LeBron James continues to craft himself a phenomenal success story, both on and off the court. “The King” has been living up to his moniker in life. This upcoming season, the 37-year-old will step into his 20th NBA season. However, after all these years, James still continues to map uncharted waters.
In June, James added to his diverse portfolio by reaching the billionaire milestone. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Lakers star is the first active NBA player to accomplish that feat. Additionally, as James embarks on another incredible journey in the upcoming NBA season, his paychecks along the way will set another milestone.
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James has been topping the basketball?s earnings ranking for the past couple of years. And this year will be no different. For the ninth straight year, he sits atop the Forbes Highest-Paid NBA Players list. His pretax earnings will total $124.5 million, making him the highest-paid NBA player ever, eclipsing the estimated $121.2 million he earned in the last fiscal year that ended in May.
LeBron James tops Forbes' highest-paid NBA players list for 9th straight year. 🤑 https://t.co/DO8oOzYbb5 pic.twitter.com/nuEAf5Su1o
— theScore (@theScore) October 14, 2022
Interestingly, in the course of hitting yet another milestone, James’ earnings will outweigh those of numerous other athletes, including Stephen Curry and Tom Brady.
LeBron James’ paychecks will overshadow those of Stephen Curry and Tom Brady
LeBron James is in a league of his own when it comes to basketball players making money. In fact, his earnings this fiscal year will overshadow that of the second-highest-paid NBA player, Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry is slated to earn the most money on the floor, at $48.1 million. When off-court earnings are included, Curry’s earnings will reach $95.1 million. Meaning, James will be topping the Highest-Paid NBA Players list by over 20 percent.
That isn?t to suggest that Curry himself hasn’t been breaking new grounds. The Golden State Warriors star spearheaded his squad to the NBA championship last season on his way to becoming the Finals MVP. Curry has amassed a fortune as a byproduct of his wizardry on the floor and endeavors off the court.
The Warriors and Steph Curry have agreed to a four-year, $215M extension that will put him under contract through the 2025-26 season, sources confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday.
He is the first player in NBA history to secure two deals worth at least $200 million. pic.twitter.com/LpM4rnJTeW
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 3, 2021
When James’ earnings are compared to one of the greatest NFL players ever to take the field, Tom Brady, it highlights the huge strides the Lakers superstar has been making.
For the first time since Forbes began releasing a ranking of the NFL’s highest-paid players in 2010, Brady topped this year’s list. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback bumped his total earnings to $75 million pre-taxes and agents? fees.
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2022's highest-paid NFL players, per @forbes:
1️⃣ Tom Brady, $75M
2️⃣ Matt Stafford, $65.5M
3️⃣ Aaron Rodgers, $53M
4️⃣ Patrick Mahomes, $51.5M
5️⃣ Josh Allen, $51M
6️⃣ Deshaun Watson, $46.2M
7️⃣ Kirk Cousins, $42.5M
8️⃣ Russell Wilson, $38M
9️⃣ Kyler Murray, $33.5M
🔟 Dak Prescott, $33M pic.twitter.com/baI3XyQpSZ— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 12, 2022
Brady boasts an unparalleled resume and continues to add to it at the age of 45. However, this certainly brings LeBron James’ supremacy in that department into the limelight.
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WATCH THIS STORY: 3 unknown stories from LeBron James? life
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