LeBron James has failed in a blatant way! This is the biggest fall since the 2012-13 season. Even though The Los Angeles Lakers Although the superstar is the oldest player in the NBA at 39, he continues to perform at the highest level. The MVP honors at the Paris Olympics are a simple proof of that. Despite the herculean efforts of recent times, the four-time NBA champion has lost his place in the top 10 highest-paid players. And that doesn’t seem to have affected team owner Jeanie Buss.
Just after the 2024 playoffs, all eyes were on King James He had not yet signed the player option with the Lakers. There were many rumors that James was disappointed with the Los Angeles team and wanted an out. This almost came true when James declined the player option, but he immediately canceled it by re-signing a new 2-year contract worth $101 million. Even though the contract paid him an average salary of $50 million, James failed to crack the top 10.
While no one has addressed the superstar’s downfall, Jeanie Buss recently spoke out about James’ salary equation. Appearing on the Petros & Money Summer radio show outside Vans headquarters, Buss said: “He’s our highest paid player, but to me it’s still a steal. I think he’s absolutely incredible.” However, one of the hosts immediately interrupted Buss and asked him about the “to haggle”. The 62-year-old responded by saying: “Because we’re a league with a salary cap. We can’t pay him more than that.”
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Is LeBron James’ Loss of Top Spot a Sign of the Lakers’ Fall? React!
For the coming season, LeBron James James would have received $48.3 million, which is nearly a million more than what he received last season ($47.6 million). However, with every franchise trying to please their star players, James had very little margin for error. Notably, this is the first time since the 2012-13 season that James has failed to crack the top 10 highest-paid players. He currently sits at 14th place just below Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Top 10 Highest Paid NBA Players for 2024-25 Season
| Top 10 | Player | Salary – 2024-25 (millions) |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | $55.7 |
| 2 | Nikola Jokić | $55.2 |
| 3 | Joel Embiid | $55.2 |
| 4 | Kevin Durant | $54.7 |
| 5 | Bradley Beal | $53.6 |
| 6 | Jaylen Brown | $53.1 |
| 7 | Karl-Anthony Towns | $53.1 |
| 8 | Devin Booker | $53.1 |
| 9 | Paul George | $51.6 |
| 10 | Kawhi Leonard | $50.00 |
| 14 | LeBron James | $48.3 |
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This list could change significantly in the 2025-26 season, as Stephen Curry The 20-year-old is likely to enter the offseason as a free agent, so the Warriors could go all-in or settle for a smaller deal. Meanwhile, LeBron James could crack the top 10, as his second-season salary is reportedly set at $52.6 million.
On the other hand, these numbers don’t seem to affect LeBron James. Notably, a few weeks ago, the superstar reportedly offered to sacrifice his salary to bolster the Lakers’ roster during the offseason. In a statement from Rich Paul, the agent claimed that the superstar insisted on sacrificing his salary to recruit veterans like James Harden And Klay ThompsonUnfortunately, this did not prove fruitful. Harden and Thompson subsequently signed with other franchises.
However, James didn’t worry about staying in the top 10 highest earners. What do you think about Jeanie Buss’ reaction to this salary? Let us know in the comments.
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Before you go, watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where the Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks and more in the video below.
