The very best endorsement deals could pay these players a billion dollars

Summary

• Some athletes earn more from endorsement deals than from their sports careers.
• Several athletes have signed lifetime endorsement contracts with major brands like Nike and Adidas.
• Nike has signed lifetime deals with athletes Kevin Durant and LeBron James, while Adidas has signed Lionel Messi.

It is no secret that the world's most popular athletes earn tremendous money for their services. And luckily for them, this isn't their only stream of revenue. A marketable sports star can also do quite well while stumping for products.

In fact, several athletes earn more for their endorsements than they do for their play on the field. The very best of those players can earn hundreds of millions. And the very best of those can even get themselves into the billions.

The competition to sign athletes to endorsement deals is so intense that some have been signed to lifetime contacts. Michael Jordan and Nike are a bit of a different deal as he actually owns his brand and makes hundreds of millions a year.

Here, however, are the players who have signed lifetime endorsement contracts.

5 Kevin Durant - Nike

The Phoenix Suns Star Signed His Lifetime Deal In 2023

Kevin Durant is the most recent athlete to sign a lifetime sponsorship deal. The current Phoenix Sun inked his contract with the sneaker giant in April 2023. Following Michael Jordan and LeBron James, he became the third basketball star to sign a forever deal with Nike.

The forward has had a long and fruitful relationship with the apparel giant that began in his rookie season in 2007. In 2014, Durant signed a 10-year $250 million package with Nike. He signed a lifetime deal with the company before that one ended.

While Durant is now in his 17th season in the league, he is certainly not slowing down. The Phoenix Sun currently scores 28.3 points per game, with 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists. The deal will pay him for the rest of his life, but he has plenty of good years ahead of him.

4 Cristiano Ronaldo - Nike

The Soccer Star Has Been Associated With The Company Since 2003

While Nike dominates the basketball market in the United States, things are different in the European soccer market, which is much more competitive. The face of Nike's European football gear is Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nike was in on the forward early, signing Ronaldo to his first deal while he was still a teenager in 2003. The relationship has been fruitful for both the player and the apparel giant, and in 2016, Nike offered the footballer a lifetime contract. According to sources, the deal pays Ronaldo $24 million per year. The company even features Ronaldo's son in certain ad campaigns.

(Cristiano Ronaldo endorsement list courtesy of as.com)

A global superstar, Ronaldo is currently playing his trade for Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabian Pro League. He joined the club in 2023 on a massive two-and-a-half-year contract paying him close to $200 million yearly.

3 Stephen Curry - Under Armour

The Relationship Between The Player And Brand Started Back In 2013

Stephen Curry has been underestimated for his entire career. Despite his dominant performance at Davidson, the point guard wasn't taken until the seventh selection of the 2009 Draft. After winning four titles with the Golden State Warriors and two MVP Awards, he looks like one of the greatest players of all time.

Curry wore Nike shoes for the first four years of his career, but left the brand after a disastrous meeting in 2013.

Under Armour, an apparel company that was expanding its sneaker division, was there to pick up the pieces.

With Under Armour being, at least at the start, a smaller company, Curry has had more influence than the average endorser. The Golden State Warrior has both stock options and the ability to recruit more athletes to the brand.

The information behind Curry's deal with Under Armour is not as public as others. But the point guard is expected to be reaping the rewards of the contract for many years after his playing career ends. Steph Curry will always be synonymous with Under Armour.

2 Lionel Messi - Adidas

The Soccer Star Signed One Of The Biggest Non-Nike Deals

The careers of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have always been intertwined. Just a few years apart in age, the two have long challenged each other for supremacy in the soccer world. When their careers began, both men were sponsored by Nike.

In 2006, Messi signed with Adidas right before that year's World Cup. It is rumored that he left Nike after the company missed a request from the soccer star's father for more tracksuits. Rather than entering into a bidding war, Nike chose to move forward with Ronaldo as its main football star.

(Lionel Messi endorsement list courtesy of Sportico.com)

The Argentine footballer signed his lifetime deal with Adidas in 2017, and it is expected to pay more than a billion dollars. Messi also has deals with several other prominent companies, including Gatorade, Pepsi, Lay's and MasterCard.

In 2023, Messi signed a deal to come over to the United States and play for Inter Miami CF. The deal, which will pay him close to $150 million over two and a half seasons, also gives him the option to buy a stake in the team once his playing career is over.

1 LeBron James - Nike

A Can't-Miss Prospect, Lebron James Has Dominated The NBA For Over 20 Seasons

LeBron James was so good in high school that his team's games were broadcast on ESPN, and he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior. The Cleveland Cavaliers were thrilled to be able to draft the Ohio native during the 2003 NBA Draft.

Sneaker companies were also eager to get James to sign on the dotted line. Nike, the brand of his hero Michael Jordan, certainly had a leg up on the competition. The night before he was selected by the Cavs, James signed a 7-year $87 million deal with Nike.

Nike has produced a new LeBron sneaker during all of his 21 years in the league. In 2015, the small forward and the apparel giant came to an agreement on a lifetime deal that reportedly pays James $30 million per season. Combined with his salaries and other deals, it won't be long before LeBron becomes a billionaire.

Over the last five seasons, James has played in Los Angeles, one of the biggest media markets in the world. He could be a free agent during the offseason, but the Lakers will reportedly pull out all the stops to keep him on the team.