Athletes Paid In Bitcoin

NFL

5

NBA

4

MLB

1

NHL

0

Russell Okung

$6.5 million Carolina Panthers

On December 29, 2020, Bleacher Report reported that the Carolina Panthers would pay half of Russell Okung's $13 million dollar salary in Bitcoin (BTC).

Aaron Rogers

Amount Unclear Green Bay Packers

On November 21, 2021, Rogers posted a tweet explaining that he had partnered with Square's CashApp to convert an undisclosed portion of his 2021 salary to Bitcoin (BTC).

Odell Beckham Jr.

Amount Unclear LA Rams

On November 22, 2021, LA Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tweeted that he would be partnering with CashApp to receive his new full salary in Bitcoin. Like Aaron Rogers, his total salary is undisclosed.

Trevor Lawrence

Amount Unclear Jacksonville Jaguars

USA Today reports that Trevor Lawrence, the expected first-overall pick in this year's NFL draft, will place part of his signing bonus into cryptocurrency.

Saquon Barkley

$10 million New York Giants

Joe Pompliano and The Street report that Saquon Barkley will be taking $10 million worth of endorsement money via Bitcoin.

Klay Thompson

Amount Unclear Golden State Warriors

Thompson told his Twitter followers that he was taking a part of his paycheck in Bitcoin because he believes it is “the future of money.”

Shohei Ohtani

Amount Unclear Los Angeles Angels

Bitcoin.com reports that hitting and pitching superstar Shohei “Shotime” Ohtani has joined FTX Trading Ltd. as a global ambassador. He will be compensated with crypto along with an equity stake in the crypto company.

Sean Culkin

$920,000 Kansas City Chiefs

ESPN.com reports that Kansas City Chiefs TE Sean Culkin will be converting his entire salary into Bitcoin. Culkin claims Bitcoin is "the future of finance."

Cade Cunningham

Amount Unclear Detroit Pistons

Coindesk reports that first overall draft pick Cade Cunningham has negotiated a deal with crypto lender BlockFi to pay his undisclosed signing bonus as well as part of his 4-year $46.5M deal in crypto.

Andre Iguodala

$2.647M Golden State Warriors

In a partnership with Cash App Andre and teammate Klay Thompson announced that they will receive part of their compensation in bitcoin.

hockey stick

NHL Players Currently Paid in Bitcoin

No NHL players are currently paid in Bitcoin.

soccer ball

Pro Soccer Players Currently Paid in Bitcoin

No pro soccer (football) players are currently paid in Bitcoin.

Article Sources

BuyBitcoinWorldWide writers are subject-matter experts and base their articles on firsthand information, like interviews with experts, white papers or original studies and experience. We also use trusted research and studies from other well-known sources. You can learn more about our editorial guidelines.

  1. Basketball Network - Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson reportedly lost millions in salary due to the crypto crash, https://www.basketballnetwork.net/off-the-court/andre-iguodala-and-klay-thompson-lost-millions-in-salary-due-to-the-crypto-crash
  2. Detroit News - Pistons' Cade Cunningham's latest endorsement to pay him in Bitcoin, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2021/08/19/pistons-cade-cunninghams-latest-endorsement-pay-him-bitcoin/8197184002/
  3. ESPN - Kansas City Chiefs' Sean Culkin becomes 1st NFL player to convert entire salary to Bitcoin, https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31339960/kansas-city-chiefs-sean-culkin-becomes-1st-nfl-player-convert-entire-salary-bitcoin
  4. Markets Insider - MLB star Shohei Ohtani takes a stake in crypto exchange FTX and joins Steph Curry and Tom Brady as the latest brand ambassador, https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/shohei-ohtani-stake-crypto-firm-ftx-mlb-star-sports-push-2021-11
  5. Yahoo - Two NBA All-Stars to accept salary in bitcoin in partnership with Jack Dorsey's Cash App, https://sports.yahoo.com/two-nba-stars-accept-salary-203123095.html
  6. The Street - Saquon Barkley Says He Will Take All Future Endorsement Deals in Bitcoin, https://www.thestreet.com/cryptocurrency/saquon-barkley-says-he-will-only-take-bitcoin-for-all-future-endorsement-deals
  7. USA Today - Trevor Lawrence partners with Blockfolio, will have signing bonus placed into cryptocurrency account, Trevor Lawrence partners with Blockfolio, will have signing bonus placed into cryptocurrency account
  8. Bloomberg - NFL’s Odell Beckham Jr to Take ‘New Salary’ in Bitcoin, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-22/football-star-odell-beckham-jr-to-take-new-salary-in-bitcoin
  9. Yahoo Sports - Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will take part of his 2021 salary in Bitcoin, https://sports.yahoo.com/green-bay-packers-aaron-rodgers-will-take-part-of-his-2021-salary-in-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-003113595.html?guccounter=1
  10. Front Office Sports - Crypto Crash Costing NFL Players Millions, https://frontofficesports.com/crypto-crash-costing-nfl-players-millions/

About the Author

jordan tuwiner

Jordan Tuwiner is the founder of BuyBitcoinWorldwide.com. He studied computer science at Towson University and holds an online degree in trading & cryptocurrency. Jordan has been writing about Bitcoin since 2015. His work has been featured in The Guardian, International Business Times, Forbes, VentureBeat, CoinDesk and many other top Bitcoin media outlets.



bitbo
Get Bitcoin charts, data and stats with Bitbo.
bitbo.io