The NBA’s top earners

“The amount of money you have has got nothing to do with what you earn.  People earning a million dollars a year can have no money, and people earning $35,000 a year can be quite well off.  It’s not what you earn, it’s what you spend.”  This quote is from Paul Clitheroe, an Australian financial and investment adviser and author. 

Hard work equals good results.  Most of the time, it is, especially if we really love and enjoy what we do.  Our primary aim for doing things is to satisfy our wants and needs.  We work for subsistence, we work for compensation and depending on our skills and backgrounds, that’s where earnings are based.  And then what matters most is the way we dispose of our income.

Compared to regular earners and the usual CEOs, COOs, CFOs and whatever Os the corporate world comes up with, professional athletes are an exceptional group where ordinary living things like you and me only dream of and end up having nightmares.  As to earnings, it ranges from the sublimely luxurious to the scandalously ridiculous.

Among the four professional major leagues in the US and any other leagues worldwide, the NBA annually manufacture the planet’s richest athletes but as Clitheroe said, and has been proven true to a good number of NBA millionaires, you can compete with a bank but still be miserable. Case in point – Latrell Sprewell, who turned down a 3-year, $21 million contract by famously saying, “I have a family to feed”.  Blowing away more than $100 million in career earnings, Spree, as per latest reports is now borderline pauper.  It’s the NBA people, where amazing happens.

In descending order, presenting the 12 wealthiest active players in the NBA.  All of them had been All-Stars and except for two or three players, their status had diminished due to injuries and aging.  They don’t really care, they still get the millions.

SHAWN MARION – In his prime at Phoenix, he was called The Matrix, why, only those who baptized Marion with this alias can explain.  He is worth $80 million with an annual take of $10 million.

CARMELO ANTHONY – He has the same net worth as Marion, gets $21.4M a season plus an additional $6M in endorsement deals from the Jordan Brand, Samsung and Footlocker among others.

AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE – Why New York is paying him $21.6M annually for a scoring average of less than nine points and four rebounds a game beats the diarrhea out of me.  Amar’e is still 31 years old but I seriously doubt if he can get back to his Phoenix days with Marion.  His net worth is $95M with endorsements from Nike, ESPN and Footlocker giving him an additional $6 million annually.

DWANE WADE – At 32, he’s supposed to be at his prime but injuries caused by his aerobatic shows had slowed D-Wade.  He agreed to a paycut to accommodate LeBron James and Chris Bosh, allowing him to get “only” $18.6M annually.  He’s one of the very few athletes endorsing Li-Ning, a Chinese brand.  His $12M endorsement deals also include Gatorade and T-Mobile.

RAY ALLEN – The most senior among these wealthy ballers at 38, Allen is worth $100M and is Miami’s most important role player in their quest for a three-peat.

DWIGHT HOWARD – Probably the NBA’s best active center today, D-12 is also valued at $100 million and aside from his $22M per season, he also gets $6M from deals with Adidas, EA Sports, Gatorade and McDonalds.

DIRK NOWITZKI – With all due respect to other players who came from the same continent, he could be Europe’s most prolific import in the NBA.  Dirk is the apple of Mark Cuban’s eyes will probably end his playing career in Dallas.  He’s worth $120M.

ELTON BRAND – The surprise package among the lot.  If not for his injuries, Brand produced career averages of 16.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 1.8 bpg, numbers very attractive to NBA coaches and managers.  Valued at $122 million, we don’t hear Brand complain of playing time.

TIM DUNCAN – 4 NBA championships, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 regular season MVPs and 14 All-Star appearances.  These achievements are the fulfillment of an athlete’s dream.  Duncan probably can call it quits in two or three years time and enjoy his $150 million in assets.

KEVIN GARNETT –  Net worth at $180 million.  KG is the face of another Chinese sports apparel company, Anta, earning a combined $10M from other endorsement deals.  Brooklyn probably will be his last tour of duty before air-drying his shoes.

LEBRON JAMES – This 29-year old freak of nature defines amazing in the NBA.  Yes, he also had a paycut to preserve the harmony of Miami’s trio los panchos.  The Heat franchise willingly paid him $19M annually but Bron gets $45M more from Nike, Powerade, Dunkin’ Donuts, Samsung and McDonalds.  He’s worth $185 million.

KOBE BRYANT – A two-year $48 million contract extension made KB24 a Laker for life.  He has played less than 10 games this season but he still earns, aside from his salary, $34M from deals with Nike, Lenovo, Panini, Coca-Cola and Turkish Air.  Kobe is worth $220 million.  His Turkish Air ads with Lionel Messi are fun to watch.

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