Adams on sporting rich list
Kiwi basketball star Steven Adams is the
86th richest athlete on the planet, according to Forbes.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star is the only New Zealander included in the magazine’s latest list of the 100 highest-paid athletes, after earning US$23.5 million
(NZ$33.4m) through his whopping NBA contract and various endorsement deals in the US.
Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather has returned to the top of the list for the first time in three years after pocketing
US$275m (NZ$391m) for his fight against Conor McGregor.
McGregor (NZ$140m) sits fourth on the list while football megastars Leo Messi
(NZ$157.9m) and Cristiano Ronaldo
(NZ$153.6m) are second and third. The list does highlight the huge disparity between male and female athletes as there is not a single woman among the top 100.
Serena Williams, who was the only female to feature in the top 100 last year, dropped out after missing almost 12 months of action when she gave birth to her first child in late 2017.
The list is dominated by American sportsmen with 40 NBA players, 18 American football NFL players and 14 Major League Baseball players included.
Adams was the fifth youngest athlete on the list at 24 with fellow NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo the youngest at 23.