LeBron James Tops List of Highest Paid NBA Players

LeBron James has been a force to be reckoned with since his entrance into the league in 2003, so it’s no surprise he’s the highest paid player in the NBA, with over $71 million in earnings per year, according to Forbes.

The King grabs the top spot with or without his insane lifetime deal with Nike, and every other baller is struggling to keep up. While an exact figure hasn’t been released to the public, his partnership with the Swoosh is said to be worth significantly more than $500 million. We’re sure he’s not letting Kanye West’s slight jab on “Facts” bother him too much.

DMV native Kevin Durant came in second place with $56 million; over half of his deal comes from his sneaker partnership with Nike. Kobe Bryant, who has also seen a huge jump in jersey sales after announcing his retirement, made $50 million in 2015.

Check out the graph below to see if your favorite NBA player rounds out the top 10.

And for a look at the highest-paid athletes in 2015, click through our gallery below.

SOURCE: NBC Sports, Forbes, Twitter | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Surprise, Surprise: LeBron James Tops List Of Highest Paid NBA Players was originally published on ioneglobalgrind.staging.go.ione.nyc