World's Top Paid Athlete for 2006
Each year Sports Illustrated Magazine's have published the Fortunate 50 (top paid US athletes) and the International 20 (top paid other athletes). It made sense to combine these two and create the World 10.
We have combined the 2006 Fortunate 50 and the 2006 International 20 lists to give you the top 10 paid athletes in the world in 2006 according to Sports Illustrated. Compare this list to the similar Forbes 2006 Top Paid Athletes List. Earning totals are based on salary, winnings, endorsements and appearance fees.
| Name | Country | Sport | earnings (US$ million) | previous year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tiger Woods | USA | Golf | 97.6 | 1 |
| 2. | Michael Schumacher | Germany | Auto Racing | 80.0 | 2 |
| 3. | Phil Mickelson | USA | Golf | 46.0 | 11 |
| 4. | Shaquille O'Neal | USA | Basketball | 34.0 | 4 |
| 5. | Kobe Bryant | USA | Basketball | 33.7 | 19 |
| 6. | Carson Palmer | USA | American Football | 31.6 | >50 |
| 7. | Valentino Rossi | Italy | Motor Sports | 30.0 | 16 |
| 8. | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Soccer | 29.1 | >50 |
| 9. | LeBron James | USA | Basketball | 28.6 | 10 |
| 10. | Derek Jeter | USA | Baseball | 28.0 | 14 |
Related Pages
- About Sports Illustrated Lists
- Other sporting lists, including the Forbes list of the World's Best Paid Athletes
- More about the World of Sport
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