Despite his polarizing performance as the forward player of Los Angeles Lakers, there is no denying that LeBron James is still one of the most bankable superstars in NBA. In fact, Forbes recently declared him as the NBA's highest-paid player for the fifth consecutive year.
In an article published by Sydney Morning Herald, LeBron James is paid with $88.7 million in earnings. Out of that figure, the Lakers player made $53 million off the court.
Following LeBron James is his rival Golden State Warrior player Stephen Curry who has earnings of $79.5 million. Prior to him transferring to Lakers, LeBron and Curry are the two basketball giants who are fighting for the championship.
Ranking next to Curry is his teammate Kevin Durant, who has the earnings of $65 million. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook with $53.7 million and Houston Rockets guard James Harden with $47.4 million finished the Lakers' LeBron-topping list.
Following them are Houston's Chris Paul, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard or Portland, Detroit's Blake Griffin and Paul George of Oklahoma City as sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th, respectively. Unlike the salary and net worth of the Lakers player and the other top 5, their net worth was not revealed.
The Lakers star's non-salary income comes from other big endorsement deals like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Beats by Dre. LeBron James also has revenue from company Springhill Entertainment, his Hollywood production, and his investment in pizza company Blaze Pizza.
Overall, Forbes said that LeBron James has a net worth of $450 million after going to the Lakers team. By the end of 2019, the top 10 earners of NBA are said to earn $540 million in 2019 as based on their salaries, endorsements, appearances, media deals, and royalties.
It seems that Lakers superstar and other basketball players are getting more money than ever. Forbes said this year's record is a huge increase of more than $180 million from the top 10 earners five years ago.
This also shows that NBA players are also getting their money not just from playing in the NBA but also in building their personal brands and companies. Lakers' LeBron James, Warrior's Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant were reported to have more money off the court than through their salary in playing professional basketball.
LeBron James has to seek ways to regain his status as a threat as the Lakers recently lost to Atlanta Hawks in the recent game, according to Yahoo Sports. The game was noticeable due to the Hawks fans chanting "Kobe" while LeBron James was shooting free throws.
