The corona virus hits the treasury of most competitions hard. The NBA is no stranger to this situationAlthough the best basketball league continues to use financial muscle by paying its stars much better than other American sports.
According to a study in the journal “Forbes,” the NBA paid an average of $ 9.5 million in annual salaries to the players of its 30 franchises last season, marked by the coronavirus and the Florida “bubble,” where they had to limit themselves to complete the “playoff” that decided the Los Angeles Lakers’ title.
At least 34 NBA players will make $ 25 million this season.
The numbers used by the NBA cannot be compared with other American sports, like baseball, where players earn half that of basketball, or that of American football, with a salary that’s three times that low, Forbes said.
According to a study by this prestigious publication, the NBA’s financial strength is undeniable despite the budget cuts and conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The differences from other team sports are more evident with the top winners.
At least 34 NBA players will make $ 25 million this season. In the case of MLB, the number of players exceeding these numbers is only seven, while in the NFL it goes up to twelve.
LeBron James, the highest paid
The absence of an audience on the fields and the decrease in sponsorship They have also impacted professional basketball, although forecasts for this season show numbers such as the $ 558 million that the top ten highest-paid players will enter in the NBA, in salaries (56%) and sponsorships (44%).
In this “Top ten” the highest paid is LeBron JamesThe Los Angeles Lakers star leads this rankings for the seventh consecutive season and according to Forbes, he will earn $ 96 million this year, although in LeBron’s case, his sponsorship income ($ 64 million) is higher than the salary (32) you from the angelina franchise.
LeBron’s salary makes him the highest paid athlete in American team sports of all time He receives $ 64 million in recommendations, the highest amount for an NBA player.
LeBron’s impact is reflected in the many brands he has signed with. The Lakers forward has been linked to Nike since 2003, a company that represents half of its sponsorship revenue, and firms such as AT&T, Beats, Walmart, Rimowa, General Motors, Blaze Pizza and is negotiating with PepsiCo after it withdraws from Coca Cola.
After LeBron, the highest paid in the NBA is the Golden State striker Warriors, Stephen Curry, with an income of $ 74 million, 40 of which is in sponsorship. Curry has signed an agreement with sportswear and accessories brand Under Armor for which he is asking $ 20 million a year.
Kevin Durant, center of the Brooklyn Nets, with $ 65 million; Russel Westbrook, Washington Wizzard (58) and James Harden (Brooklyn) round out the top five highest paid places, all with more than $ 50 million.
Appear on a lower step Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks, 49 millones de dólares), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors, 43.3), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn, 43), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns, 40) y Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers, 39), who round out the “top ten” of the highest-paid NBA players.
According to Forbes, many of these stars will certainly rank in the top twenty in the competition of the highest paid athletes in the world that the aforementioned publication releases every June.
Here is the list of the 10 highest paid
| PLAYER | TEAM | SALARY | PATRONAGE | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | Lakers | 32,000,000 | 64,000,000 | 96,000,000 |
| Stephen Curry | Warriors | 34,000,000 | 40,000,000 | 74,000,000 |
| Kevin Durant | Nets | 31,000,000 | 34,000,000 | 65,000,000 |
| Russell Westbrook | Wizards | 35,000,000 | 25,000,000 | 58,000,000 |
| James Harden | Nets | 33,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 50,000,000 |
| G. Antetokounmpo | Bucks | 22,000,000 | 27,000,000 | 49,000,000 |
| Klay Thompson | Warriors | 28,500,000 | 15,000,000 | 43,500,000 |
| Kyrie Irving | Nets | 26,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 43,000,000 |
| Chris Paul | Sun tanning | 33,000,000 | 7,000,000 | 40,000,000 |
| Damian Lillard | Trail Blazers | 25,000,000 | 14,000,000 | 39,000,000 |