Recently, Forbes announced the top 10 athletes with the highest income in 2024. The annual income of these 10 athletes has exceeded $100 million, among which Ronaldo ranked first with an income of $260 million. Even though the NBA has become one of the most successful commercial leagues in the world, only three players have been included in this list, while famous players such as Durant, Harden, Weishao and so on have failed to be on the list. Obviously, their ability to attract money is still much worse than these three players.
3. Stephen Curry (102 million)
Ranking: 9th
As a former front player of the league, Curry has become the hottest player in the NBA in the world since he rose in 2014. Later, Curry won the historic contract one after another. His annual salary this season was 51.92 million yuan, and he was the only 50 million yuan in the league this year. Although Curry's competitive status has declined compared with that of the peak period, he is still the face and soul of the Warriors. Many fans value him most whether they watch the game or buy tickets to go to the scene.
Driven by Curry, the market value of the Warriors has soared over the years. Now they have become the most valuable team in the NBA on paper. In addition, the sales of the peripheral products in Curry can rank top in the league every season. It can be said that even though he is now 36 years old, he is still a cash cow for the Warriors.
Now it seems that Andrea was also a smart eye. They not only signed Kuri with only 4 million yuan, but also spared no effort after he became the face of the league. First, he renewed his contract at a price of 215 million yuan in nine years, and then in 2022, they signed a life contract with Kuri in advance, with the specific amount of more than 1 billion dollars, Now Kuri is not only their spokesperson, but also the president of Kuri brand. It can be said that he will no longer "work" for Andrea, but "work" for himself.
Now Curry has at least two seasons in the league, and his annual income is likely to be higher year by year in the future. Considering his historical position and his influence, he may even have the opportunity to hold a retirement tour in the retirement season. Just look at this point, the brave men will continue to "cheer him up", and will make a lot of money selling tickets at that time, As the warriors have not paid less luxury tax in the past two years, they can return their blood at that time.
2. Letter Brother (110 million)
Ranking: No. 5
When Brother Alphabet entered the draft, no one expected that he could earn so much money. Since his third season in the league, he has gradually become a star. Under Kidd, he broke out completely and soon became a top star in the league. Moreover, Brother Alphabet's playing style is quite violent, which has attracted a lot of fans, especially in foreign countries. His influence soon exceeded those of the old superstars such as Harden, Weishao and Durant.
This season, Brother Alphabet's annual salary is 45.6 million, ranking seventh in the league. Last year, he also reached an agreement with Bucks in advance, and his next contract will be 186 million yuan in three years. The popularity of Brother Alphabet can be seen from his all-star voting in the past years. This season, he is the first time to win the all-star vote against James. Although he has few fans in China, he still has a great influence in the world.
As a representative player of the Mesozoic era, Brother Alphabet is now 29 years old. He will still occupy the front position of the league for a long time in the future. Although players like Jokic and Enbid are also very strong, their popularity is much worse than Brother Alphabet. It can be seen from the shoes contracts of these three people that only Brother Alphabet can have his own signature shoes, and according to the data, the sales should be quite good.
However, Nike signed Brother Alphabet before he rose completely, so his contract at that time was "only" 9 years and 90 million yuan. If it were now, Brother Alphabet's treatment would be at least the same level as Durant's, and it might be sooner or later to get a lifetime contract. Although Brother Alphabet is still less than 30 years old, his meaning to the Bucks is similar to that of Curry to the Warriors. In addition, considering that the ball market in Milwaukee is far from San Francisco, it is impossible for the Bucks to let Brother Alphabet go.
1. LeBron James (128.2 million)
Ranking: 4th
As the player with the highest commercial value in the NBA, James is basically the most profitable player in the league every year. Although his player contract rarely ranks first in the league, his ability to attract money off the court is enough to rank top in the entire sports industry. After Jordan and Kobe, James' influence is the only one among NBA players in the world. In addition to the influence of the advent of the We Media era, almost everyone who watches basketball does not know him.
James' business acumen can be seen from the time he was 18 years old. Before he entered the league, Reebok directly took out a check of 10 million yuan to stop him from contacting other shoe brands. Even James's mother was impressed at that time, but he refused. Later, Adidas wanted to sign a contract with James worth 100 million dollars for 10 years, but they finally turned back, which also led them to miss a superstar who could change their brand development trajectory.
James, who didn't play in the final NBA game, signed a contract of 93 million yuan for seven years with Nike, which is also the largest rookie shoe endorsement contract in NBA history. Now it seems that Nike is making a lot of money, so James became the first player in active service to get a lifelong star contract a few years ago, and the amount probably exceeded $1 billion. James' signature shoes have reached the 21st generation, and there are many other branches, so the income from selling shoes alone is probably more than his NBA contract.
In addition to Nike, James, as a player with his own traffic, has cooperated with many international first tier brands, such as LV, McDonald's, Samsung and other leading enterprises from various fields. Besides, James has his own company off the court. He is also very good at investment. It can be said that even if he doesn't play football now, these incomes alone will be enough for him and his children to spend freely.
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