By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
They say that money makes the world go round. In professional sports in the 21st century, everyone has come to know this well.
On the basis of recent reports concerning the most expensive contracts in the new season of the NBA and NBAers’ highest earnings per second, Eurohoops compares the US basketball industry with the five most lucrative markets in team sports: American baseball (MLB), American football (NFL), American ice hockey (NHL) and world soccer.
NOTE: The amounts shown on contracts are before taxes. In the USA, the top federal income tax is 39.6%, and there are even more taxes in every state. In French soccer, a few years ago, taxation had reached 75% (!) before dropping to 50%.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
The league’s $24.000.000.000 TV deal with the ESPN and Turner Sports networks from 2016 to 2025 has raised the new season’s salary cap to a 9-digit figure (at $101.869.000, while the minimum has been set at $91.682.000) for the first time in history. Not that teams ever hesitated to go over it, as with the luxury tax ($123.733.000) and paying more on the dollar. This is how the first contracts worth over $200.000.000 were signed. First by Stephen Curry, only to be outdone by Russell Westbrook with his extension immediately after. Despite that, it’s the former who has the highest earnings in the new season.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Total contract value (2018-23): $205.030.000 (1st)
Contract value in 2018-19 season: $35.350.000 (4th)
STEPHEN CURRY (Golden State Warriors)
Total contract value (2017-22): $201.158.790 (2nd)
Contract value in 2018-19 season: $37.457.154 (1st)