LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were prodigious basketball prospects who got picked by top NBA franchises, right after high school. Both of them were drafted as 18-year-olds, however, the hype around LeBron James’ draft in 2003 as the ‘Chosen One’ attracted a much higher salary in his rookie season. Kobe Bryant was offered a three-year $3,500,000 deal during his rookie season, wherein he earned $1,015,000 annually. In comparison to that, LeBron James’ rookie salary was $3,003,290 more than Kobe, earning $4,697,135 annually for four years.
Advertisement
The situation for both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as 18-year-old draft prospects was different. Kobe was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. Compared to that LeBron James’ draft was considered a generational prospect, with Bron being the ‘Chosen One’ to succeed Michael Jordan’s legacy. The timelines and the hype surrounding both the players affected the significant difference in their paychek as well.
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James rookie salaries compared
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were both drafted at 18. As per Sportrac, Kobe Bryant earned a $3,500,000 contract, which earned him $1,015,000 in his rookie year, and thereafter, $1,167,240, and $1,319,000 over the course of the deal.
This was around $3,003,290 more than what LeBron James earned as his rookie salary in his first three years in the league. For his rookie season, James cashed in $4,018,000, and thereby earning between $4,320,360 to $4,621,800 over the next two seasons. In the fourth year of his rookie deal, James earned $5,828,090 as his yearly paycheck.
The reasons behind these substantial differences in paychecks could be because of the different situations both players were in. Though drafted at the same ages, the hype surrounding Kobe and LBJ was starkly contrasting. Bryant was scouted as a prospect by Jerry West, when he scouted him from a workout scrimmage Kobe played with former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper. However, Kobe’s arrival in LA was only possible after the Hornets agreed to trade their 13th pick with Lakers’ center, Vlade Divac.
However, in the case of LeBron James, he was regarded as ‘The Chosen One’ during his draft year. It was only until Victor Wembanyama’s draft in 2003, LeBron James carried the title of the most hyped draft prospect in the league’s history. He was a first overall pick in the 2003 Draft, picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite such heavy anticipation and expectations on his shoulders, LeBron James never succumbed to the pressure. Both Kobe and LeBron can said to have lived up to their potential.
LeBron earned a much bigger rookie shoe deal than Kobe
Kobe Bryant signed as an Adidas athlete for his rookie shoe deal, wherein he accepted a $48,000,000 six-year deal. He later paid over $8,000,000 to exit from the deal, eventually signing with Nike in 2003. With this new deal, Kobe Bryant earned $10,000,000 for four years, and thereby, $25,000,000 until his retirement.
Considering the hype surrounding LeBron James during his draft year, he was awarded a much bigger deal than Kobe Bryant. As an 18-year-old, Nike reportedly paid James $87,00,000, to sign him a deal guaranteed for over seven years. LeBron remained a lifelong Nike athlete since his rookie days. He has earned a $1 billion lifetime contract from the Oregon-based company.
