Forbes has listed two Nigerians in its 2023 list of highest paid athletes in the world.
Baskekball star, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named number 11 in the list, earning $87.6M
- In December 2020, Antetokounmpo signed a five-year, $228 million supermax extension with the Bucks, with an opt-out after the fourth year.
- Antetokounmpo was named the NBA’s MVP for 2018-19 and 2019-20 and was also defensive player of the year for the latter season.
- The first MVP nod triggered huge bonuses from sponsors like Nike, which extended its deal with the Greek Freak in 2017.
- Nike released the Zoom Freak 1 in 2019; it was the largest initial signature shoe launch in Nike basketball history.
- Disney secured a deal in 2020 to develop a movie around Antetokounmpo’s life, along the lines of “The Blind Side.” The film, titled “Rise,” was released on Disney+ in June 2022.
Sponsors:
Amazon, Breitling, Come Ready Foods LLC, Epic Games, Google, JBL, Meta, Nike, Unilever
Also on the list is Anthony Joshua who was listed on number 28.
He earned a staggering $53M
- Joshua won his first 22 pro fights and was a world heavyweight champion from 2016 to 2019, until a stunning loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
- The Brit avenged the loss later in 2019 with a unanimous decision. He lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 but got back on track with a win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023.
- He has a massive social media following, with 26 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Sponsors:
Audemars Piguet, DAZN, Under Armour
