Never in the history of basketball has a player managed to earn more than a billion dollars thanks to his sports contracts. This could change with “Wemby”, according to the calculations of our colleagues at “Bloomberg” .In total, by 2040, it could receive more than 1.5 billion euros in sports-only revenue.
20 years old since January 4, Victor Wembanyama could go a little further into the history books. According to the calculations of our colleagues at Bloombergthe French prodigy engaged with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA since June 2023, could become the first basketball player in the world to become a billionaire just with his sports contracts.
To reach these records, the Frenchman will have to continue to show American observers his very good level on the field. According to Bloomberg, Victor Wembanyama could become a billionaire by 2037, when he will be 33 years old. And this is due to the NBA salary scales and the rules currently in force in the American league. Rules that can change more or less regularly.
Since last June, he has been playing under a “starter” contract at $55 million. He is signed for four years with the Spurs. At the end of this period, Wembanyama could benefit from a new contract lasting up to five years and which would earn him approximately $316 million over this period.
If he continues to show very good sporting results, the Frenchman could then be offered a “supermax” contract, reserved for the best players in the American basketball league. Amount of this possible contract: $529 million over five years. Enough to allow him to earn 900 million dollars since the start of his career across the Atlantic.
More than 1.5 billion euros in two decades of career
He could, in the process, be the subject of a second “supermax” contract over five years. In this case, he would become a billionaire in the first year, at the age of 33 and during his fifteenth season in the NBA (2037-2038). “According to the estimates of Bloombergsuch a contract could be worth $760 million over five years.”, predict our colleagues. A total of 1.66 billion dollars (1.51 billion euros) since his arrival last June in the championship.
Note that, according to the rules which currently govern contracts in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama could benefit from sporting exceptions highlighting the most beautiful nuggets of the championship. In this case, this could further accelerate his career and the amount of his income.
No other basketball player has managed to reach these sums in the history of the NBA. Other stars of the basket have managed to become billionaires thanks to extra-sporting activities. This is the case, for example, of Michael Jordan or LeBron James. The first received “only” 94 million dollars during his fifteen seasons in the NBA. Thanks to its multiple partnerships, it has earned the sum of 3 billion dollars, according to Forbes.
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Even in the rest of the sports world, few athletes have managed to become billionaires solely thanks to their sporting performances. We can cite, for example, Cristiano Ronaldo who became, in 2020, the first athlete playing in a team discipline to exceed a billion dollars in revenue.
Benoît LEROY
2024-01-06 19:03:54
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