Kevin Durant, LeBron James, David Beckham, Maria Sharapova Top Sport’s Highest Endorsement Deals

REIGNING NBA most valuable player Kevin Durant has been offered one of the biggest sporting contracts ever. Under Armour reportedly tabled a monstrous $265-$285 million, 10-year shoe deal to the Oklahoma City star — an estimated 10 per cent of the sporting apparel company’s annual marketing budget. An expert in the basketball shoe market, SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell, described the offer as unprecedented. "We haven’t seen an athlete get that kind of money in a long time for a shoe contract,” Powell told USA Today. "It’s a significant amount of an investment for Under Armour. I estimate it to be about 10 per cent of their annual marketing budget. It’s substantial in terms of that as well." If you don’t follow the NBA that closely, you may remember Durant as the man who delivered one of the all-time great acceptance speeches when he was named as the league’s MVP earlier this year. *MARIA SHARAPOVA, Tennis $70 million over eight years, Nike *Damian Lillard, NBA $100 million over 10 years, Adidas *Dwyane Wade, NBA $100 million over 10 years, Li-Ning *Rory McIlroy, Golf $100 million over 10 years, Nike *David Beckham, Football $160 million over lifetime, Adidas *George Foreman, Boxing $200 million over lifetime, Salton Inc *Kobe Bryant, NBA $15 million a season, Nike *LeBron James, NBA $30 million a season, Nike *Michael Jordan, NBA $100 million in 2013, Nike Yes, you read that right. Michael Jordan earned more money than every athlete on the planet — past or present — last year, except for one: Floyd Mayweather Jr, according to Forbes.