 2023-2024 from his NBA salary with the Los Angeles Lakers plus endorsements from Nike, AT&T, and other brands, while competing for Team USA and winning gold. Other highly paid Olympians include Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, tennis star Novak Djokovic who earns over $40 million annually, golfer Rory McIlroy, and US sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson who earns millions from Nike. If you restrict the question to athletes whose primary fame comes from traditional Olympic sports rather than professional leagues, the highest paid is often US swimmer Michael Phelps during his career with $20 million annually from Speedo and other endorsements, or Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt who earned over $30 million per year at his peak from Puma. Currently, British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and American gymnast Simone Biles are among the highest paid female Olympians, with Biles earning over $10 million annually from Athleta, Visa, and other sponsors. So the title usually goes to NBA players at each Summer Games.