Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the 30th highest-paid athlete in the world, and also the youngest, on the Forbes 100 List for 2018.
As of June 5, Antetokounmpo’s annual earnings were $35.5 million, with $22.5 million coming from his salary and $13 million from endorsements.
According to Forbes, in the 2017-2018 season Antetokounmpo started a new $100 million deal with the Bucks, as well as a Nike contract extension. The new deal will pay an estimated $9 million in the first year with more to come when Nike releases Antetokounmpo’s first signature shoe in 2019.
The 23-year-old Greek basketball player has also endorsement deals with BMO Harris, Tissot, Kronos Foods and several more in Greece, making him the youngest on the Forbes 100 list of highest-paid athletes.
At the completion of his fifth year in the NBA, Antetokounmpo has increased his annual scoring average by at least four points per game each year. He averaged a career-high 27 points during the 2017-18 season.
Yet, the millions don’t seem to have gone to his head. As Giannis commented on Twitter after the Forbes List was released, “…I’m just a kid from Sepolia”, paying tribute to his old neighborhood in Athens.
U.S. boxer Floyd Mayweather tops the list ($285 million), followed by Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi ($111 million), Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo ($108 million), mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor ($99 million) and Brazilian soccer player Neymar closes the top 5 list, having earned $90 million in 2018.
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