The signing of LeBron James by the Los Angeles Lakers was the headline move of the summer in the NBA and also one of its most expensive.
The forward from Akron decided to forgo the player option he had to continue with the Cleveland Cavaliers for $35.6 million and instead signed a contract with the mythical purple and gold franchise for $153.3 million.
Once all the figures were confirmed, ESPN broke down the amounts that ‘King’ James will recieve, and the numbers are huge.
With an exact agreement of $153,312,846 million for four years, James will pocket an average of $38.3 million per season, about $467,000 per game played, $117,000 per quarter, $9,700 per minute and $162 per second.
These are the figures taken over the average of the four years, but in agreement with the Lakers, the player will see his salary climb higher each season: $35.7 million the first; $37.4 the second; $39.2 the third and $41 in the fourth, in which he will have a player option at 37-years of age.
In addition, according to Shoshanna Delventhal of Investopedia, the total profits for LeBron James will go over a billion dollars if sponsorship deals are taken into account.
“The growing wealth of LeBron is also driven by his associations with brands such as Nike Inc. (NKE) and Sprite, owned by The Coca-Cola Company (KO),” she said.
All said, the Lakers forward will earn $33.5 million dollars thanks to his contract and another $52 million through sponsorship agreements alone during the past year.
These figures placed him as the sixth highest paid sportsman in the world according to prestigious magazine Forbes, only behind Floyd Mayweather, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor and Neymar.
Despite the magnitude of the numbers, LeBron has used many of his resources for social projects, such as the opening of a public school in his native Akron and donations to various charities.
