Rockets James Harden/Russell Westbrook two of world’s top-paid athletes

Houston Rockets guards Russell Westbrook and James Harden have been a historic tandem in more ways than just on the hardwood.

It’s well-known that the Houston Rockets have a star-studded backcourt in Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The former MVPs have been without question the best duo in the league, as they combined for 61.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 14.4 assists during the 2019-20 season.

Although these were historic numbers, one can only expect them to get better, as this was the first season of The Beard and The Brodie playing together in the Space City. But not only are Westbrook and Harden in a rare territory on the court, they’re also in an exclusive club as it pertains to their earnings.

Forbes magazine released the world’s highest-paid athletes of the past year, regardless of sport, and the Houston Rockets duo were each inside of the top 20. Westbrook made $56 million, which was good for 12th and Harden made $47.8 million, which was 17th-best.

Houston Rockets superstars Russell Westbrook and James Harden are the only teammates to have made Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

The list consisted of on-court and off-the-court earnings, and Westbrook made $29 million in basketball earnings and $27 million in endorsement money. Harden made $28.8 million in basketball salary and $19 million in endorsements also.

Westbrook and Harden were the only teammates of any sport to each finish inside the top 20, which is easy to understand, as they’re the only teammates in the NBA to each have supermax contracts. LeBron James and Stephen Curry were the highest-earning NBA players, as they finished fifth and sixth overall, with LBJ having made $88.2 million and Curry having made $74.4 million in earnings.

The top athlete on the list was tennis great Roger Federer,  who made an astounding $106.3 million, of which $100 million was generated in endorsement money. It’s worth noting that Forbes hasn’t always been the most accurate as it pertains to these lists throughout the years, but at the very least the data is certainly intriguing.