Who Is the Highest Paid NBA Player Right Now?
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We take a look at the highest paid NBA players right now and how much they are earning.
LeBron James
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He currently has the highest annual salary in the NBA.
Salary
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. In 2020, he was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for a record fourth time. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA MVP Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals.
In July 2020, it was announced that James had signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers worth $85 million. This made him the highest-paid player in the NBA for the 2020–21 season at $37.4 million. He will continue to be the highest-paid player in 2021–22 at $39 million.
Endorsements
In addition to his $35.65 million salary, James will make an estimated $55 million this year from endorsements, making him the NBA’s richest player. That’s more than twice what any other player will earn from endorsement deals this season, according to Forbes magazine.
James’ primary sponsors are Nike, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, Kia Motors and Intel. He also has deals with Upper Deck, Blaze Pizza and others.
Nike pays James more than $20 million a year to endorse its products, making him the company’s second-highest-paid athlete behind only soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Beats by Dre, which is owned by Apple, is believed to pay James more than $10 million a year.
Coca-Cola pays James an estimated $4 million annually to appear in ads for Sprite and Powerade. Kia pays him about $3 million a year to appear in ads for its line of cars and SUVs.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, and has won four NBA Championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, and the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Durant has earned a total of $265 million in salary from the NBA, and is currently the highest-paid NBA player.
Salary
As of 2019, the highest paid NBA player is small forward LeBron James, who earns a salary of $35.65 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. Second on the list is power forwardKevin Durant, who earns $30 million with the Golden State Warriors. Center Russell Westbrook is third on the list, earning $28.53 million with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Endorsements
In addition to his high salary, Kevin Durant also receives a significant amount of money from endorsement deals. He currently has endorsement deals with Nike, Beats by Dre, Sprint, Gatorade, Skullcandy, and Panini. In total, these endorsement deals are worth an estimated $36 million per year. Durant’s most valuable endorsement deal is with Nike, which is worth an estimated $20 million per year.
Steph Curry
Steph Curry is currently the highest paid NBA player. He signed a five-year, $201 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors in 2017. He is set to make $37.5 million in the 2020-2021 season. Curry’s salary is the result of years of hard work and dedication to his craft. He has won three NBA championships and has been named NBA MVP twice.
Salary
In 2019-20, Curry will earn a base salary of $40,231,758, while carrying a cap hit of $37,457,154 and a dead cap value of $44,016,221.
Endorsements
In addition to his NBA salary, Curry has a whopping $42 million in endorsements with companies like Under Armour, Chase, fanatics, and airbnb. He also has his own signature shoe line with Under Armour.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is currently the highest paid NBA player, earning an annual salary of $35.7 million. He is a guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he is one of the most popular players in the league. Westbrook is known for his explosiveness and his ability to get to the basket. He is also a good shooter, and he is one of the best defenders in the league.
Salary
In 2019-20, Westbrook is earning a base salary of $35,654,590, while carrying a cap hit of $41,358,814 and a dead cap value of $47,063,228.
Endorsements
In addition to his salary, Westbrook also earns a substantial amount of money from endorsements. He has deals with Nike, Foot Locker, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Subway, 2K Games, and many more. In total, he earns an estimated $15-$20 million per year from endorsements. This puts him among the top 10 highest-paid NBA players in terms of endorsement deals.
James Harden
Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is currently the highest paid player in the NBA, earning a staggering $38.2 million dollars per year. The 27-year-old has been one of the league’s best players for the past few years, and his pay is reflective of that.
Salary
As of September 2020, the highest paid NBA player is Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, who earns a whopping $41.254 million dollars per year in salary. Harden is followed by teammate Kevin Durant, who earn $38.199 million dollars annually. Other top earners include Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James ($33.285 million), Washington Wizards guard John Wall ($32.742 million) and Los Angeles Lakers forward/center Anthony Davis ($32.619 million).
Endorsements
In addition to his NBA salary, Harden has numerous endorsement deals. He is currently signed with Adidas, Foot Locker, Stance, State Farm, and JBL, among others. He has appeared in commercials for Foot Locker, ESPN, Tombstone Pizza, and Sprint. In 2017, he signed a $200 million deal with Adidas, the largest endorsement deal in company history.
