The NBA has, thus far, seen just three stars, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James reach the status of being bonafide billionaires. However, as things stand, the 20-year-old prodigy, Victor Wembanyama, is well on track to become the first billionaire of the NBA, who reaches that status based on his earnings from the league alone.
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According to Bloomberg, Wembanyama has a chance of earning more than $1,000,000,000 by the age of 33. Currently on a four-year, $55.2 million rookie deal which he signed with the San Antonio Spurs, Wembanyama will be eligible for the biggest rookie max extension deal in history, once it expires.
The French prodigy will be eligible for a $316 million, 5-year deal, after which he will be eligible for the supermax. That, at the age of 28, will represent earnings of over $370 million. At this point, the supermax that Wemby will be eligible for will be worth an astounding $529 million over 5 years. This will take the overall earnings to just shy of $900 million.
This means that whichever type of contract Wembanyama signs at the age of 33, he would have earned more than a billion from contracts alone. Hence, Wembanyama’s uniqueness and hype is not just limited to the basketball court.
LeBron James is currently the highest earner in the NBA with respect to contracts, having made $479,000,000 in 21 seasons, according to Sportrac. That number, however, is almost certain to be dwarfed by the time Wemby reaches the age of 30. Bloomberg believes that if everything goes to plan in the player’s career, the second supermax alone can make him the highest earner of the league, of all time, and will be worth a whopping $760 million.
However, the player himself does not appear to be concerned. “It’s not something I’ve thought about before. It widens the range of possibilities and impact I can have,” he told Bloomberg.
Regardless, it is clear that barring an unfortunate event or an injury, Wembanyama appears well on track to make history off the court. That of course, will also depend on how he does in the years to come.
Victor Wembanyama has chosen to endorse only brands that he believes in
While Wemby might be on track to make history for his NBA earnings, that is not true about the kind of endorsements he currently boasts of. Wembanyama, unlike most mainstream NBA stars, has chosen to associate himself with brands that he himself believes in.
This includes the company Barcode, which creates a plant-based drink and is co-owned by Mubarak “Bar” Malik and Kyle Kuzma. “I would rather do nothing than to do something meaningless,” Wembanyama had explained.
Barcode, founded by a basketball trainer and fit check legend Kyle Kuzma, has added Victor Wembanyama to their cap table and to represent the brand.
The next generation of savvy athletes will increasingly look to displace previous generation sponsors versus take their checks.… pic.twitter.com/7ULyuDvHnG
— Oren John (@orenmeetsworld) July 18, 2023
The company founder Mubarak Malik also revealed how their offer simply did not compete with the others that Wemby had already received. However, showing his commitment to associating himself with only a specific type of company, Wembanyama decided to endorse Barcode and follow a similar philosophy when it comes to endorsements in general.
In any case, Wemby is set to be one of the highest-paid and probably one of the finest big men in the league. In his rookie season alone, he is averaging 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks, and in the coming time, he is bound to improve.
