It's no secret that top athletes are paid well - very well. The world's sporting heroes benefit from astronomical contracts, lucrative endorsement deals, and eye-watering winnings, but who scooped the biggest collective pay packet in 2015? Thanks to Forbes, we've compiled the highest paid athletes of the year just gone. If there's one particularly interesting feature of this list, it's the sheer variety of characters on show. From 6'8" basketballing bulldozers to diminutive soccer stars, ageing veterans to hot young talents, and squeaky-clean professionals to outspoken controversy-courters, it's clear that financial success in sports caters to all types. However, if there's one glaringly obvious trend from this list, it's the lack of women. Not a single female athlete charted in the top 25, although tennis superstar Maria Sharapova did rank 26th. This could be set to change in the coming year, as female sports stars are granted more opportunities as time goes by - especially with athletes such as Ronda Rousey blazing a trail. That aside, 2015 is also notable for a shattered record. In 2008, Tiger Woods made the most money by an athlete in a calendar year ever, scooping $115m. Last year, two athletes smashed that figure - one by an absolutely unbelievable margin. Interestingly, they both did so thanks to the very same event...
25. Carmelo Anthony - $30m
Salary/Winnings: $22.5m Endorsements: £8m The New York Knicks might have been having a lot of on-court struggles in recent seasons, even in spite of the arrival of coaching zen-master Phil Jackson, but things could be a lot worse if not for Carmelo Anthony. While the Knicks might not win games, 'Melo just continues to do his thing, which is score lots and lots of points, averaging 24.2 PPG last season. He decided to opt out of his contract in the summer of 2015, and while he was linked with moves to the likes of the Chicago Bulls, ended up resigning with the Knicks on a five-year deal, with a contract worth $124m, leading to his place on this list.