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How much do international basketball players make


How Much Do Overseas Basketball Players Make?

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When it comes to a basketball league, we think of the NBA. This professional basketball tournament attracts the attention of spectators around the world thanks to its sublime matches.

It is every player’s dream to be here. Part of the reason is thanks to the salary and benefits for NBA players. However, overseas basketball leagues are also gradually proving their potential and more and more players are joining here.

How much do overseas basketball players make? Overseas basketball players can receive an average wage from zero to $4 million a year. 

There are many factors that affect the salary and amount an overseas basketball player can receive. If you still want to learn more, continue reading this article by Scott Fujita.

Overseas basketball salaries 

Contents

How Much Do Overseas Basketball Players Make A Year?

While the number of players specified for NBA teams is limited, playing basketball overseas is optimal for players to find opportunities for themselves. Each country has its own rules and ways of paying its professional basketball players.

Many countries in Europe pay average salaries between $60k and $500k per season for a player playing in the top tier. Some Asian countries like Korea or Japan are also willing to pay a similar amount from $120k to $400k a season.

View more: How much do NBA players make

China has the most generous payouts, ranging from $1 million to $3 million a season. The rest of the world pays more modest salaries, ranging from $2k to $20k.

Remember, these numbers are only valid when you enter a top professional basketball division.

Through our research, we have identified two main factors that influence the payment ability of players in overseas basketball leagues. These include:

  • The economic potential of the country.
  • The growth and popularity of basketball for that country.

To learn more about salaries at most overseas basketball leagues, check out this video.

Do Overseas Basketball Players Pay Taxes?

The good news for those who want to play basketball professionally overseas is that you won’t need to pay taxes on your earnings. It is the most apparent difference between the contract of an NBA player and an overseas player.

The basketball player’s team is the unit responsible for paying tax on that individual’s income. The salary you see on the contract is roughly what you can expect. Meanwhile, NBA players often have to spend half of their salary to pay related expenses and taxes.

Top 8 Highest Paying Overseas Basketball Leagues In 2021

The salary of a professional basketball player in different leagues will fluctuate significantly. Not only that, but the leagues also present an income gap between the average player and the highest-paid player. To learn more about league-specific salaries, follow the next section.

#1. Chinese Basketball Association

Chinese Basketball Association 

The 2020-21 season marks the agreement on a new salary cap by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Basketball clubs at CBA can pay between 20-40 million yuan ($3-6.72 million) for Chinese players born in the country. Each team can have up to four foreign players and limit their salaries to no more than $7 million.

Related: Charles barkley net worth

Salary ranges are marked from A to E, with D being the maximum salary. Usually, overseas players will receive compensation of between 1 and 3 million dollars per year.

The season at the CBA also has a shorter playing time of just six months. Compared to the marathon race that lasts from 8 to 9 months in the European seasons, the competition conditions are good.

All of the above reasons have made CBA, apart from the NBA, one of the world’s most attractive overseas basketball leagues.

#2. EuroLeague

EuroLeague 

The EuroLeague is the dream destination of any professional basketball player overseas thanks to its premium remuneration. The average European basketball salaries are pretty impressive, ranging from $500k – $800k per season. The best players can achieve a max salary of up to 4 million dollars per season.

FC Barcelona’s Nikola Mirotic leads the list of the highest-paid basketball players at the EuroLeague, receiving $4 million per year. Following him is Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes, with $3.7 million per year.

Related: How much do NBA refs make

The sponsor for this sports tournament is Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The tournament features 16 teams. They include Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich, Anadolu Efes, Olympiacos, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Valencia Basket, Baskonia, Zalgiris, Zenit Saint Petersburg, among others.

The EuroLeague schedule starts in October and ends in May every year.

#3. Spain Liga ACB

Liga ACB 

Liga ACB is the premier professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. It consists of 18 teams. The most prestigious tournament teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​or Kirolbet Baskonia also compete in the EuroLeague. They are also the teams that pay the best for basketball players.

The average salary that a basketball player can receive at ACB is from $250k to $500k per season. The highest-paid European basketball players are Walter Tavares and Sergio Llull. Each pocketed more than $2 million per season.

Many ACB teams have one or more NBA players on their roster.

#4. Turkish Basketball Super League

Basketball Super League

Turkey’s top professional men’s basketball league is the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL). Top BSL contenders such as Fenerbahçe Beko and Anadolu Efes also competed in the EuroLeague.

Each BSL team can recruit up to eight overseas basketball players and use up to six players per match.

Salaries for foreign, non-Turkish players at BSL are typically between $250k and $450k per season. The highest-paid player is Anadolu Efes’ Shane Larkin, with a $2.6 million salary excluding taxes.

#5. Russian VTB United

VTB United 

The VTB United is the leading national basketball league in Russia. They offer an excellent average salary between $200k and $450k per year. Depending on the player’s status, an overseas basketball player’s maximum pay is $4 million.

In fact, Europe’s highest-paid stars now mostly come from Russia. Alexey Shved, Nikola Milutinov, and Mike James all make $2.5 million per season.

It is worth noting that Alexey Shved played in the NBA for three years before returning to Russia. Brooklyn Nets currently hire Mike James as a free agent.

Given their stature and fame, we can easily see why the average Euro basketball salaries are so high.

#6. Germany Basketball Bundesliga

Basketball Bundesliga 

The German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is another foreign league that pays players well. They have 18 teams with budgets as low as $10 million. Bayern Munich is the team with the most significant budget, $25 million.

Playing overseas at BBL will bring in an average salary of $100K to $350K per season. NBA first-round superstars like Greg Monroe can pocket around $1 million per season.

#7. Italian Lega Basket Serie A

Lega Basket Serie A 

Basketball, surprisingly, is quite a popular sport in Italy. The Lega Basket Serie A (Serie A) is the biggest tournament with the participation of 17 teams. Each team offers an average salary ranging from $180K to $350K per year for an overseas basketball player.

For players with superstar status, he will be offered a higher salary. The highest-paid basketball player in Serie A is Sergio Rodriguez. He gets $2 million a year, the highest salary in the league.

#8. France LNB Pro A

LNB Pro A 

Founded in 1921 with 18 teams, the LNB Pro A is still France’s most prestigious basketball tournament today. The defending champion ASVEL is also the most successful team in the game.

An overseas basketball player can earn an average salary at LNB between $80k and $200k per season. A.J Slaughter of ASVEL was the highest-paid basketball player of the 2019-20 season with $300k.

Many successful NBA players, such as Ian Mahinmi and Tony Parker, have emerged from the club over the past 15 seasons. This league is considered one of the financially safe places to play professional basketball abroad.

Final Thoughts

With an average NBA salary of $6.2 million per year, the NBA league is a mecca for professional basketball players. However, they can still find attractive opportunities at overseas teams as basketball becomes more and more popular. When receiving an attractive salary, they are also subject to many expectations and pressure from the team and the fans.

Whether you want to become the highest-paid NBA player or an overseas player, the prerequisite is that you have a stable form and continuous learning.

Thank you for reading!

Overseas Basketball Salaries By Country (A Breakdown)

Many think of the NBA as the be-all-end-all when it comes to professional basketball. The fact of the matter is that a lot of countries have pro leagues, and players can make a substantial living playing overseas.

How great of a living can they make? It depends on a lot of factors, but the low-end average salary if you get an overseas contract is around $50,000 a year.

There are several countries like Ireland where that number is way lower, although they offer other incentives to their players like room and board and part-time jobs when they aren’t playing.  

Because overseas basketball is so widespread, the answer to the question “what is an average salary for an overseas player” is complicated. 

Let’s dig a bit further.

Quick Navigation

Overseas Salaries By Country: A Breakdown

Playing overseas can mean a lot of different things. As we covered, if you are playing in Ireland, where pro basketball doesn’t have a high profile, you won’t become rich. 

If you play elsewhere, like Spain or Russia, you could pull down a pretty penny being a pro hooper. Let’s break down some of the salaries depending on the country you play.

During the 2019-20 season, the three top European countries in terms of player salary were Spain, Turkey, and Russia.  

Spain led the pack when it came to average salary at around $100K. In Asia, the average salary is similar to the top Euro leagues, but the best players had the chance to make several million US dollars in places like China.

To put that into perspective, let’s compare the top-paid player in the country’s most popular sport: soccer (futbol). Antoine Griezmann is a striker for FC Barcelona, one of the most decorated soccer teams in the world. He makes just over 30 million euros a year. That equals an annual salary of almost $34M US dollars! 

Professional basketball will never be as popular as soccer in Europe and this comparison shows you the financial divide between the two sports.

So, what factors into a country’s ability to pay its players top-dollar? It boils down to two things: the sport’s popularity and just how financially secure the country is that you are playing.

Overseas Basketball: The Best of the Best

The best overseas league, in terms of talent and quality of play, is the Euroleague. While Euroleague isn’t a standalone league, per se, it is a combination of the best European teams across every league. The most famous name to Americans who cut his teeth as a teenager in the Euroleague is Luka Doncic. 

Doncic played for Barcelona’s basketball At the age of 18, Doncic won the Euroleague MVP Award, which put him on the map with diehard hoops fans. 

We all know what happened afterward: Luka was drafted by the Dallas Mavs and has become the youngest player to lead the league in triple-doubles. Luka also won the Rookie of the Year Award and has already made two All-NBA teams before the age of 23!

Other NBA players who have taken their talents to the Euroleague are former Phoenix Suns great Amar’e Stoudamire, journeyman Luis Scola, and Nikola Mirotic (hold that thought).   

Highest Paid Overseas Players

Did you know that the average NBA salary from the 2019-20 season was $7.7M?! Not bad for just being “average” (kidding!). Overseas leagues aren’t at that point financially, and probably will never be, but some guys certainly are earning a decent living.

Just a note before we hop into the list, most overseas leagues do not disclose player salaries like they do with US sports leagues. So, while these numbers aren’t a complete shot in the dark, it is difficult to know the exact salary numbers.

1. Nikola Mirotic, Barcelona ($4.5M/year)

Prior to joining the Chicago Bulls in the NBA in 2014, Nikola Mirotic had himself a career for Real Madrid from 2008 through 2013. He was a young up-and-comer for Real Madrid and was even a first-round draft pick of the Houston Rockets in 2011. His rights bounced around on draft night, finally stopping in Chicago, but Mirotic didn’t come to the league for another three years.

After a serviceable six-year NBA career, Mirotic went back to Europe where he signed a three-year deal with Barcelona. Since returning to Europe, Mirotic has become a star, earning multiple MVP Awards.

2. Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes ($3.7M/year)

Shane Larkin rose to prominence in college at the University of Miami. Never known really as a basketball power, Larkin’s two years saw great success. His sophomore season, the Hurricanes took home the ACC championship and Larkin was named ACC Player of the Year. As MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin’s son, Shane had big shoes to fill and he did just that in college.

Larkin got drafted after his sophomore year by the Atlanta Hawks, before being traded to the Mavericks on draft night. Larkin bounced around the league for the better part of five seasons – with a brief stop in Spain – playing for the Mavs, Knicks, Nets, and Celtics. His last, and most successful, has been with Anadolu Efes, where he has played since 2018.

Larkin has been one of the top European players since making his debut. He helped Anadolu Efes make the Euroleague Final Four in 2019 and has been racking up the stats ever since.

3. Vasilje Micic, Anadolu Efes ($3M/year)

Larkin’s teammate, Vasilje Micic is arguably the best player in Europe right now and his team pays him nicely to keep the NBA suitors at bay. The two-time All-Euroleague selection, along with Larkin, is a big reason his squad was crowned the 2021 Euroleague champs. Micic took home a few personal accolades last season, winning both the Euroleague MVP and the Final Four MVP Awards.

While Micic has never played a minute in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder do own his draft rights. Micic was selected in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers before getting acquired by the Thunder in 2020. If Micic ever does make the trip across the pond to play in the NBA, his salary will surely increase. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to make a great living playing professional basketball in non-NBA leagues. While the NBA is the “gold standard”, it is the most competitive league in the world. 

The popularity of world basketball was put on the map in large part when the USA’s Dream Team took the international stage at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. If you have ever seen any of the scores of their games, you know how one-sided they were.

The world, however, has gotten more competitive on the basketball court, and so have their leagues. Overseas players can really hoop, and their hefty salaries display that. The more exposure they get, through games being more available to stream on the internet, the more their leagues can pay them. Maybe one day, the Euroleague will even compete with the NBA for talent. Never say never.

Have any of your favorite players ever taken their talents overseas to play? Let us know about it in the comments section!

How much do NBA stars earn? Salary rating-2019 - Blogg on the floor - Blogs

We count other people's millions.

Many people know that the NBA has a salary cap. It is set at $109.14 million for the 2019/20 season.

But not everyone knows that the salary cap is directly tied to the league's income. And with it - the salaries of all players. Basketball players make millions of dollars because the NBA makes billions of dollars.

8.2 billion, to be exact - that's how much the NBA expects to receive in the coming season in the form of "Basketball-related income" (BRI, basketball-related income). This BRI includes only $400-500 million converted from yuan, so don't worry: even a complete break in relations with China won't take more than five or six percent off the BRI.

Under the 2017 Collective Agreement between the league and the players union, 50%* of BRI goes to players in the form of salaries.

* - actually not, but in order not to load the text with nuances, I will explain them in the comments.

There are 510 jobs in the league - each of the 30 teams can apply for 17 people.

51 NBA players - exactly 10% - will receive at least $20 million next season **.

** - and again I suggest going to the comments for those who want abstruseness.

The “Gini coefficient” and other indicators of financial inequality in the NBA as in a single economy look better than the global ones: if in the real world the richest 10% own 75-85% of all wealth (in the USA - 70-75% according to various estimates ), then in the NBA, the top 10% earn only 35% of all salaries.

But even this 35% is more than one and a half billion dollars. Or, in other words, 1,655 NBA rookie minimum contracts.

Let's look at how this one and a half billion is distributed. For a round number, we will limit ourselves to the top 50 earning more than 20 million; The 51st player in the ranking with a salary of exactly 20 million is Indiana guard Malcolm Brogdon. If you go to the basketball section less than once a week, then most likely you don’t even know who it is. And he earns more than Aguero, James, Neuer or any Serie A player except Cristiano.

Who is not in this part of the rating? For example, Philadelphia's rising star Ben Simmons, who signed a five-year, $170 million contract this summer that won't take effect until a year later, is now playing on a "modest" $8 million rookie salary.

For the same reason, Utah leader Donovan Mitchell, Dallas' delightful Luka Doncic, or intimidating rookie Zion Williamson are not yet on the NBA's Most Valuable Players list. All of them still earn a fixed salary (depending on the number under which the player was taken in the draft), for which they need to play 4 seasons before claiming a luxurious life.

Who is in this part of the rating? Giannis. The current NBA MVP - and the future, according to some forecasts, too.

Greek-Frick did not make the top 40 for a number of reasons, the main of which is that the NBA does not revise existing contracts (with some exceptions that are so rare that they do not even deserve an asterisk and a footnote in the commentary). Antetokounmpo signed his contract back in 2016, by that time the Greek had never played in the All-Star Game, averaging 17 points and playing as the main point guard of the very weak Bucks (49losses in a season).

And Giannis, not so long ago a beggar teenager who sold souvenirs on the streets of Athens and ran in patched sneakers, was so grateful that Milwaukee believed in him that he did not insist on either a maximum contract or even a player option in the last year contract. He was told that he would receive $100 million, and he was stunned by this amount - and it does not matter that at the same time as him, Stephen Adams also signed for exactly the same contract, whom Oklahoma renewed only in a panic from losing Durant.

All in all, Antetokounmpo did great humanly but naively economically three years ago: Giannis has already lost $33 million by waiving his maximum wage and has also pushed back his possible free agency entry from 2020 to 2021.

That's why next year he will be so low in the rankings again. But then - hello to the biggest contract in the history of the NBA.

There are now only 32 people in the NBA with maximum contracts of (this number does not include DeRozan, whose salary was maximum only in the first two years of the contract, Horford and Love, who played at maximum levels a year ago, Vucevic, and Millsap and Middleton from the next group).

At the same time, almost everyone has different salaries.

How did it happen?

To answer this question, needs to understand how maximum contracts are formed .

Maximum contracts come in three levels depending on the player's experience:

  • up to 6 league seasons - 25% of ceiling;
  • 7-9 seasons - 30%;
  • and more 10 - 35%

A player can jump up one category by becoming MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year or making the All-Star Team of the Season. At the same time, all these 25, 30 and 35% form only the salary in the first season. For example, now 25% of the ceiling is the salary of Russell, Porzingis, Booker, Towns. The first two signed a contract this summer, and the last two lasted a year ago, just their agreements implied entry into force in 2019-m.

And then everything changes: Russell, who signed a contract with a new team, Golden State after Brooklyn, will have an annual increase of 5%. Towns, who lasted with Minnesota, has 8%. And next year their salaries will be different.

Other players signed maximum wages in other years when there was a different salary cap. Anthony Davis received 25% of the ceiling in 2016 (he could have received 30%, but he got injured in the key season 15/16 and did not make the team of the season). Then, when he moved to the Lakers, he voluntarily forfeited a trading bonus so the Los Angelesers could sign a third star this summer.

Voiceover: They couldn't.

So it turned out that Davis and three other maximum speeds in 2016 are not included in the top 30, since they are slightly behind the maximum contracts concluded later, in 2017-2019 - the growth rate of the ceiling and, consequently, the new maximum speeds were higher than the increase in their contracts .

Six people signed a new contract this year with a starting salary of 30% of the ceiling. And they are all different:

The strangest one is with Kyrie Irving: 1 million allocated to 8 bonuses, for which he needs to play in 70 games, hit 88. 5% of free throws in a season, lose the ball no more than 2.4 times per game and so on. He did not achieve all this a year ago, and bonuses are not yet taken into account in his salary.

Tobias Harris will receive the maximum in the first year of his contract only, and will receive a total of 10 million less in the remaining seasons.

Clay Thompson signed up for 5 years.

Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler - for 4 years, the only difference is a possible trading bonus in Kemba's contract.

Kawhi signed up for 3. And the third year is a player option, so he should be a free agent again in 2021.

Yes, it's strange to see Kawhi Leonard outside the top 10 - but he chose this path himself (as the last NBA finals showed - he did the right thing). If the forward did not change teams, but remained in San Antonio, then this season his salary would be the same as that of Harden or Durant. But he has a different financial mechanism turned on: better conditions for winning the championship + a large market for new advertising contracts = the opportunity to get much more than the extra 5-6 million a year in the club salary.

Did you really think there was no calculator built into Kawhi's operating system?

P.S. Interestingly, in the top 20 - only Americans, this has not happened since the implementation of the salary cap in 1984! A new generation of super-foreigners, constrained by the financial rules of the NBA, has not yet reached the old American star guard.

King James always wants to be at the top of the list. But he was the most expensive NBA player only once : in the 2016/17 season. Before that, the Miami discount to team up with Wade and Bosch, the move back to Cleveland on a one-year contract, the technical impossibility of reaching Kobe's maximum salary. And then Curry, who has been playing in one club all his career, took the lead - after all, the NBA salary rules reward those stars who do not change clubs: they get a slightly higher maximum salary, a little longer, a little earlier.

But LeBron was always pissed off about the concept of a maximum salary. Why should workers be capped by some sort of salary cap? Why can't he earn in the NBA as much as she earns on him? According to various statistical metrics, the benefit of LeBron in his peak years should have been paid by a contract of 70-80 million a year 2003, with a completely different salary cap.

Even now, LeBron James's salary would be much more than 37.4 million if there were no artificial restrictions in the NBA. Reference point? Let's take Cristiano Ronaldo. Similar age, status, achievements, popularity, the situation with the transition to another club, even advertising contracts they have about the same level of income. Ronaldo earns about 64 million a year from Juventus before taxes; LeBron, it turns out, almost half as much.

Nevertheless, LeBron will still be the first - in terms of total career earnings . In the upcoming season, he (307 million) will overtake Shaquille (286 million) and will be second only to Kobe Bryant (323 million) and Kevin Garnett (334 million), whom he will overtake in 2021. LeBron will earn almost $400 million in the NBA by the end of his career - and even more from advertising contracts. The dream of becoming a billionaire is getting closer.

Fans often demand strict logic in issuing maximum contracts. That they should only be given to MVPs or champions, that clubs shouldn't give big contracts to non-All-Star players, that only five/two/ten people/one LeBron/all 510 NBA players are eligible for the top salary.

Actually there is no logic.

The maximum contract, even the largest possible one (35% of the ceiling), can be obtained for real services to the club, like Harden - and still there will be people who consider his salary too high.

You can - for previous achievements. Kevin Durant will make over $38 million in a season without a game for Brooklyn due to a Achilles tear, but the Nets believe he can return to his former superstar level and add championship experience to the team.

Or you can - for vague promises to become a top player in the NBA, as was the case with John Wall. He sparkled in the second half of the 2016/17 season and made it to the NBA's third All-Star Five, which qualified him for a Supermax contract extension. And "Washington" then gave him this 170 million extension for 4 years, which is effective now.

Since signing, Wall has never played more than 50% of his season and, like Durant, will miss the 2019 season/20 whole. But in 2017, he was a rising star, soon to be the best defenseman in the conference, and was priced into a super max contract...

Or just the Washingtons. A team that hasn't played in an Eastern final for 40 years.

Westbrook and Paul are united not only by the fact that they were traded for each other in July, but also that since 2018 they have an identical salary. They were extended through different mechanisms, but came to the same numbers (although Westbrook has a contract for a year longer).

Why are their salaries higher than the Durant-Harden Wall trio? Again, remember that the maximum salary depends on the ceiling, which grows unevenly . The annual salary increase is 8%, while the salary cap has increased by only 7.14% in the last year.

Contracts in the NBA, as already mentioned, are not reviewed - neither as a result of negotiations between the parties, nor by any automatic rules, so in a year Westbrook and Paul are entitled to 41 million, in two - 44 million each. And this figure will not change, even if all countries, including the United States, follow the example of China, turn their backs on the NBA, and the salary cap falls from 109million dollars to 109 million cents.

Next year, Durant, Harden, Wall, Paul and Westbrook will break the $40 million salary bar with their supermaxes. But they won't be the first.

Steph Curry won his first MVP and first title, being fourth in salary on his team, and 53rd in the league behind JaVale McGee, Larry Sanders and Andrea Bargnani.

Second MVP - fifth salary with the Warriors and 61st in the NBA, behind Amir Johnson, Demarre Carroll and Brandon Knight.

Second title - Curry is the 82nd highest paid in the NBA, and it's too long to list role players earning more. At the time, Curry's salary of $12 million was closer to the minimum (1.3 million) than the maximum (26.5 million).

Just before the third title, Stef was given the contract he deserved. The largest in history at that time - 201.2 million dollars.

The third season of this contract breaks the historic mark of $40 million. However, taking into account inflation, this is not a record, but only the third most expensive indicator.

Jordan has the first two, of course. His 30 million in 96/97 would be $49 million in today's dollars, and his 33 million in 97/98 would be $54 million.

more than the entire salary cap), we may never see again.

* * *

You can complain that your parents forgot to send you to the basketball section or fed you little carrots, cottage cheese and oatmeal, in the comments.

Photo: globallookpress. com/TPG/ZUMAPRESS.com, /Naoki Morita/AFLO; Gettyimages.ru/Sean M. Haffey, /Ezra Shaw, /Al Bello

The highest paid NBA players of the 2019/2020 season. Forbes rating

  • Business

American Forbes named the 10 highest paid NBA players of the 2019 season/2020. The rating was headed by LeBron James, whose income this year reached a record. As before, NBA stars earn far more from advertising than they do on the basketball court

In recent years, wages for NBA players have skyrocketed. However, outside the basketball court, NBA stars still earn much more. LeBron James is the highest paid player in the NBA for the 2019/2020 season. During his 16-year professional career in the NBA, the Lakers forward earned $ 270 million, but advertising contracts brought him twice as much money. In 12 seasons in the NBA, Kevin Durant earned $187 million, which is nothing compared to his $275 million fee from a ten-year sponsorship deal with Nike.

The most expensive sponsorship deals in the NBA. Forbes rating

LeBron James is the highest paid player in the NBA for the sixth year in a row. His combined contract with the Lakers and advertising contracts are estimated at $ 92 million. This is a real record for a basketball player who has not yet completed his professional career. The main sponsor of the athlete is Nike, which named the new research laboratory of its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, after the NBA star. Last month, James released his 17th collaboration with Nike, the signature LeBron XVII sneaker.

How LeBron James made his $450 million fortune

In 2019, four-time MVP of the NBA regular season, James signed several more promotional deals. His new sponsors are suitcase manufacturer Rimowa and supermarket chain Walmart. The basketball player's partner portfolio also includes Coca-Cola, Beats By Dre headphones, Blaze Pizza and NBA 2K video games. In addition, the NBA star owns a small media company Uninterrupted and a production company SpringHill Entertainment, which in 2021, together with the film studio Warner Bros. will release a sequel to the comedy about the adventures of basketball player Michael Jordan “Space Jam” (Space Jam), released on screens in 1996 year. Forbes estimates that this season LeBron James earned $55 million from advertising and other projects.

Investment champion. Michael Jordan is worth $1.65 billion. LeBron James' comments on the scandal also show that all the league's managers and players are still in a vulnerable position as the political unrest in Hong Kong has not subsided so far. NBA commissioner Adam Silver supported Mori's right to free speech, but some players disagreed with him. They included the Los Angeles Lakers forward, who called Maury "misinformed" about the situation and "not very educated." Houston Rockets point guard James Harden said, "We love China."

How one tweet hit the NBA's global agenda

It was a blunder for both media darlings with close ties to China. Sportswear company Adidas, James Harden's main sponsor, made more profits in China last year than in North America. And the Houston Rockets are the most popular team in China, since it was this basketball club that selected the Chinese Yao Ming with the first number in the 2002 rookie draft. Nike's revenue in China for the last fiscal year exceeded $6 billion. The Chinese market is now considered the most promising for the company's growth. At the same time, LeBron James has already traveled to China 15 times with representatives of Nike, as the sports giant pays James more than $ 30 million annually just to advertise Nike products around the world.

The threat of losing such an important market could negatively impact NBA clubs.

In America, however, the league's performance remains stable, which has a positive effect on player salaries. NBA wages are skyrocketing, driven largely by nine-year, $24 billion deals with ESPN and TNT signed in 2014. As stated in the collective bargaining agreement between basketball players and league officials, NBA players are entitled to up to 51% of the NBA's "basketball income". Thanks to lucrative NBA contracts with TV channels and new international projects, 46 players will earn at least $25 million this season, according to Spotrac. No NBA player has previously been able to boast such a salary. Also, unlike NFL players, basketball players always get their money's worth.

10 highest paid players in the NBA 2019. Forbes rating

Stephen Curry ranked second in the ranking. He is expected to earn $85 million this season, of which $45 million will come from his sponsorship deals and other projects. The main sponsor of the basketball player is the sports company Under Armor.

Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors earns $40.2 million, the highest salary in NBA history. In 2017, the player signed a five-year contract worth $201 million with the club. He is now playing for the Warriors in his third season. The point guard also owns a production company called Unanimous Media, which has a partnership with Sony Pictures. The company's first film was Breakthrough, which was released in April this year. Stephen Curry played a significant role in the advertising campaign for this American Christian drama. On a budget of $14 million, the film grossed $50 million at the box office.

NBA investor: basketball player who raised $125 million in real estate

Kevin Durant holds the second largest annual sponsorship deal in the NBA. It is expected to net the Brooklyn Nets forward $26 million. Forbes estimates Kevin Durant's total net worth will be $73 million. According to his business partner Rich Kleiman, Nike sells more KD signature sneakers in China than in North America.

Kevin Durant also has his own production company. She's working on a new drama series to watch on AppleTV+. The series is largely dedicated to the childhood of the basketball player and his career path.

Translated by Polina Shenoeva

Zhong Zhi Getty Images

1.

LeBron James

Total income: $ 92.4 million

Salary: $ 37.4 million

Advertising contracts: $ 55 million

Club: Los Angeles Lakes

Thearon W. Henderson · Images

2 Stephen Curry

Total revenue: $85.2 million

Salary: $40.2 million

Advertising contracts: $45 million

Club: Golden State Warriors

3. Kevin Durant

Total income: $ 73.2 million

Salary: $ 38.2 million

Advertising contracts: $ 35 million

Club: Brooklyn NTS

Steve Dykes · Getty images0209

4.

Russell Westbrook

Total income: $ 56.5 million

Salary: $ 38.5 million

Advertising contracts: $ 18 million

Club: Houston Rockets

ADAM Glanzman 5. James Harden

Total revenue: $55.2 million

Salary: $38.2 million

Advertising contracts: $17 million

Club: Houston Rockets

Adam Glanzman Getty Images

6. Kyrie Irving

Total income: $ 51.7 million

Salary: $ 31.7 million

Advertising contracts: $ 20 million

Club: Brooklyn Nets Hannah Foslien · Getty IMAGES 7. Clay Thompson

Total income: $ 47.7 million

Salary: $ 32.7 million

Advertising contracts: $ 15 million

Club: Golden State Warriorz

Lachlan Cunningham · Getty IMAGES

8. Chris Paul

Total income: $ 46.5 million

Salary: $ 38.5 million

Advertising contracts: $ 8 million

Club: Oklahoma City Tander

Ronald Martinez

9. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Total income: $ 45.8 million

Salary: $ 25.8 million

Advertising contracts: $ 20 million

Club: Miluo BAKS

STEVE DYKES
10.

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