The last 12 months have seen Tiger Woods climb back to the top of the golf rankings , and now the 14-time major winner has reclaimed his crown as the world 's highest-paid athlete . Forbes estimates Woods ' earnings for the 12 months to June 1 this year total $ 78.1 million , putting him ahead of tennis ace Roger Federer -- who topped the 2012 list . The top 10 features two golfers , three soccer players , two NFL quarterbacks , two NBA stars and one tennis player . The 100-strong list compiled by the influential business magazine features just three women , the highest-ranked of which is world No . 2 tennis player Maria Sharapova in 22nd place with earnings of $ 22 million . Woods has started 2013 in fine form , winning four PGA Tour titles so far this year . The 37-year-old pocketed $ 13.1 million in winnings over the last 12 months . He has also cashed in on appearances fees , collecting over $ 10 million for playing in Abu Dhabi , China , Malaysia and Turkey . Federer has won more grand slams than any other male tennis player in history with 17 . The Swiss had total earnings last year of $ 71.5 million -- $ 14 million of which came from playing six exhibition events during a tour of South America . Like Woods , Federer earns an estimated $ 65 million through endorsements , and both players are long-term members of Nike 's stable of athletes . According to his agent Mark Steinberg , Woods is close to signing a new deal with the American sportswear giant . NBA icons Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are third and fourth on the list respectively . Bryant 's salary with the Los Angeles Lakers is the highest in basketball at $ 27.85 million a year , $ 7 million more than any other player . Miami Heat 's `` King James '' earns $ 42 million from endorsements with major companies like Nike , McDonald 's , Coca Cola and Samsung . Quarterbacks Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers ' Aaron Rodgers benefited from lucrative playing contracts worth $ 100 million and $ 110 million respectively . Golf 's Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson is seventh on the list after making $ 48.7 million , with soccer trio David Beckham , Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi completing the top 10 . Former England captain Beckham recently ended his playing career with a five-month spell at French side Paris Saint-Germain . The $ 5.2 million salary he was paid during that time was donated to charity . Beckham took home $ 47.2 million , profiting from commercial deals with Adidas , H & M and Samsung . Real Madrid 's Ronaldo pipped on-field rival Lionel Messi , earning $ 44 million compared to the Barcelona star 's $ 41.3 million .
World No . 1 golf player Tiger Woods named the world 's highest-paid athlete . The American earned $ 78.1 million in the 12 months up to June 1 , 2013 . Tennis star Roger Federer second on the list after topping the pile in 2012 . TL;DR