LeBron James is Fourth Highest Paid Athlete in the World, According to Forbes

LeBron James may have left salary money on the table when he decided to sign with the Miami Heat, but his back account ain't aching too much. According to the latest Forbes calculations of the world's most well-paid athletes, James came in fourth...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

June 6, 2013

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LeBron James may have left salary money on the table when he decided to sign with the Miami Heat, but his back account ain't aching too much. According to the latest Forbes calculations of the world's most well-paid athletes, James came in fourth.

James made an estimated $59.8 million last year, with $17.8 million of that from his Heat contract. The rest, about $42 million, came from his numerous endorsement deals with companies like Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Samsung. In fact, James made more from endorsements in 2012 than anyone on the list.

It pays to be King, but James isn't even the best paid athlete in the NBA. Kobe Bryant edged him out for third place with $61.9 million. Bryant made less through endorsements, but his salary last year was $10 million higher than James'.

Tiger Woods climbed back to the top spot this year with tennis player Roger Federer coming in at second.

Dwyane Wade came in number 23, in this case not exactly a Jordan-esque number. Flash made an estimated $28.9 million last year.

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