CELEBRITY
Fourth NBA player tipped to join Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant in exclusive $500m club…see more
A fourth active NBA player has been tipped to join the exclusive club of stars whose court earnings surpass $500 million.
In August, Golden State Warriors sensation Steph Curry penned a one-year, $62.6 million extension which will see him join both LeBron James and Kevin Durant in earning half a billion dollars in salary.
He is guaranteed $178 million over the next three seasons with the Warriors, taking his NBA pay packet to $526 million.
But as per LA times, there is another pending entrant to the club.
Philadelphia 76ers small forward Paul George signed a lucrative deal in July ahead of the new season, after opting out of his player option in the $48.7 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 34-year-old’s earnings are already past $300 million but his latest deal with the 76ers, is worth $211,584,940 and will see him join Curry, James and Durant raking in big bucks.
The figures are merely for wages as with various endorsements factored in, the trio will have earned more than $1 billion in overall earnings.
James and Durant have actually not yet passed the $500 million mark but their current contracts will see them do so unless they make a surprise retirement decision.
James, formerly of Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers, has made $482,593,928 in 21 seasons in the NBA. His latest deal, signed in July, is a two-year $104-million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, 35-year-old Durant is slightly below that with $399,155,146 across 17 seasons, as per Basketball Reference.
But his pay packet is set to continue to increase as he is guaranteed $51.2 million from the current campaign and a further $54.7 million in 2025/2026 with the Phoenix Suns, who he signed for in 2023.