LeBron James is entering his 21st season in the NBA and is set to earn $47,607,350 in salary over the campaign. This comes as part of a 2-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, which takes effect from the 2023-24 season. To put things into perspective, Jalen Hood-Schifino, the youngest player on the team at 20 years old, will be earning 13 times less than LeBron.
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Age has not proven to be a factor for one of the greatest players to ever grace the league. LeBron still remains the number 1 option for the team and is coming off a remarkable season. Deservedly so, he will be the highest-paid player on the team, despite being the oldest. With the Lakers franchise adding some key players in the off-season, he still remains in the hunt to win another championship.
LeBron James’ two-year extension with the Lakers
In 2022, LeBron James agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $99,023,288 with the Los Angeles Lakers. The extension is set to kick in, in the upcoming season. His salary of $47,607,350 for this season will make him the highest-paid player on the roster. Considering he is in his 21st season and will be turning 39 in a few months, the feat is astonishing, to say the least.
If we were to look at the other extreme, the Lakers drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino, a rookie born in the month of June, 2003. To emphasize, LeBron began his NBA career in 2003.
Hood-Schifino is the youngest player on the Lakers squad at 20 years of age. Due to his status as a rookie, he is set to make just $3,695,040 in the upcoming season. That is thirteen times less than what the NBA superstar will be making.
Still, this shouldn’t come as an indictment on LeBron James. After all, with the player still standing amongst the best in the NBA, his status as one of the highest earners in the league deserves to be upheld.
That said, could he be one of the most underpaid players in league history?
LeBron has been the most underpaid player in NBA history
The above heading might come as a shock to many, but it potentially couldn’t be more true. Even though LeBron James has a net worth of over a billion dollars, he remains one of the most underpaid players in NBA history. The sole reason for that is his impact on revenues, which greatly overpowers the salary he is paid.
LeBron James is a blockbuster show all by himself. Fans and media come out in numbers just to get a glimpse of him, let alone watch him play. He has single-handedly impacted the sales of tickets, merchandise, endorsements, and any other means of revenue that a franchise hopes to achieve.
If you consider his contribution to a franchise’s net worth and compare it to his salary, it would be pennies on the dollar. However, it is important to mention here that quite a bit of it is attributed to salary restrictions set by the league. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the NBA franchises are lucky to have him.
