The world’s fastest man, Jamaican sprint champion Usain Bolt, is among the 100 highest-pad athletes in the world with earnings totaling US$32.5 million. According to a survey by Forbes, it is estimated that Bolt earned $30 million in endorsements, plus another $2.5 million from his track achievements. Bolt is ranked in the Number 32 sport, between Harden of the Houston Rockets at $32.8 million and Clayton Kershaw of the MLB at $32 million. Lebron James of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers is third on the list, earing $77.2 million; he is also the highest ranking American. Football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are ranked Number One and Two, respectively. Below is the top 100 list:
| Rank | Name | Sport | Total |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | $88 million |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Football | $81.4 million |
| 3 | LeBron James | Basketball | $77.2 million |
| 4 | Roger Federer | Tennis | $67.8 million |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | $56.2 million |
| 6 | Novak Djokovic | Tennis | $55.8 million |
| 7 | Cam Newton | American football | $53.1 million |
| 8 | Phil Mickelson | Golf | $52.9 million |
| 9 | Jordan Spieth | Golf | $52.8 million |
| 10 | Kobe Bryant | Basketball | $50 million |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Formula 1 | $46 million |
| 12 | Tiger Woods | Golf | $45.3 million |
| 13 | Eli Manning | American football | $45 million |
| 14 | Joe Flacco | American football | $44.5 million |
| 15 | Tom Brady | American football | $44.1 million |
| 16 | Floyd Mayweather | Boxing | $44 million |
| 17 | Rory McIlroy | Golf | $42.6 million |
| 18 | Russell Wilson | American football | $41.8 million |
| 19 | Sebastian Vettel | Formula 1 | $41 million |
| 20 | Philip Rivers | American football | $38 million |
| 21 | Rafael Nadal | Tennis | $37.5 million |
| 21 | Neymar | Football | $37.5 million |
| 23 | Zlatan Ibrahimovi? | Football | $37.4 million |
| 24 | Fernando Alonso | Formula 1 | $36.5 million |
| 25 | Gareth Bale | Football | $35.9 million |
| 26 | Marcell Dareus | American football | $35.2 million |
| 27 | Peyton Manning | American football | $34.2 million |
| 28 | Derrick Rose | Basketball | $34.1 million |
| 29 | Kei Nishikori | Tennis | $33.5 million |
| 30 | A.J. Green | American football | $33.3 million |
| 31 | James Harden | Basketball | $32.8 million |
| 32 | Usain Bolt | Track and field | $32.5 million |
| 33 | Clayton Kershaw | Baseball | $32 million |
| 33 | Dwyane Wade | Basketball | $32 million |
| 35 | Drew Brees | American football | $31 million |
| 36 | Carmelo Anthony | Basketball | $30.9 million |
| 37 | Chris Paul | Basketball | $30 million |
| 38 | Cliff Lee | Baseball | $29.3 million |
| 39 | Olivier Vernon | American football | $29 million |
| 40 | Serena Williams | Tennis | $28.9 million |
| 41 | Justin Verlander | Baseball | $28.6 million |
| 42 | Kyrie Irving | Basketball | $27.6 million |
| 43 | Julio Jones | American football | $27.2 million |
| 44 | Luke Kuechly | American football | $27.1 million |
| 45 | Robinson Canó | Baseball | $27 million |
| 46 | Dwight Howard | Basketball | $26.9 million |
| 47 | Miguel Cabrera | Baseball | $26.6 million |
| 48 | Albert Pujols | Baseball | $26.3 million |
| 49 | Blake Griffin | Basketball | $26.1 million |
| 49 | Wayne Rooney | Football | $26.1 million |
| 51 | Cameron Jordan | American football | $25.9 million |
| 52 | Russell Westbrook | Basketball | $25.7 million |
| 53 | Ryan Howard | Baseball | $25.6 million |
| 53 | Trent Williams | American football | $25.6 million |
| 55 | Chris Bosh | Basketball | $25.2 million |
| 56 | Félix Hernández | Baseball | $24.9 million |
| 57 | Zack Greinke | Baseball | $24.7 million |
| 58 | Prince Fielder | Baseball | $24.6 million |
| 59 | CC Sabathia | Baseball | $24.4 million |
| 60 | Sergio Agüero | Football | $24.3 million |
| 60 | Sam Bradford | American football | $24.3 million |
| 62 | Paul George | Basketball | $24.1 million |
| 63 | Manny Pacquiao | Boxing | $24 million |
| 64 | Kevin Love | Basketball | $23.9 million |
| 65 | Yoenis Céspedes | Baseball | $23.8 million |
| 65 | Joe Mauer | Baseball | $23.8 million |
| 65 | David Price | Baseball | $23.8 million |
| 65 | Luis Suárez | Football | $23.8 million |
| 69 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | $23.6 million |
| 69 | Jason Day | Golf | $23.6 million |
| 71 | Dez Bryant | American football | $23.5 million |
| 71 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Auto racing | $23.5 million |
| 73 | Demaryius Thomas | American football | $23.4 million |
| 74 | Andy Murray | Tennis | $23 million |
| 74 | Masahiro Tanaka | Baseball | $23 million |
| 74 | Mark Teixeira | Baseball | $23 million |
| 77 | Joe Johnson | Basketball | $22.9 million |
| 78 | Cole Hamels | Baseball | $22.7 million |
| 79 | Anthony Castonzo | American football | $22.5 million |
| 79 | Troy Tulowitzki | Baseball | $22.5 million |
| 81 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | Football | $22.4 million |
| 82 | Jimmie Johnson | Auto racing | $22.2 million |
| 83 | Ángel Di María | Football | $22.1 million |
| 83 | James Rodríguez | Football | $22.1 million |
| 85 | Eden Hazard | Football | $22 million |
| 85 | Conor McGregor | MMA | $22 million |
| 85 | David Ortiz | Baseball | $22 million |
| 88 | Maria Sharapova | Tennis | $21.9 million |
| 89 | Jacoby Ellsbury | Baseball | $21.8 million |
| 89 | Justin Houston | American football | $21.8 million |
| 91 | Matt Kemp | Baseball | $21.7 million |
| 92 | Canelo Álvarez | Boxing | $21.5 million |
| 93 | Adrian Gonzalez | Baseball | $21.4 million |
| 94 | LaMarcus Aldridge | Basketball | $21.2 million |
| 94 | Cameron Heyward | American football | $21.2 million |
| 94 | Jayson Werth | Baseball | $21.2 million |
| 97 | Alex Rodriguez | Baseball | $21.1 million |
| 98 | Nico Rosberg | Formula 1 | $21 million |
| 99 | Carl Crawford | Baseball | $20.9 million |
| 100 | Buster Posey | Baseball | $20.8 million |
