Many US athletes will make more in a year than most will make in their lifetime. However, when that dreaded Tax Day creeps up, those highest earners end up paying out millions in taxes. But how does this affect the incomes of America’s highest-earning athletes?
Well, crunching the numbers to reveal which athletes were likely worst hit on Tax Day, Bookies.com highlighted the top-20 highest paying tax spenders based on their 2021 earnings and state specific tax laws – with Tiger Woods paying out an estimated $64,600 a day in taxes.
Furthermore, the report continues by revealing America’s highest earners after tax, with Dak Prescott ($63.2) and Tom Brady ($46.1) leading the way in 1st and 2nd.
- A new report from Bookies.com reveals America’s highest taxed athletes
- Based on his 2021 earnings, LeBron James could be paying an estimated $139,700 a day on income taxes
- Dak Prescott is America’s highest paid athlete after tax, earning over $65M.
The spoils of being a professional athlete are astonishing. Earning millions of dollars each year from lucrative salaries and endorsements, many US sports stars make more in a year than most will make in their lifetime. However, with higher earnings comes higher taxes – especially in different parts of the US. But how does this effect America’s highest earning athletes?
Analyzing 2021’s highest earning US sports stars, Bookies.com crunched the numbers to reveal which athletes were likely worst hit on Tax Day based on the state in which they reside. These findings highlight the top-20 highest paying tax spenders, breaking down how much each star potentially forfeits each day. Furthermore, the report continues by revealing the highest earning US athletes, when tax is accounted for.
LeBron James, Dak Prescott and Stephen Curry all pay over $100,000 a day on taxes!
Accounting for all state specific taxes, LeBron James takes the tax crown, forfeiting an estimated $51M of his $96.5M income (around $139,700 a day on taxes), despite Dak Prescott earning more last year. Balling for the Lakers pays a price for LeBron, with income taxes in California being amongst the highest across the US.
Dak Prescott was 2021’s highest earning US athlete1, pulling in an income of around $107.5M from on and off field earnings. Despite being the highest paid athlete, thanks to his Texas residence Prescott would likely pay around $42.3M in taxes, around $8.7M less than LeBron. Whilst this figure is lower, Prescott shares a similar daily tax figure to LeBron of around $115,800 – the 2nd highest. Steph Curry is the only other member of the $100,00+ club, forfeiting an estimated $107,800 each day to taxes.
Below is a list of US athletes in order of estimated total tax paid:
| Rank | American Athlete | Total Tax Paid | Tax Per Day |
| 1 | LeBron James | $51.0M | $139,700 |
| 2 | Dak Prescott | $42.3M | $115,800 |
| 3 | Stephen Curry | $39.4M | $107,800 |
| 4 | Kevin Durant | $35.0M | $95,900 |
| 5 | Russell Westbrook | $31.2M | $85,300 |
| 6 | Tom Brady | $29.9M | $81,800 |
| 7 | David Bakhtiari | $25.6M | $70,100 |
| 8 | Patrick Mahomes | $24.5M | $67,200 |
| 9 | Tiger Woods | $23.6M | $64,600 |
| 10 | Klay Thompson | $23.5M | $64,300 |
| 11 | Jalen Ramsey | $23.0 | $62,900 |
| 12 | Phil Mickelson | $21.6M | $59,300 |
| 13 | Kyrie Irving | $21.6M | $59,200 |
| 14 | Chris Paul | $21.1M | $57,800 |
| 15 | James Harden | $20.0M | $54,900 |
| 16 | Damian Lillard | $20.0M | $54,700 |
| 17 | Paul George | $19.5M | $53,500 |
| 18 | Myles Garrett | $19.1M | $52,300 |
| 19 | Ronnie Stanley | $18.7M | $51,100 |
| 20 | Leonard Williams | $18.2M | $49,800 |
Who are America’s highest earning athletes after tax?
Dak Prescott was America’s highest paid US athlete during 2021 ($107.5M) and it remains that way after taxes, earning an estimated $65.2M. Despite forfeiting over $42M, Prescott would still pull in $19M more than 2nd place NFL superstar, Tom Brady.
Despite LeBron James earning over $20M more than Tom Brady during 2021 ($96.5M vs. $76M), after taxes, the QB comes out on top. Thanks to his Florida residence, Brady’s taxes are far less than LeBron’s Californian taxes, resulting in Brady earning and estimated $610,000 more after taxes despite the $20M income gap.
Further California based superstars were also stung by higher taxes, with Klay Thompson moving from the 13th to 21st highest earning athlete when accounting for taxes.
Below is a list of US athletes in order of estimated highest earnings after tax:
| American Athlete | Ranking* | After Tax Earnings | Ranking** | 2021 Earnings |
| Dak Prescott | 1 | $65.23M | 1 | $107.5M |
| Tom Brady | 2 | $46.13M | 3 | $76.0M |
| LeBron James | 3 | $45.52M | 2 | $96.5M |
| Kevin Durant | 4 | $40.01M | 4 | $75.0M |
| Tiger Woods | 5 | $36.42M | 6 | $60.0M |
| Stephen Curry | 6 | $35.15M | 5 | $74.0M |
| James Harden | 7 | $30.97M | 9 | $51.0M |
| Patrick Mahomes | 8 | $29.98M | 8 | $54.5M |
| Ronnie Stanley | 9 | $28.84M | 11 | $47.5M |
| Russell Westbrook | 10 | $27.85M | 7 | $59.0M |
| Dustin Johnson | 11 | $27.02M | 12 | $44.5M |
| Joey Bosa | 12 | $26.72M | 14 | $44.0M |
| Trent Williams | 13 | $26.42M | 16 | $43.5M |
| Serena Williams | 14 | $25.20M | 19 | $41.5M |
| Myles Garrett | 15 | $23.90M | 18 | $43.0M |
| Jimmy Butler | 16 | $23.38M | 25 | $38.5M |
| David Bakhtiari | 17 | $22.90M | 10 | $48.5M |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 18 | $22.63M | 23 | $39.0M |
| Kyrie Irving | 19 | $22.38M | 15 | $44.0M |
| Marlon Humphrey | 20 | $21.59M | 26 | $37.5M |
*After Tax Earnings Rank
**2021 Before Tax Earnings Rank
