LeBron James: 2nd Highest Athlete Earner in America Per Sports Illustrated

You'd have a hard time finding many people who enjoyed a better 2012 than Miami Heat megastar LeBron James.

He set a career-high in field-goal percentage, 53.1, which he broke 12 months later with this season's ridiculous 56.5 percent conversion rate. He led the Heat in scoring (27.1 per game), assists (6.2), steals (1.9) and tied Chris Bosh for the team-high in rebounds (7.9).

For his efforts, he was rewarded with his third MVP award in four seasons, then added some new hardware to his collection with the first NBA championship and Finals MVP of his career. A few months later, he guided Team USA to Olympic Gold in London.

Oh, and he lined himself up to bring home more money ($56.5 million) in 2013 than most people can even dream about.

Incredibly, though, there's still one athlete who's set for an even greater calendar year than King James. Or a more lucrative year, rather.

According to Sports Illustrated's annual "Fortune 50" report identifying the top 50 earners in professional sports, James' 2013 purse nabbed him the second spot on the list.

The top spot belonged to boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather, who's certainly living up to his nickname with at least $90 million headed his way for a pair of pay-per-view bouts.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees ($47.8 million), Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant ($46.8 million) and golfer Tiger Woods ($40.8 million) rounded out the top-five cash grabbers.

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who missed the entire 2012-13 season rehabbing a torn ACL, was the only other hoops star to finish in the top 10. His $33.4 million in salary and endorsements slotted him seventh on the list.