Rumors

James is The Associated Press male athlete of the decade, adding his name to a list that includes Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky and Arnold Palmer. He was a runaway winner in a vote of AP member sports editors and AP beat writers, easily outpacing runner-up Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. “You add another 10 years of learning and adversity, pitfalls, good, great, bad, and any smart person who wants to grow will learn from all those experiences,” James, who turns 35 Monday, told the AP. “A decade ago, I just turned 25. I’m about to be 35 and I’m just in a better (place) in my life and have a better understanding of what I want to get out of life.”

Associated Press

Michael Jordan is still the highest-paid retired athlete in the world, according to a Forbes' list released on Wednesday. He earned the No. 1 spot once again after bringing in $110 million in 2015. Not only does he make more than any other retired athlete, but Forbes estimates that he is worth $1.1 billion, and that he will make approximately $30 million more than any other athlete, retired or active, in 2016. Rounding out the top 10 were three other former NBA players: Junior Bridgeman, Shaquille O'Neal, and Magic Johnson. Non-basketball players on the list were David Beckham ($65 million), Arnold Palmer ($40 million), Jerry Richardson ($30 million), Jack Nicklaus ($26 million), Roger Penske ($20 million), and Gary Player ($19 million).

USA Today Sports

Research firm Repucom, which polls people on seven attributes as part of its Celebrity DBI, took the public’s temperature on Curry last year. Curry led NBA players in every category including appeal, influence, trust and trendsetter. He was the only athlete in his sport to finish first in each of Repucom’s attributes. His aspirational score, which tracks how people feel the celebrity has a life to which they’d aspire, ranked tied for seventh with golfer Arnold Palmer out of 3,652 celebrities, one spot behind the world’s third richest person Warren Buffett.

Forbes.com