Marc Fortier

Who Is the Highest-Paid Athlete in Boston?

Six Boston sports figures are included on Forbes' annual list of the 100 highest-paid athletes.

Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving, who is expected to leave as a free agent, was the highest-paid athlete in Boston. He came in at number 25, with a combined salary and endorsement total of $43.3 million. About one-third of that came from his endorsement deals.

Next up was Celtics forward Gordon Hayward at number 40. He earned a total of $34.3 million last year. Almost all of that was salary, as he pulled in just $3 million in endorsements.

Other Boston athletes on list included Celtics big man Al Horford (#49), Red Sox pitcher David Price (#50), Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (#81) and Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez (#94).

The top three athletes on the list were all soccer players -- Lionel Messi at $127 million, Cristiano Ronaldo at $109 million and Neymar at $105 million.

Other athletes on the list with Boston ties are former Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers, who signed a free agent deal with the Lions this off-season; Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who played at Boston College, and Cubs pitcher Jon Lester, who played for the Red Sox from 2006 to 2014.

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