12 richest NBA players of 2022 – net worths, ranked: from billionaires LeBron James and Michael Jordan and their Nike deals, to Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson – but who became a Coca-Cola CEO?
- Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Luol Deng and David Robinson are all worth US$200 million each, but Shaquille O’Neal and Vinnie Johnson have double that in the bank
- LeBron James became NBA’s first active billionaire joining retiree Michael Jordan, thanks to a little help from Adele’s BF – and both James and Jordan have lucrative deals with Nike
The National Basketball Association, aka NBA, has been around for over 75 years and its global popularity only continues to grow. Some of the sport’s greatest players have bounced their way to superstardom through the NBA, with some even reaching billionaire status.
Of the 30 teams in the league, the logos of the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls are all instantly recognisable on sweatshirts and T-shirts sported by fans around the world.
Because although the institution only operates in North America, its games garner a truly international audience, and the highlights alone, accessible via the NBA’s social media platforms, rake in millions of viewers – not to mention plenty of advertising revenue for the company.
The same goes for the players, who have been the beneficiaries of some of history’s most successful paid athlete deals. LeBron James reportedly makes US$50 million a year just from Nike, while Michael Jordan makes double that annually from the same shoe company, according to Forbes.
So who’s the richest NBA player of 2022, based on Celebrity Net Worth and Forbes’ valuations?
8. Kevin Durant, 33, Russell Westbrook, 33, Luol Deng, 37, David Robinson, 56 – US$200 million
All four of these familiar faces square up with an impressive US$200 million each in the bank.
Kevin Durant is currently one of the five highest-paid basketball players in his league, with a salary of US$42 million annually, per Celebrity Net Worth. He moved from the Golden State Warriors to Brooklyn Nets in 2019. The 2.06 metre tall player is also a tech investor and has stacked up numerous endorsements with the likes of Nike, Google and Beats by Dr Dre, according to Sportskeeda.
