Lakers’ LeBron James pockets $127 million as the year’s ‘highest-paid athlete’

His Lakers failed to make the playoffs and could be headed for a roster overhaul, but LeBron James is still very much the king, financially speaking.

The 37-year-old NBA superstar ranked atop Sportico’s list of the highest-paid athletes for the last 12 months after raking in a reported $127 million in salary and endorsements to edge out international soccer stars Lionel Messi ($122 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($115 million). Tennis star Naomi Osaka ranked atop all female athletes, and 20th overall, with $53.2 million in earnings.

Sportico’s top-100 list included athletes across 10 sports, who earned an estimated $4.5 billion in salary, winnings, and endorsement deals, which is a 6-percent increase from last year.