Six athletes with Alabama roots are on Forbes’ annual list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world.
Forbes released the 2020 list on Friday, counting the cash piled up by the world's most well-compensated athletes over the previous 12 months.
Led by tennis star Roger Federer -- with $6.3 million in winnings and $100 million in endorsements -- the list includes Tuscaloosa boxer Deontay Wilder and football players Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Philip Rivers, Quinnen Williams and Cam Newton.
Jones, Cooper and Williams played at Alabama, and Newton played at Auburn. Three of the football players were state prep stars, too – Jones at Foley, Rivers at Athens and Williams at Wenonah.
Wilder lost the WBC heavyweight title in February to Tyson Fury, but the $25 million payday for the bout was the largest of his career. Wilder ranked No. 20 on the list at $46.5 million, with $46 million from prizefighting and $500,000 from endorsements.
Wilder ranked 56th on last year’s list at $30.5 million.
Wilder was a football wide receiver, basketball forward, baseball pitcher and track long jumper at Central High School in Tuscaloosa before getting into boxing.
Jones ranked 26th on this year’s list after signing a three-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons in September that included a $25 million signing bonus. That was a big part of the wide receiver’s total of $40.5 million -- $37.5 million from football and $3 million from endorsements.
Cooper ranked 75th at $24.9 million. The wide receiver re-signed with the Dallas Cowboys in March – a five-year, $100 million deal that included a $10 million signing bonus. Cooper had $23.9 million from football and $1 million from endorsements.
Rivers ranked 88th at $23.4 million. After 14 seasons as the starting quarterback for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Rivers signed a one-year, $25 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts in March, which included a $12 million signing bonus. Rivers had $23 million from football and $400,000 from endorsements.
Williams ranked 94th at $22.4 million. The defensive tackle entered the NFL as the third player picked in 2019 draft, joining the Jets for a four-year, $32.5 million contract that included a $21.7 million signing bonus. Williams had $22.2 million from football and $200,000 from endorsements.
Newton ranked 97th at $22.2 million. The quarterback had $16.7 million from football and $5.5 million from endorsements.
Newton is a free agent after being released in March by the Carolina Panthers. Newton had served as the Panthers’ quarterback since being the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, but he played in only two games during the 2019 season because of a foot injury.
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The top 100 list included athletes from 10 sports and 21 countries.
Following Federer in the top 10 were soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar, NBA players LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, golfer Tiger Woods, and NFL quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Carson Wentz.
CHECK OUT FORBES’ ENTIRE LIST OF THE 100 HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.