Bryant’s following has allowed him to amass an endorsement portfolio of global brands including Nike, Smart Car, Panini and Turkish Airlines that pay him $28 million annually. Factor in his league leading $25.2 million salary from the Lakers and Bryant is the NBA’s top-earning athlete at $53.2 million.
Bryant’s Lakers salary is $3 million greater than any other NBA player thanks to the idiosyncrasies of the NBA’s maximum salary rules on individual players. Under the old collective bargaining agreement, 10-year veterans could sign deals for 35 percent of the salary cap which was $58 million last season. Yet players can sign deals worth 105 percent of their previous salary even if it exceeds the salary ceiling.
The NBA’s No. 2 earner is LeBron James of the Miami Heat at $49 million. James is the league’s top endorser making an estimated $33 million annually through partnerships with Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, State Farm and Upper Deck. The James empire expanded in April when he became a minority owner in soccer club Liverpool after a marketing agreement with Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group. FSG and LRMR, James’ own marketing company, will oversee future partnerships for the two-time NBA MVP.
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