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Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James Top Forbes' 2017 Highest-Paid Athletes List

Adam Wells@adamwells1985Featured ColumnistJune 7, 2017

CARDIFF, WALES - JUNE 03:  Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid CF celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and Real Madrid at National Stadium of Wales on June 3, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales.  (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
David Ramos/Getty Images

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James lead the list of Forbes' highest-paid athletes for 2017.

ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted out the top 10 highest-paid athletes on the Forbes list, which features four NBA players:

Darren Rovell @darrenrovell

The highest paid athletes in the world, as guesstimated by @Forbes https://t.co/JdeNk4t2NO

There's a significant gap between the top three of Ronaldo, James and Lionel Messi and the rest of the list. Ronaldo is the only athlete making over $90 million in salary and endorsements, with James at $86.2 million and Messi at $80 million. 

No one else is making even $70 million. Roger Federer, who ranks fourth on the list, earns the overwhelming amount of his $64 million in endorsements and earned only $6 million for his on-court tennis performance. 

Formula One racing star Lewis Hamilton is the only auto-sport athlete in the top 10. He has won three F1 titles in his career, including back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015. He also finished second in 2016. 

Despite playing just seven rounds of golf since September 2015, Tiger Woods still ranks No. 17 in earnings thanks to $37 million in endorsements.