As the NBA season quickly approaches, basketball fans are excited to see the top players take the court and earn big bucks. The 10 best players will receive a whopping $750 million, the most money ever awarded by the NBA. LeBron James takes the top spot for the ninth year in a row, earning nearly $30 million more than any other player in the league or outside of it. Fans are eagerly rooting for teams like the Lakers, who are among the favorites to win the Larry O’Brian trophy. It’s going to be an exciting season full of high stakes and fierce competition.
Forbes reported that LeBron James and nine other NBA players are set to earn approximately $750 million, surpassing last year’s record of $714 million. This amount represents a significant increase of 120 percent over the past ten years.
In a recent deal, James has signed a two-year contract with the Lakers, which will earn him approximately 44 million dollars. Additionally, he has also committed to an extension worth 85.6 million dollars, which will keep him linked with the team until the 2024-2025 season and could potentially increase to 97 million dollars. In other news, Shaq O’Neal has recently shown interest in purchasing the Suns alongside Jeff Bezos.
According to Forbes, James is expected to make approximately $80 million from his off-court endeavors this year, which will add up to a whopping $124.5 million when combined with his other earnings. This figure is considered to be a conservative estimate because some of his investments are not included in the calculations. For instance, his company SpringHill Entertainment was valued at an impressive $725 million in the previous year.
Coming in at number two on the list is Stephen Curry, who stands to make $48.1 million with the Warriors and an additional $47 million from other sources. Kevin Durant rounds out the top three with a total of $88 million. LeBron James made headlines earlier this summer as the first active athlete to achieve billionaire status, and only the second NBA player to do so after Michael Jordan.