LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during a December 31 game.
KATELYN MULCAHY/GETTY IMAGESWith the NBA All-Star Game rosters set after Thursday’s draft, it’s up for debate which squad has more game on the floor. Off the floor, though, it’s no contest.
LeBron James selected Giannis Antetokounmpo with the first pick of the night and padded out his team’s roster with three other players from Forbes’ list of the highest-paid NBA players this season: Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and James Harden, who hours earlier had been traded away from opposing captain Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets. Those five players’ combined earnings off the court: an estimated $187 million this season before taxes and agents’ fees, counting their endorsements, licensing and memorabilia payments, and other business endeavors.
Durant, who picked second but will miss the game itself with a knee injury, built a team that featured some firepower but no one else from Forbes’ highest-paid list. While Durant is posting an eye-popping $47 million off the court by himself, the star-power accounting clearly favors Team LeBron.
Of course, the February 20 game will feature 19 players beyond those six, and they aren’t slouches financially. Team Durant’s Devin Booker, for one, has a budding business career, with equity stakes in seven startups and an endorsement portfolio worth $8 million annually. The shooting guard was also just named to Forbes’ 2022 30 Under 30 list in the sports category. Then there’s Chris Paul—Booker’s Phoenix Suns teammate and All-Star Game opponent—who made $7 million off the court in the 12 months leading to Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list last year.
Still, even those two stars are a tier below their six peers. Here are the NBA’s most marketable All-Stars, ranked by their off-court earnings estimates published with Forbes’ highest-paid NBA players list in October.
1. LeBron James
Off-Court Earnings: $70 million
The Los Angeles Lakers forward would rank fifth on this list with his Nike deal alone; it pays the 37-year-old $32 million annually. James jumped to PepsiCo last March after 17 years with Coca-Cola, becoming the face of Mtn Dew Energy, and he started pitching a second label with the company in December as part of a Ruffles campaign.
2 (tie). Stephen Curry
Off-Court Earnings: $47 million
The Golden State Warriors guard is the NBA’s on-court king, with a $45.8 million salary this season, and the 33-year-old adds to that pile with $20 million a year from Under Armour as the face of Curry Brand. He is among the athletes venturing into the world of blockchain, having partnered with cryptocurrency exchange FTX and sold digital replicas of his sneakers. And his production company, Unanimous Media, is getting into publishing with Penguin.
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets shooting a free throw against the Chicago Bulls on January 12.
STACY REVERE/GETTY IMAGES2 (tie). Kevin Durant
Off-Court Earnings: $47 million
The Brooklyn Nets forward collects about $28 million a year from Nike and has a booming business with media company Boardroom. The 33-year-old is also behind Thirty Five Ventures, which has stakes in more than 80 companies, recently investing in fitness company Future. Durant added a new role in October as a pitchman for NBA Top Shot, the digital collectible platform, and is now working with crypto platform Coinbase as well.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Off-Court Earnings: $41 million
The Milwaukee Bucks’ two-time MVP can count on about $12 million from Nike, and he picked up a sizable deal with digital collectible platform NFTSTAR last year. The 27-year-old invested in resale platform WatchBox in November and won a lawsuit in December over the unauthorized use of his “Greek Freak” trademark.
5. James Harden
Off-Court Earnings: $18 million
After days of rumors, the guard was dealt from the Brooklyn Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, but he faces no uncertainty off the court. The 32-year-old’s Adidas partnership is worth about $14 million annually, and he has emphasized equity deals in recent years, with stakes in massage-device maker Therabody and luxury watch brand Vanguart, among others.
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler during a February 7 game against the Washington Wizards.
EVAN VUCCI/ASSOCIATED PRESS6. Jimmy Butler
Off-Court Earnings: $11 million
The Miami Heat forward earned himself a big raise with his sneaker deal by signing with Li-Ning in 2020, after parting ways with Nike. The 32-year-old is at the center of a new ad campaign from crypto exchange Binance that—ironically—advises viewers to stop listening to celebrities’ advice on crypto investments.
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