Billion-Dollar Partnerships: 10 Most Profitable Athlete Endorsement Deals Ever Signed

Players make their name on the field or court but make their money in endorsements. While everyone is still chasing Michael Jordan’s legendary $1.5 billion deal with Nike, three superstar athletes currently have billion-dollar deals. Where do they rank amongst their peers? We wanted to find out. Here are the top ten most profitable contracts in the world that athletes currently benefit from. 

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10. Derrick Rose - $185 Million Deal With Adidas

When Rose signed this contract in 2012 for 14 years, the NBA star was coming off an MVP season. He was the toast of the town in Chicago and his deal reflected it. At the time, it was the second-largest shoe deal ever signed. But that postseason he would tear his ACL in a playoff game and never truly regain his MVP form. While heart-breaking for Rose and the city of Chicago, he would salvage a serviceable career as a journeyman guard. Unfortunately for Adidas, they didn’t see the return on their investment that they had hoped. 

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9.James Harden - $200 Million Deal With Adidas

Harden was entering his prime as a pro when this deal was struck in 2015 ($200/13 years). Between 2014 and 2020 he was named All-NBA First-Team on six occasions and he won the 2018 NBA MVP. But at 33 years old he appears to be waning a bit as a one-dimensional player. He’s capable of a breakout performance from time to time, but he isn’t the gravitational player he once was when he signed this deal. That being said, he moved a lot of shoes for Adidas, and given the market spending spree by Nike, they got a good deal on the NBA point guard. 

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8. Rory McIlroy - $200 Million Deal With Nike

In 2017, Nike swung for the fences, trying to lock up McIlroy for ten years. At the time, McIlroy had already won four Golf majors in, including a pair in 2014. He was a perennial top 10 player before signing, reaching number one in the world soon thereafter. He has yet to win another major, but he remains a luminary in the game and is viewed by oddsmakers as a threat to win every major he enters. 

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7. Tiger Woods - $200 Million Deal With Nike

It’s strange to think that a nine-figure deal of this magnitude would be considered a deal for Nike, but that’s how it looks in retrospect. Tiger Woods’ fall from grace, including his messy public divorce, caused multiple sponsors to terminate their relationships with the fifteen-time major winner. But Nike held their ground and as a result, they were able to hang onto Golf's most marketable player for $200 million. According to Sportico, he had cleared $1.5 billion in endorsement dollars by the end of 2021. 

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6. Steph Curry - $275 Million Deal With Under Armour

Reading the fine print on Curry’s recent contract extension is important. He has received 8.8 million restricted stock units of Under Armour’s common stock, which is valued at $75 million. That value could continue to climb in the coming years. For perspective, UA stock was selling for about $9 a share when this deal was struck, but it has been as high as $25 a share just 17 months earlier. If it were to reach those heights again, his comp package would swell to over $200 million. Speaking of $200 million, his original deal, signed in 2014, has almost run its course. He signed that 10-year, $200 million deal, making his $75 million payday merely a side deal to remain a brand ambassador. 

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5. Kevin Durant - $300 Million Deal With Nike

This lifetime deal is $250 million while he’s on the court with a $50 million retirement payment. The deal with the Oregon-based shoe giant includes “footwear, apparel, and a community and philanthropic collaboration focused on grassroots basketball.” The two-time world champion and former MVP is now on his 16th signature shoe with Nike and is likely to release at least two more before the end of his playing days. 

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4. Roger Federer - $300 Million Deal With Uniqlo

The Swiss Tennis Maestro seemed destined to finish his career as a Nike man. After all, he had spent 24 years as an official spokesman with a Nike deal. But Uniqlo swept him off his feet with this massive nine-figure deal. He won 20 Grand Slams, but his ten-year, 300 million dollar deal with Uniqlo was his arguably his biggest win. Considering he signed it at the very end of his career and not his prime, you have to wonder how much he could have garnered on the open market had he been at the peak of his powers in the early 2020s and not 2000s. 

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3. Lionel Messi - $1 Billion Deal With Adidas

The GOAT of football has been with Adidas for nearly two decades and they made it official that he’ll be with them for life when they inked La Pulga to a billion-dollar contract. Given his slight stature, he is pound for pound the best-paid athlete in the world. He also has the financial might to really make a go of it as an owner in his retirement. He is giving the MLS a test run this year by playing for Inter Miami. That could be the beginning of an American soccer takeover for the soon-to-be billionaire. 

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2. Cristiano Ronaldo -  $1 Billion Deal With Nike

The world’s most marketable soccer star is closing in on the distinction of being the highest-paid athlete in the world. Ronaldo joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the third Nike athlete to sign a lifetime deal with the famous shoemaker. According to reports, he earns $24 million a year from this deal. Nike’s long-term commitment to Michael Jordan has worked out handsomely after he retired, which is how this deal will be evaluated in coming years. As Ronaldo, now 38 years old, is nearing the end of his playing days on the pitch. Will he be as captivating as an analyst or club owner as he is a player? Only time will tell. 

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1. LeBron James - Over $1 Billion Deal With Nike

The Chosen One. The King. The highest-paid athlete on earth. Not only does James have the largest single contract, thanks to his lifetime deal with Nike which is rumored to be worth over $1 billion, but he also rakes in big money from AT&T, GMC, Mountain Dew and Walmart. In 2022, he was the largest earner in terms of endorsement dollars with a record $90 million in a 12-month period. Given his international appeal, acting chops, and prodigy son headed to the NBA in 2024 or 2025, it’s likely that LeBron will remain in the public eye, earning record endorsement deals along the way. 

Methodology

All of the contract data was gathered by our veteran researcher, Dan Tracey. Sources included Nike, Adidas, Uniqlo, Under Armour, Forbes, USA Today, Sportico, Investopedia, and Fortune. The article itself was written by Michael Calabrese, an editor at OLBG with over 15 years of sports journalism experience.