With a combined earning of $430 million, here are the highest-paid black athletes of 2022

Kevin Durant 

The 34-year-old athlete earned $89.1 million comprising $ 44.1 million from salary/winnings and $45 million from endorsements. He has sponsorship deals with 2K Sports, Coinbase, Dapper Labs, Nike, and Weedmaps. He plays for the Phoenix Suns and has an estimated net worth of $210M.

Durant started his professional NBA career after he was drafted for the 2007 season by the Seattle SuperSonics. He was named in the first NBA All-Star Game during the 2009-10 season and he became the youngest NBA scoring champion with a point score of 30.1 points.

As his success on the court grew, his signing fees and endorsement deals also grew. Prior to the 2010-2011 season, he inked an $86 million five-year contract extension with the Thunder. In 2016, he left the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors, signing a two-year contract worth $54.3 million and a contract extension in 2018 for $61.5 million. In 2019, he signed for the Brooklyn Nets in a sign-and-trade deal.

Off the court, Durant has enjoyed success with a number of business deals. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has made $36 million from endorsement deals with companies like Gatorade, Nike, Degree, and more.

According to Sportico, Durant has made $580 million in career earnings and will most likely hit billionaire status as an active player. So far, LeBron James is the only active NBA player to attain billionaire status.

Sportico reports that Durant is still owed roughly $85 million from Nike through 2024 when his 10-year Swoosh deal expires.

His investment firm, Thirty-Five Ventures, has made at least 75 investments including micro-lender Acorns, stock trading platform, Robinhood, esports organization Andbox, and cloud data management firm Rubric.

He recently made a couple of wins with Coinbase and Postmates Delivery Rider. In 2017, he invested $250,000 and reportedly made $13.5 million when the company recently went public. Also, Uber bought Postmates for $2.65 billion, valuing Durant’s stake at $15 million. According to Sportico, Durant’s biggest financial commitment was his 5% stake in Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union franchise, a move he made last year. The deal also allows him to purchase an additional 5%.