LeBron James falls short big time! It’s the biggest fall since the 2012-13 season. Even though the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is the oldest active player in the NBA at 39, he is still performing at the highest level. The MVP honors at the Paris Olympics is a simple receipt to attest to that. Despite the herculean efforts in recent times, the 4x NBA Champ has lost his spot in the top 10 highest-paid players. And it doesn’t seem to have affected the team owner, Jeanie Buss.

Right after the 2024 postseason, all eyes were on King James as he was yet to sign the player option with the Lakers. Importantly, there were a lot of rumors, claiming James was disappointed with the LA side and wanted a way out. It almost came true when James declined the player option, but he immediately squashed it when he re-signed a fresh 2-year contract worth $101 million. Even though the contract fetched him an average salary of $50 million, James failed to make the top 10.

While no one addressed the superstar’s descent, Jeanie Buss recently spoke about James’ salary equation. Featuring in the Petros & Money Summer radio show outside the Vans Headquarters, Buss said, “He is our highest-paid player, but it is still a bargain to me, you know. I think he is amazing.” However, one of the hosts immediately cut Buss in between and asked her about the “bargain”. The 62-year-old replied, saying, “Because we are a salary cap league. There’s only so much we can pay him.”

For the upcoming season, LeBron James would reportedly receive $48.3 million, which is almost a million more than what he received in the previous season ($47.6m). However, with all the franchises trying to satisfy their star players, James had very little margin for error. Notably, this is the first time since the 2012-13 season, James failed to make the top 10 highest-paid list. He currently stands at the 14th below right below Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Top 10 highest-paid NBA players in 2024-25 season

This list could take a massive hit in the 2025-26 season, as Stephen Curry would probably enter the off-season as a free agent. So, the Warriors might go all in or settle for a lesser deal. At the same time, LeBron James may enter the Top-10 list, as the salary for the second season is reportedly slated at $52.6 million.

On the other hand, these numbers don’t seem to affect LeBron James. Notably, a few weeks ago, the superstar reportedly came forward to sacrifice his salary to stack the Lakers roster in the off-season. In a statement from Rich Paul, the agent claimed that the superstar insisted on sacrificing his salary to rope in veterans like James Harden and Klay Thompson. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out fruitful. Harden and Thompson went on to sign up with other franchises.

Nevertheless, James didn’t worry about staying on the top 10 highest-paid list. What do you make of Jeanie Buss’ reaction to the salary? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.