8 of the richest Olympians at the 2024 Paris Games – net worths, ranked: from golf’s Rory McIlroy and tennis’ Novak Djokovic, to NBA’s Steph Curry and LeBron James
The 2024 Olympics in Paris has officially wrapped following two weeks of excitement, controversy, outrage and plenty of viral moments. It’ll be a long four years until the next Summer games – Los Angeles 2028 – which was officially announced with much fanfare at the Paris closing ceremony as Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise pulled off some death-defying stunts over the Stade de France.
For many Olympians, the end of the 2024 Games means a return to normal life, juggling regular jobs while training and trying to stay afloat financially. Unfortunately, there are no cash prizes to be won at the Olympics and the biggest sponsorship deals only go to the most elite performers. Instead, many athletes use the Games as a platform to increase their profiles and turn these into potential endorsem*nts and income streams.
On the flipside, plenty of athletes who participated at the Paris Games are already world famous with mega fortunes in the bank. So who’s making the most millions – and how are they doing it?
Here are eight of the richest Olympians who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
8. Scottie Scheffler, US
Sport: Golf
Estimated net worth: US$90 million
Scottie Scheffler, currently the world’s top-ranked golfer, is also one of the sport’s wealthiest players. After winning Olympic gold this year, he broke down in tears during the national anthem after his win.
7. Jon Rahm, Spain
Sport: Golf
Estimated net worth: US$100 million
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm might be heartbroken after letting the gold medal slip through his hands at this year’s Olympics, but with an impressive net worth, we’re sure he’s got plenty of cash to wipe away his tears. After his disastrous performance, Rahm revealed during a post tournament interview, “Sometimes you know when you win, but you definitely know when you don’t win it, and this just stings on a different emotional level.”
6. Anthony Davis, US
Sport: Basketball
Estimated net worth: US$160 million
According to ESPN, in August 2023, Los Angeles Lakers forward-centre Anthony Davis signed a three-year contract extension worth US$186 million to stay with the team through 2028, bringing his total contract earnings to US$270 million (he had US$84 million left on his previous five-year deal). The result? His is the richest annual contract extension in the history of the NBA. This year, he was part of the victorious US men’s national team who took home gold after defeating France.
5. Rory McIlroy, Ireland
Sport: Golf
Estimated net worth: US$170 million
Golf superstar Rory McIlroy also made an appearance at this year’s Games. He controversially chose to represent Ireland over Team Great Britain at this year’s Olympics. He explained why, via The Independent: “The decision was I’m going to play golf for the country or the nation that I’ve always played for through my junior and amateur days, and now into the professional game.”
4. Stephen Curry, US
Sport: Basketball
Estimated net worth: US$180 million
Stephen Curry is one of the most popular players in the NBA, so it comes as no surprise that he’s also made a fortune through endorsem*nt deals with the likes of Nissan, electronics company Palm and cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading Limited. Of course, he celebrated gold at this year’s games as part of the US men’s national team.
3. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
Sport: Tennis
Estimated net worth: US$240 million
The only sports star on the list that doesn’t come from the lucrative careers of golf and basketball is Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic. After sensationally beating Carlos Alcaraz this year, Djokovic finally took home gold at his fifth Olympic Games.
2. Kevin Durant, US
Sport: Basketball
Estimated net worth: US$300 million
Widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history, Kevin Durant has raked in big bucks during his basketball career. Following his stellar performance at this year’s Games, Durant is now the highest scoring player in Olympic basketball history, finishing with 518 points, per NBA.
1. LeBron James, US
Sport: Basketball
Estimated net worth: US$800 million
The wealthiest competitor on our list at the 2024 Paris Olympics was none other than basketball hero LeBron James. Forbes might have anointed James with billionaire status in 2022, but the baller is believed to be worth a little less these days – not that US$800 million is anything to cry about. After helping Team USA win its fifth straight gold medal, he also earned Olympic MVP honours at this year’s event, per NBA.
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