“New LeBron (James) Is From Slovenia”: ex-NBA Stars Foresee $95 Million/yr Salary Cap as League’s Popularity Grows Exponentially Worldwide

The NBA is expanding globally and it has no plans of stopping. Former NBA players Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner have made daring forecasts about the league’s financial future as it continues to grow internationally. In a recent conversation, Iguodala and Turner emphasized the league’s rapid rise in popularity and predicted a time when elite players may make historically high wages.

On their show, Point Forward, Iguodala said, “By 2030 you’re going to have an NBA player making $95 million per year.” Turner supported his co-host’s statements by drawing a comparison to the past earnings of NBA superstars. “I compare it to when LeBron was playing for Miami. I think he’s arguably the most popular athlete in the world and he was making $14 million on court. And then you had dudes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who were also dominating their sport and they were making more in a weekend than that,” Turner recalled. He underscored the league’s growth by referring to the increase in foreign players in the league, “The new LeBron is from Slovenia.“ Turner was referring to none other than Luka Doncic.

Turner discussed the disparities in pay between elite soccer players and NBA players in further detail and expressed optimism about the NBA’s increasing marketability. “The fact that dudes were making $14 million, and I was just comparing it to the soccer players. I’m pretty sure this sport is popular enough for us to get to that level. I think the NBA got, in my personal opinion, the top 5% of the most recognizable faces on Earth,” he said.

He even drew a comparison to the WNBA, where players have been historically underpaid for their services. “The sport’s too popular. We’re at the level now that you’re arguing the best players in the world are European, that’s how much the sport has grown,” Turner noted.

Iguodala talked about the league’s international reach and participation in games all around the world; China, Dubai, France, and even the Olympics. The NBA’s global presence contributes to the lucrative opportunities. If the duo’s predictions come true, NBA players could be making an unprecedented amount of money. But currently, who are the highest-paid players in the league?

Highest paid NBA players 2024

Take a look at the top ten highest-paid players in the league, as of the year 2024.

The salary cap is a record $135.021 million for the 2023-24 NBA season. With salaries higher than ever, teams are shelling out more and more money to attract players.

Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner’s predictions regarding player pay exploding appear more and more likely as the NBA rides the tsunami of worldwide popularity. Players who make over $40 million a year, including Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, are now among the top-paid athletes in the game. Should the league’s growth trend persist, we might eventually find ourselves in a situation where elite players make annual wages close to $95 million.