Basketball: Steven Adams among top 100 athletes on Forbes' Rich List

Kiwi basketball star Steven Adams has again found himself named among the highest paid athletes in the world.

Earning NZ$41.3 million in 2018, Adams clocked in at No.78 on Forbes' list of the world's top 100 highest paid athletes. The 25-year-old earned NZ$36.7 million in salary, with an additional NZ$4.6 million in endorsements.

Adams earned more than the likes of Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady, Liverpool star Mo Salah and NBA all star centre Nikola Jokic.

The 2018-19 NBA season was the second in Adams' four year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder worth $151 million. In the 2019-20 season, his base salary was expected to increase from NZ$36.6 million to NZ$39.2 million, with a further increase in the final year of his deal.

Last year, Adams was ranked No.86 on the top 100 list.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week

Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week

Pay just

$15.75

$2

per week ongoing

Subscribe now

BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just

$449

$49

per year ongoing

Subscribe now

Learn more

30

Football superstars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar ranked No.1, 2 and 3 respectively, earning more than NZ$151.8 million over the year.

Serena Williams was the only woman to feature on the list, ranking at 63rd. The American tennis icon wasn't named on the list last year due to being out of action for most of the year, but was also the only female named on the list in 2017.

Top 10 highest paid athletes (NZ$):

Lionel Messi - football ($192m)
Cristiano Ronaldo - football ($165m)
Neymar - football ($159m)
Canelo Alvarez - boxing ($142m)
Roger Federer - tennis ($141m)
Russell Wilson - American football ($135.9m)
Aaron Rodgers - American football ($135.6m)
LeBron James - basketball ($135.1m)
Stephen Curry - basketball ($121.2m)
Kevin Durant - basketball ($99.3m)