There are a few factors to consider for a list of the top-earning pro athletes in California. To start with:
- Does it include athletes who come from California, play for California teams, or both?
- Does it include salary and endorsement deals?
- Is it the top-earning California pro athletes of all time, or who earns the most right now?
Different combinations produce different results. So in an effort to include a little of everything, our list is actually two lists.
First, our list of the top 20 highest-paid pro athletes in California for 2025 includes only athletes currently under contract with California teams and only their current annual salaries.
Second, our top five richest, all-time California pro athletes list includes those from California and who played for California teams. It includes total earnings, salary, and endorsements.
Top 20 highest-paid pro athletes in California in 2025
Below are the highest-paid pro athletes in the state of California based on 2024-25 salary numbers as compiled from multiple sources. Note that these figures only refer to base salaries and not endorsements:
| Player | Team | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | LA Chargers | $60 million |
| Kawhi Leonard | LA Clippers | $49.2 million |
| Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | $55.8 million |
| LeBron James | LA Lakers | $48.7 million |
| Luka Dončić | LA Lakers | $43.1 million |
| Domantas Sabonis | Sacramento Kings | $39.2 million |
| Anthony Rendon | LA Angels | $38 million |
| Mike Trout | LA Angels | $35.5 million |
| James Harden | LA Clippers | $33.7 million |
| Nick Bosa | San Francisco 49ers | $30.7 million |
| Blake Snell | LA Dodgers | $28.4 million |
| Shohei Ohtani | LA Dodgers | $28.2 million |
| Matthew Stafford | LA Rams | $27 million |
| Mookie Betts | LA Dodgers | $26.2 million |
| Brandon Aiyuk | San Francisco 49ers | $24.9 million |
| Xander Bogaerts | San Diego Padres | $25.5 million |
| Matt Chapman | San Francisco Giants | $25.2 million |
| Robbie Ray | San Francisco Giants | $25 million |
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | $24.1 million |
| DeMar DeRozan | Sacramento Kings | $23.4 million |
Top 5 highest-paid California athletes of all time
There are many “highest-paid athletes of all time” lists out there. We sourced ours from Sportico’s early 2024 list of the top 50 athlete earners of all time.
1. Tiger Woods ($2.66 billion)
Legendary golfer Tiger Woods was born and raised in Orange County California. Woods tops the all-time PGA list with more than $120 million in career earnings, much of which came from his 82 PGA titles and 15 major championships. Of course, his many endorsements over his decades of play have helped push him way up the list of top-earning athletes, and in fact only Michael Jordan sits higher than Woods overall with $3.75 billion.
2. LeBron James ($1.7 billion)
LeBron James spent most of his 19-year NBA career earning elsewhere. Of course, he played for Cleveland and Miami before finally joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. James’ Lakers salary—more than $41 million—sounds big, but it’s not even tops on his team. However, with endorsement deals from Nike and Coca-Cola, his total career earnings top $1.7 billion, making LeBron James the second-highest-paid California athlete of all time.
3. Phil Mickelson ($1.43 billion)
Golfer Phil Mickelson was born in San Diego, California, and practically grew up at California’s famous Pebble Beach Golf Links, where his grandfather was a caddy. Fast forward to 2022 and Mickelson’s $96 million-plus in career PGA Tour earnings make him third on the all-time PGA list behind only Woods and Rory McIlroy. Endorsements are a big deal for the top golfers, and since Mickelson is synonymous with the KPMG hat he’s worn for most of his career, and also enjoys high-end sponsors like Rolex. Of course, it was his controversial decision to join the LIV Tour in 2022 that added most considerably to his total.
4. Shaquille O’Neal ($1.21 billion)
Shaquille O’Neal played 19 NBA seasons, but the dominant 7-foot 1-inch center’s most productive years were with the Lakers from 1996 to 2004. Shaq picked up three of his four championship rings during the Laker years. Being the biggest player in the NBA’s second-biggest market (to New York) helped him land some lucrative endorsement deals. In fact, O’Neal has earned big bucks from countless big brands. These include Burger King, Pepsi, RadioShack, Icy Hot, and The General auto insurance with whom he’s made commercials for decades now.
5. Kobe Bryant ($1.09 billion)
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers. He led the Lakers to five NBA Championships. What’s more, his name became synonymous with the franchise before his tragic death at age 41 in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven other people in 2020. Contracts with powerhouse brands like Adidas, Nike, Sprite, and McDonald’s helped push Bryant’s total earnings over the $1 billion mark for his career.
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