- Snoop Dogg tops celebrity crypto PnL at an estimated $17 million, driven by NFT collecting and secondary-market activity.
- Athletes control the largest on-chain exposure, with Serena Williams at $15 million and three NFL players in the top ten.
ApeX Protocol’s review of on-chain activity and public disclosures places Snoop Dogg at the top of celebrity crypto earners, with an estimated $17 million. The ranking indicates that athletes hold the largest aggregate exposure, led by Serena Williams at $15 million, alongside a strong NFL presence.
The study aggregates wallet-linked NFT sales, disclosed token allocations, and verified commercial agreements to estimate crypto net worth for public figures. It assigns an influence score from one to ten based on brand reach in Web3 and consistency of engagement. Snoop Dogg scores ten, while Steve Aoki and Lionel Messi score nine. The analysis coincides with a five-year expansion in crypto participation, with Bitcoin adding more than 160 million users as endorsements and token partnerships have brought new retail cohorts into self-custody and exchange accounts.
Musicians and NFTs
Musicians continue to monetise Web3 through primary mints and royalties from secondary sales. Snoop Dogg’s earnings reflect sustained acquisition and curation under the Cozomo de’ Medici persona, together with collaborations across metaverse platforms. Grimes is estimated at $6 million following the WarNymph NFT drop.
Steve Aoki ranks sixth at $4 million, with cumulative NFT revenues that now exceed income from touring and recordings. These cash flows illustrate how NFTs can operate as programmable merchandise with on-chain provenance and recurring royalty rails rather than one-off sales.
Athletes lead crypto wealth rankings
Athletes comprise more than half of the top ten as they convert endorsement income into digital assets and equity stakes in crypto companies. Serena Williams holds the second-largest portfolio at an estimated $15 million, anchored by investments in a major US exchange and NFT commerce infrastructure. The NFL cohort is prominent.
Saquon Barkley ranks third at $10 million after routing sponsorship income into Bitcoin as a long-duration store of value. Russell Okung is fourth at $6.5 million following his salary allocation to Bitcoin and ongoing advocacy for on-chain finance. Tom Brady places eighth at $650,000 in residual holdings after the failure of a major exchange, alongside his involvement with a sports-focused NFT platform.
Lionel Messi ranks seventh at $2 million through fan-token incentives and branded NFT releases. Floyd Mayweather rounds out the top ten at $375,000 from promotional NFT campaigns. A spokesperson for ApeX Protocol said celebrity participation reduces perceived barriers to entry for non-crypto natives and enables direct-to-fan monetisation without traditional intermediaries.
