One of the most fascinating aspects of NBA players is money – specifically, how much they make per year.
This has been a popular topic of discussion amongst fans, commentators, and alike for decades. Whenever an NBA player signs a new mega-bucks contract, it usually breaks Twitter in the following 24 hours. And if you aren’t on Twitter, you’ll almost certainly hear about it on the news.
It’s no secret that the NBA is one of the biggest sporting franchises in the world. Thanks to networking revenue and merchandise sales, teams can afford to pay their star players a lot – and that’s not thousands; it’s millions.
So, who exactly are the five highest-paid NBA players in 2022? It’s time to take a look!
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Lebron James
Of course, number one had to be Lebron James. Lebron James isn’t just an NBA athlete; he’s now become a global brand name. Some would even say Lebron’s brand has become Michael Jordan level, but this is up for debate for now.
Just recently, Lebron signed a two-year deal with the LA Lakers that will see him earn – at a minimum – $85,655,532. When you take into account his off-court deals, too, his overall earnings for the next two years will almost certainly surpass the $100,000,000 line.
Lebron is no stranger to spending his hard-earned cash either; he’s known to enjoy gambling off the court, among a number of other hobbies. You can do this as well by checking out the latest NBA picks.
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Steph Curry
Steph Curry has become a household name over the past five years. Back in 2017, Curry helped the Warriors make their long-awaited return to the NBA finals. He then did the same in 2018, 2019, and again this year (2022), which has seen him elevated to legend status in the NBA universe.
As of right now, Curry has an annual salary of $45,780,966. However, when he signs his next contract, you can expect this number to potentially double as the Warriors look to keep hold of him. After all, Curry is 34 years old now, so he has limited playing time left on the court.
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James Harden
James Harden earns himself a nice $44,310,000 per season with the Philadelphia 76ers. By the time he retires, it’s predicted that Harden will have earned about $560,000,000, which is a staggering figure.
Harden is also sponsored by Adidas, which is a huge contributing factor behind his earnings.
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Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is another NBA icon who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets. Although Durant isn’t considered the greatest of all time, he still has a cult fanbase who support him each and every season.
Durant’s annual salary is a little over $40,000,000, which isn’t too shabby in this day and age!
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Klay Thompson
Finally, there’s Klay Thompson, who takes home a salary of around $32,000,000 per season for playing with the Golden State Warriors.
Thompson also has a ten-year deal with the Chinese shoe brand Anta, which is estimated to earn him around $80,0000 – and that’s without bonuses.
Thompson still has one last mega pay-day in his career to go, so watch out for his contract coming to an end.
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