Forbes Fab 40: The Most Valuable Athlete Brands In Sports

An athlete's brand value is their endorsement income, less the average endorsement income of top 10 athletes in same the sport.

1. Lebron James

Brand Value 2014: $37 million
Brand Value 2013: $27 million
The NBA's biggest marketing star pulled in a total of $53 million from endorsers like Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Upper Deck.

 

2. Tiger Woods

Brand Value 2014: $36 million
Brand Value 2013: $46 million
Woods' earnings took a hit after Electronic Arts announced in 2013 that it would end its relationship with him and his eponymous video game after 14 versions.

 

3. Roger Federer

Brand Value 2014: $32 million
Brand Value 2013: $46 million
Federer's endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse and others that collectively pay him more than $40 million annually.

 

4. Phil Mickelson

Brand Value 2014: $29 million
Brand Value 2013: $25 million
Mickelson picked up valuable sponsor bonuses last year for winning the British Open for the first time and  earned more than $40 million from appearances and endorsement partners.

 

5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Brand Value 2014: $20 million
Brand Value 2013: $21 million
Dhoni signed bat sponsorship deals with Spartan Sports and Amity University in late 2013, reportedly worth a combined $4 million annually, up from the $1 million Reebok was paying previously.

 

6. Usain Bolt

Brand Value 2014: $19 million
Brand Value 2013: $20 million
Puma locked up the world's fastest man in 2013 with a contract extension through 2016 with a value approaching $10 million a year.

 

7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Brand Value 2014: $17 million
Brand Value 2013: $13 million
The Portugal and Real Madrid star was voted the sport's most valuable player in the world in 2013 for the second time in his career, and earned $28 million from endorsements over the past year.

 

8. Kobe Bryant

Brand Value 2014: $15 million
Brand Value 2013: $19 million
Bryant's deals with the likes of Turkish Air, Lenovo, Hublot, Nike and Panini for merchandise are worth $30 million annually.

 

9. Lionel Messi

Brand Value 2014: $12 million
Brand Value 2013: $13 million
Messi's sponsors enabled Barcelona's most prolific goal scorer to earn $23 million from endorsements over the past year with Adidas launching his signature shoe last year, and Turkish Airlines pairing him with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

 

10. Rafael Nadal

Brand Value 2014: $10 million
Brand Value 2013: not listed
Nadal's two Grand Slams (French Open, U.S. Open) last year and top year-end ranking kicked in bonuses from sponsors in addition to the $14.5 million in prize money he earned for the 12 months ending in June.