With the average salary of an NBA player coming in at roughly $7.7 million, it seems that figures just keep on rising lately. Last season’s salary average came in at $6.4 million which means the NBA players are top of the league when you compare it to the average salary of an NFL player who makes roughly $860,000. Yet the eye-watering salaries of these players doesn’t necessarily mean they always give a performance to match the dollars they see at the end of the season.
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If you’re looking to place bets on the NBA this upcoming season, OLBG’s basketball picks by skilled handicappers are sure to help. But in the meantime, let’s take a look at the salaries of the 5 most highly paid players in the NBA and how their performance has landed them there.
1) LeBron James – LA Lakers
LeBron James has had a long and successful career with the LA Lakers and while he may be pushing his late thirties now, he still has a tremendous amount to give. LeBron is a 3x NBA Champion, a 4x NBA MVP and has also won 2 gold Olympic medals. That’s why it’s not surprising that his annual salary comes in at a modest $92.4 million.
This isn’t all from the Lakers though and while he’s incredibly well paid, bringing in $37.4 million after each season, LeBron also brings in a staggering $55 million for endorsements alone. While his title as a 2 x Olympic gold medalist most certainly helps with this, there’s no denying that he’s one hell of a talented player.
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2) Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
As a former MVP, Curry has earned 3 championship titles with the Warriors over the past 5 years. In 2017, he signed a contract with his team, worth $201.2 million. This works out at an average of $40 million per year, offering a healthy income for the 32-year-old from Ohio. Furthermore, this is set to increase to $45 million over the next couple of years.
Curry has a strong history in the NBA and in 2012/2013, he set an NBA record for three-pointers made that season. He then broke that record the following season with 525 three-pointers, and again in 2015/2015 with 678 three-pointers. Curry is also a keen businessman having had partnerships with UnderArmor and Nike, in addition to being a keen investor in Palm, adding to his $40 million annual salaries.
3) Russel Westbrook – Houston Rockets
As a nine-time NBA all-star, Westbrook earned the most valuable player award from 2016-2017. He’s also won the MVP award and became one of two players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season in 2017.
Westbrook previously had the second-best salary in the NBA, until he was traded by Oklahoma City Thunder in July. His five-year contract extension was worth a staggering $206.8 million.
4) Kevin Durant – Brooklyn Nets
In 2019, Durant left Golden State to sign a 4-year contract with the New York team, the Brooklyn Nets. Throughout 2019, he had a rocky season after an injury which meant he tore his Achilles tendon. While he’s set to miss the entire upcoming season due to this injury, Durant still makes it onto the list of the most highly paid NBA players of 2020, meaning he’s not doing too badly.
5) Kyle Lowry – Toronto Raptors
33-year-old Kyle Lowry is set to see his salary jump this season as the franchise enters their first-ever NBA championship. Kyle is currently on a contract of $31 million after signing in 2017-2018.
The six-time NBA all-star was previously named to the All NBA third team in 2016 and also won the NBA championship in Toronto in 2019. This made it the first title for the Raptors to win in the franchise’s history.
Overall, it might be clear that these NBA stars are paid an incredible amount of money each season, but they are also keen businesspeople. With many of them earning more in partnerships than they do through their NBA contracts, it may come as a surprise, but these players also donate a considerable amount to charity each year.
The NBA’s partnership with ESPN and TNT also means that the players are entitled to 51% of the league’s basketball-related income, even if they don’t end up playing. So, while they may have landed the jackpot when it comes to contracts with an NBA franchise, these players also work incredibly hard with other pursuits, from investing to sponsorship deals and charitable work.
As for placing bets this season, these players are set to be strong contenders too.
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