NRL and AFL left behind in eyewatering Australian sport rich list

Some of Australia’s brighest young stars are set for some truly eyewatering paydays as the sporting rich list gets a whole new look.

Matthew Sullivan

8 min read

March 7, 2025 - 1:24PM

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Australia could soon have a new highest paid athlete at the top of our sporting rich list as America continues to provide bumper paydays for the next generation of Aussie sportspeople.

Ben Simmons’ time as Australia’s top paid athlete is coming to an end with his $60 million NBA contract expiring at season’s end.

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The 28-year-old reached a buyout agreement that saw him move from the Brooklyn Nets to the LA Clippers, where he is playing decent minutes as back-up centre in a bid to keep his NBA career alive and earn another contract. But his next deal won’t be nearly as lucrative as the one he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jordan Mailata is the poster boy for Aussie success stories in America after the former Rabbitohs junior became the first Australian to play in a winning Super Bowl team when the Philadelphia Eagles triumphed last month.

Mailata signed a three year, USD $66 million (A$104 million) extension that ranks him as one of Australia’s top paid athletes.

There are a handful of Australian punters in the NFL including Michael Dickson and Mitch Wishnowsky, and there are plenty of Aussies wanting to follow in their path. Who wouldn’t want to earn millions for kicking the ball a few times a game, albeit under immense pressure?

Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata is an Australian sporting success story. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

The ProKick Australia program is renowned for getting young Australians ready to take on college football and the NFL, but Mailata’s success has opened the door for more players with hulking physiques who dream of being in an NFL offensive or defensive line.

Broncos powerhouse forward Ben Te Kura has been identified as a player in the mould of Mailata who could have a future in the NFL.

Four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski believes the pathway is there for more Australians like Mailata to make it to the NFL.

“Jordan Mailata is an inspiration to all young Australian football players,” Gronkowski told news.com.au on a recent visit to Australia with Sportsbet.

“It’s amazing he never played American football in high school and college and he got drafted into the NFL.

“Whoever saw his talent and skill set and drafted him, you’ve got to give them credit for being able to scout that and develop him. It’s special, unbelievable. People love him.

“It’s going to open a lot more doors for others as well to go over to the US and play in the NFL.

“I think the pathway wasn’t there back in the day, but a guy like Jordan has opened up those gates. It’s just a wonderful story. Those gates are going to keep opening up and I’m sure we’re going to see more players in Australia get more opportunities in the NFL.”

Jordan Mailata is the first Aussie to play in a Super Bowl victory. Photo: Ryan Kang

Rob Gronkowski expects more Australian footy players to make it to the NFL. Photo: Supplied.

Professor Rob Wilson from the University Campus of Football Business said Australia’s next highest paid athlete will likely come from one of America’s four major sporting leagues.

“The next big Australian athlete could be in the NBA, the NFL and to a lesser extent the NHL as well as baseball,” Dr Wilson told news.com.au, per JeffBet.

“It’s a path well trodden by Australian athletes to move into those sports.

“For Australian athletes, the NFL is very attractive. The big difference between Australia and New Zealand and us is their position on rugby league.

“The code is much closer and then you add in Aussie Rules to that as well. So the transition for those athletes into a sport like the NFL arguably is easier than what we see European players, Louis Rees-Zammit being a case in point.

“So those Australian athletes tend to translate into NFL players much more easily than a Northern Hemisphere rugby player would for sure.”

Dyson Daniels could soon be Australia’s highest paid athlete. Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images/AFP.

Aussie NBA star to become our new richest athlete

The man who could well find himself as Australia’s highest paid athlete is Dyson Daniels. The NBA defensive stopper has broken all sorts of defensive records this season, thriving in a more prominent role at the Atlanta Hawks after being traded from the New Orleans Pelicans last off-season.

The 21-year-old from Bendigo is a lock for All-Defensive First Team honours and is still a big chance to win Defensive Player of the Year, although recent history suggests that award will go to a big man instead of a perimeter defender like Daniels.

He is earning A$9.7 million this season and is set to get a mammoth pay rise this off-season with the Hawks set to offer the restricted free agent a bumper extension heading into the last year of his four-year rookie contract.

Daniels’ new deal is expected to be worth in excess of USD$20 million (A$32 million) per season, in recognition of him being Atlanta’s third best player alongside Trae Young and Jalen Johnson.

Daniels could be in line for a contract similar to the five-year, USD $150 million (A$237 million) extension signed by Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs last offseason.

I can't wait to see what Dyson Daniels' extension comes in at this summer. He's been the perfect backcourt mate for Trae Young.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 25, 2025

Josh Giddey is also set to earn a pay rise as his four-year rookie deal comes to an end this season.

The 22-year-old was devastated to be traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder but has found his groove as Chicago’s lead playmaker following Zach Lavine’s departure at the trade deadline.

Giddey had four consecutive 20-point double-double games since the All-Star break as he makes the case for a pay rise in the summer when his rookie contract expires.

His salary this season is A$13.3 million, but that could nearly double in the off-season if the Bulls re-sign him as they look to rebuild the franchise around a young core.

Josh Giddey is also set for a big pay rise. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Is Oscar Piastri underpaid?

Some eyebrows were raised when a list of F1 driver salaries was released by The Sun ahead of the 2025 season, with Australia’s Oscar Piastri down at No. 12 out of 20 drivers.

Piastri is expected to take another leap and contend for the championship this season but his reported salary of A$9.4 million pales in comparison to teammate Lando Norris’ A$32 million contract.

According to Forbes, last year Piastri earned a base salary of $8 million and a bonus of $27 million as McLaren won the constructors championship.

McLaren now seems to prefer the bonus model, perhaps burned by having to pay Daniel Ricciardo payout upwards of $20 million for the third year of his contract after they sacked him.

Dr Wilson said: “I think Oscar Piastri was probably punching above his weight when he first got to drive with McLaren. Lando Norris has obviously emerged as a title contender over the last 12 months and Oscar, unfortunately, is the kind of number two driver in that setup currently.

“So unless he were to move to one of the other big four teams (Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari), which I think is unlikely given the number of seats that are available, I think he will struggle to make that significant step up in terms of wages unless his on-track performance exceeds some of those other drivers and a spot opens up somewhere else or Lando were to move into another team.

Oscar Piastri is one of Australia’s highest paid sportspeople. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“But undoubtedly he’s got huge talent as a driver and he’s pushing at the right doors. He needs a bit more experience on track but that’ll come over the next 12 months or so and you could see the emergence of a new superstar quite easily.

“It’ll be interesting to see how he and Lando go toe to toe. They’re both aggressive drivers, highly talented, and they’re both young. The really interesting thing is that there is not a lot of difference in age between the two of them.

“You would probably argue that there isn’t room in the same team for two drivers of that calibre. So one of them might end up needing to move or wanting to move.”

Max Verstappen ($104 million) and Lewis Hamilton ($96 million) have taken F1 driver salaries into the next stratosphere as the sport’s popularity has exploded in recent years.

Mary Fowler catching up to Sam Kerr

On the women’s side, six of the top 10 highest earners globally last year were tennis players, thanks to the prize money and endorsements.

But since Ash Barty’s retirement, Sam Kerr has taken the mantle as Australia’s highest paid female athlete.

The Matildas striker raked in $3.3 million in 2022, according to the AFR, thanks to a hefty contract of more than $600,000 with Chelsea alongside endorsement deals with Nike and EA Sports.

Mary Fowler already has 60 Matildas caps at the age of 22 and while her deal with Manchester City isn’t quite as lucrative as Kerr’s with Chelsea, Fowler’s list of endorsements has grown since the 2023 FIFA World Cup.

Mary Fowler is a sponsor’s dream. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Sam Kerr has been Australia’s highest paid female athlete in recent years. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Fowler is sponsored by Adidas, Samsung, CommBank, Barbie, L’Oreal and Weet-Bix.

Dr Wilson said: “When you’re at that stage of your career and you’ve got a 10-year trajectory in front of you, it makes it much more doable, but it’s harder for a soccer player, because golf for instance is much more integrated (with prize money).

“So if she produces the goods on the field, she’ll get more sponsors that are interested in having her as a brand ambassador and that will then start adding up quite significantly, particularly if she lands a really big brand, like the Adidas connection she has had in the past.”

Kerr is expected to return to action in the coming months, and if she and Fowler go head to head in the WSL, it will be appointment viewing.

Who are some other top Aussie earners?

Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins is Australia’s highest earning cricketer at $5.66 million, taking into account his $2 million Cricket Australia contract and $3.66 million Indian Premier League contract with Sunrisers Hyderbad.

Cummins also has sponsorship deals with Gilette, Amazon Prime Video, Lyre’s Spirit Co and Mountain Culture Beer.

Golfers Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman are high on the list courtesy of their LIV prize money.

LIV contracts are not made public, but it’s understood Smith joined LIV in 2022 on a deal worth $140 million.

Alex de Minaur was also a top earner in 2024 thanks to a consistent season.

Australia’s crop of NBA players including Josh Green, Dante Exum, Jock Landale, Matisse Thybulle, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles are all multi-millionaires.

Back in Australia, more NRL and AFL players are earning seven figures with each passing year.

According to the AFL, 25 players earned a million dollars or more last season.

That figure is increasing year on year, with 50 million-dollar players expected by the end of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2027.