It is not a hidden fact that players of the NBA are earning a lot of money as a professional basketball player. Their income does not only come from their salary as an NBA player, but also brand partnership and sponsorship, and even their line of brands. Players even get to make money from video games developed under the NBA franchise, with their likeness used in the game. With so many means of income possibilities for an NBA player, some people are asking the question: which player is the wealthiest in the history of the NBA?
Player wealth can also equate to player popularity, as the fact that they are getting endorsement and sponsorship offers means that a player has a wide audience and a huge following. Most of the times, this also affects the odds and the predictions for a game. Reading and understanding odds can be complicated if you are a newbie, but a good review website like Betenemy provides helpful information about the best and most recommended bookmakers.
Based on their latest total net worth, here are the top five wealthiest NBA players of all time
#5 LeBron James
King James may only be at the top five of the list, but considering the long line of players and the long history of the NBA, being at the fifth in the list of the richest players of all time is not a bad thing to be in at all. As of his latest net worth information, LeBron James has a total net worth value of $480 million. He had earned more than half of this from his salary as an NBA player, with it being a total of $2233.9 million worth.
What gives LeBron James a bit of an edge over other players here is that he is the only one in this list who is still actively playing for the NBA, and thus his salary continues.
#4 Kobe Bryant
The late Kobe Bryant had a total net worth of $600 million before his untimely and tragic death earlier this year. Most of his earnings came from the major endorsements that he did for big brands like McDonald’s, Nutella, Mercedez-Benz, and big sporting brands like Nike and Adidas.
#3 Magic Johnson
NBA hall-of-fame player Earvin ‘Magic Johnson’ has a total net worth of $600 million, What is interesting about this is that only $18 of it came from his salary from the NBA. All others were results of his huge brand partnerships and endorsements.
#2 Junior Bridgeman
Also with a net worth of $600 million, Junior Bridgeman may not be as popular as the other names in this list. It is not of a shock, though, as he did not make it big in the basketball scene like the huge names here. In fact, he only earned $350,00 as an NBA player. His millions came from his own lines of businesses, including Bridgeman Foods Inc., and at least 200 stores of Wendy’s franchise. He also owns shares in Coca-Cola.
#1 Michael Jordan
Everyone knows that Michael Jordan is the richest NBA player of all time. Currently, his net worth is at $2.1 billion.
Like all the other players in this list, MJ earned most of his fortune off of NBA. His NBA salary is only worth $90 million throughout his active days. Off the court and the grand limelight of the Madison Square Garden, MJ has countless brand promotions, partnerships, sponsorships, and his own businesses. Of course, there is also the long line of sporting brands that are either designed by himself, of at least named after him.
Aside from all of these, MJ is also known to have investments in the industry of real estate, yachts, supercars, mansions, and even private jets.