MS Dhoni Sole Indian On Forbe's Most Valuable Athlete Brand List

NEW YORK: India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the sole Indian sportsman to figure on Forbes' list of the world's most valuable athlete brands, a list that has been topped by American basketball player LeBron James and includes golfer Tiger Woods and tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Dhoni is ranked fifth with a brand value of USD20 million in 2014, slightly down from USD21 million last year. Forbes said Dhoni signed bat sponsorship deals with Spartan Sports and Amity University in late 2013, reportedly worth a combined USD4 million annually, up from the USD1 million Reebok was paying previously.

Forbes's Most Valuable Athlete Brands in Sports lists 10 athletes whose endorsement income exceeded the endorsement income earned by their peers by the largest amount during the past year.

James tops the list with a brand value of USD37 million in 2014. The NBA's biggest marketing star pulled in a total of USD53 million from endorsers like Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Upper Deck.

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