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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 21: Kevin Durant of the United States celebrates his gold medal after the final match of the Men’s basketball between Serbia and United States on day 16 at Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 21, 2016. (Photo by Salih Zeki Fazlolu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 21: Kevin Durant of the United States celebrates his gold medal after the final match of the Men’s basketball between Serbia and United States on day 16 at Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 21, 2016. (Photo by Salih Zeki Fazlolu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020 will see a host of big-name athletes make their way to the Asian continent in search of glory. The likes of Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Simone Biles, Andre de Grasse, Hannah Roberts and Laurel Hubbard, are all stars to keep an eye on. But NBA superstar and former Golden State Warriors hooper, Kevin Durant is arguably the biggest name to feature in Tokyo.
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Kevin Durant of the USA in action during the Basketball Men’s Gold Medal Game between Serbia and the USA during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Carioca Arena 1 in the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21 August 2016. Photo: Friso Gentsch/dpa | usage worldwide (Photo by Friso Gentsch/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Despite an underwhelming end to the 2020 NBA season with the Brooklyn Nets, KD will hope to impress at the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. The USA Men’s basketball team has come under immense criticism in recent weeks after their recent exhibition losses to Nigeria and Australia.
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But the 2007 first-round pick will not worry too much about the end result, especially considering his substantial pay package from annual wages and commercial deals.
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Kevin Durant, Naomi Osaka headline top-paid athletes list at Tokyo Olympics
As per a recent list published by Forbes, the former Oklahoma City Thunder is valued at a massive $75 million ahead of playing for the United States of America at this year’s quadrennial showpiece.
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The two-time NBA MVP will lead a roster featuring the likes of Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) and Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls). Freshly-crowned NBA Champions, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday of Milwaukee Bucks will also travel to Tokyo for the Summer Olympic Games.
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Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – May 30, 2021 Picture taken May 30, 2021 Japan’s Naomi Osaka reacts during her first round match against Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Apart from KD, Japanese/American tennis icon Naomi Osaka is second on the list of highest-paid athletes in Tokyo. She bagged a total of $60 million in the past year. Osaka earned $55 million in endorsements and $5 million in prize money in the last 12 months.
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Next on this list is Portland’s Damian Lillard ($40.5m) and Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic ($34.5m).
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