LeBron James Next year he seeks to become the first player to earn more than 500 million dollars solely and exclusively based on contracts in the NBA. This milestone, however, will by no means make him the highest-paid player in the history of the competition, an honor reserved for Michael Jordan, the athlete who changed the concept of brand image and elevated the business of athletes worldwide. The basketball legend and the Chicago Bulls He commands, in fact, the athletes who have received the most income throughout their lives.
The NBA It is the competition that contributes the most athletes to the list of the 50 highest paid in history, with 12 entries, according to the most recent analysis by Sportico. These are the 10 players who have received the most between contracts on and off the track and businesses during and after their careers. The figures are absolutely exorbitant, and are adjusted for inflation and expressed in dollars.
1
Michael Jordan
3.75 billion
The biggest basketball star, for many the best player in history, leads the list of world sports income with a whopping $3.75 billion, a figure that still does not include his sale of the majority shares of the Charlotte Hornets. His pioneering agreement with Nike to create the first personal brand of an athlete is the main source of his fortune, since at the level of contracts with the franchises he only earned 94 million dollars, being the best paid in only two of his 15 seasons. in the league. The Jordan brand transcends borders, and its revenue rises accordingly year after year.
2
LeBron James
1.7 billion
Fifth on the world list of highest-earning athletes, he is number two in the NBA in global terms and number one if we only look at his contracts on the court. Next season his salary will exceed 500 million in his career, and the rest comes from an extensive portfolio of investments ranging from ownership stakes in Liverpool to a tequila brand.
3
Shaquille O’Neal
1,210 million
The legendary center has been able to take advantage of his media personality and expand his influence in various sectors after his retirement from the fields. He is a regular contributor to the most watched program about the NBA in the United States and has done practically everything in the world of entertainment and television, even serving as a DJ at large festivals. All of this makes him the third highest paid player in history on and off the court.
4
Kobe Bryant
1,090 million
In the case of the myth who died in a tragic helicopter accident, ‘Sportico’ accounts count up to the moment of his death, since his legacy has been distributed and disputed between his widow and his parents, who have recently been in the news for having to sell one of his rings to pay for his future. The Lakers legend forged his fortune on the court, and is the eighth in history with the highest contract income. The rest was earned through his sponsorship agreements with multinationals such as Nike or the creation of a production company with which he won a statuette at the Oscars.
5
Kevin Durant
955 million
The forward, the second active player on this particular list, is also the second who has generated the most income with his sports contracts (400 million). The member of the Phoenix Suns has diversified his investments and was one of the first athletes to opt for the creation of his own audiovisual content production company.
6
Stephen Curry
770 million
The Golden State Warriros star was the first Under Armor athlete to create his own personal brand, and throughout his career he signed some of the largest extensions in the competition: 200 million in 2017 and 215 million in 2021. He is the fourth player, right now, who has generated the most income with his sports contracts throughout history.
7
Magic Johnson
645 million
One of the first great media stars of the competition, although later Michael Jordan transformed that concept to unimaginable levels. Good management of his contracts and investments such as the purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers, an MLB franchise.
8
Kevin Garnett
635 million
The Timberwolves and Celtics star stands the test of time very well, and more than half of his fortune was made thanks to his contracts with his respective franchises. He has then dedicated himself to investing in a wide variety of initiatives, while having fun with his own podcast created half-heartedly with his former partner Paul Pierce.
9
Russell Westbrook
620 million
The former NBA MVP in 2017 has diversified his investment portfolio so much that he even owns a company in the automotive industry. Other of his adventures are gastronomic, although the origin of his fortune is based on the 340 million that he has earned with his performance on the track, within the Top 5 in history.
10
Chris Paul
575 million
CP3 is the third player who has generated the most income in the history of the court, with 390 million dollars in contracts. The rest have been sponsorship agreements valued at around 8 million per course and interesting investments in pioneering companies such as Beyond Meat, a vegetarian food company.
The list of the athletes with the most income in history includes these ten NBA billionaires and two others who are barely out of the Top 10 of this particular list: James Harden (570 million) and Dwayne Wade (565 million) .
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2024-03-25 14:48:41
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