When American basketball players step onto the court during the Olympics, they will be more than just the most star-studded basketball team in Paris — they will also be the highest-paid in history.
The cumulative NBA salaries of Team USA’s basketball team total $504 million, with the team’s highest paid member – Stephen Curry – expecting a $55 million salary when he returns to his professional career in the fall, according to the Wall Street Journal. Curry’s Team USA peer, LeBron James, is the first self-made billionaire to compete in the Olympics.
The Olympics themselves are unpaid — though many athletes receive medal bonuses from their home countries. It can also be an invaluable time for securing the fame and attention necessary for high-profile endorsement deals. But the salary gap between already famous players in just two sports — basketball and golf — and their counterparts in lower-profile sports is stark.
Many athletes on the American women’s water polo team, for example, were working multiple jobs to support their athletic careers until captain Maggie Steffens publicly asked for financial support prior to the Olympics. Rapper Flavor Flav eventually stepped in to finance the American men’s and women’s teams and signed a five-year deal to “elevate the visibility and excitement surrounding water polo in the United States.”
“I was calling for people to know my teammates and challenging them and empowering them to follow some of the more niche sports this Olympics, especially women’s,” said Steffens, according to the Guardian.
“And Flavor Flav saw that and something about it sparked his interest,” she continued. “He has really opened the door for people to learn about our team and different communities, different people who would have never heard of water polo.”
Even superstars, like gymnast Simone Biles, make far less than their Olympic peers in more mainstream sports. Biles earned $7.1 million in 2023, primarily through endorsement deals, according to a Forbes estimate. This makes her the 16th highest-paid female athlete in the world but it doesn’t even approach the earnings of the richest athletes in Paris.
Continue reading to see which Paris Olympians have the highest earnings.
Northern Irish athlete Rory McIlroy is the second-highest-paid golfer in the world, having earned $83 million between June 2023 and June 2024, according to a Forbes estimate. Approximately $38 million of his earnings came directly from playing golf, while $45 million came from off-the-course income.
American basketball player Stephen Curry earned $102 million in the last year — with an almost even split between his on and off-the-court profits. Curry’s salary was $52 million, while his other earnings totaled $50 million, according to Forbes estimates.
Greek basketball player and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo earned an estimated $111 million last year, primarily through off-the-court deals. His NBA salary was $46 million, while he also received $65 million in other earnings, according to a Forbes estimate.
LeBron James is the wealthiest athlete overall competing in the Paris Olympics, with a net worth of $1.2 billion, according Forbes estimates. Last year, he was the fourth-highest-paid athlete in the world, making $48.2 million through the NBA and $80 million though off-the-court earnings.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm is the highest paid athlete at the Paris Olympics and was the second-highest-paid athlete globally last year, according to a Forbes estimate. Rahm was paid $175 million upfront to join the Saudi-owned LIV Golf tour. He made an additional $23 million through golf and $20 million through off-the-field earnings in 2023.
