Which Southern California athlete makes the most money?
In one sense, the answer is easy: The $700-million contract Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers is the most lucrative in the history of North American team sports.
Career earnings for the Lakers’ LeBron James: $479 million through this season, according to Spotrac.
But the most popular and most dominant athletes can make more money off the field than they can in salary or winnings. No athlete in the world makes more from endorsements, sponsorships and business ventures than James.
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Sportico, a sports business website, just released its list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world, combining money earned on and off the field last year.