NBA's Highest Earners Of 2021 Revealed

LeBron James is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time (arguably the greatest in the eyes of some).

So it's only appropriate that the Los Angeles Lakers megastar is paid appropriately for his stellar services on the court, right?

A list of the NBA's highest earners for 2021 has been published by Forbes and it's no surprise to see LeBron's name sitting at the summit.

According to the newly-released figures, the four-time NBA champion will rake in a reported US$95.4 million (AU$125 million) this year.

To put that in perspective, it's the highest yearly income of all-time for an American athlete.

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Not to mention that fact that he'll earn even more than that figure thanks to his mega-money endorsements with US sportswear giants Nike and global drinks company Pepsi as well as many others.

This takes his total career earnings in the NBA up to the US$1 billion (AU$1.31 billion) mark.

In comparison to the other players on Forbes' 10-man list, LeBron earns almost double the salary of reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

He also takes home a whopping US$20 million more than the person who is the second-highest earner - three-time ring-winner Steph Curry.

On top of that, 36-year-old LeBron is the only representative from the Lakers franchise with the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets boasting two players each inside the top 10.

Here's the full list of the top 10 earners in the NBA for 2021:

1. LeBron James (LA Lakers): US$95.4m / $A125m

2. Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors): US$74.4m / AU$97.3m

3. Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets): US$65.2m / AU$85.3m

4. Russell Westbrook (Washington Wizards): US$58.1m / AU$76n

5. James Harden (Brooklyn Nets): US$50m / AU$65.4m

6. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks): US$49m / AU$64.2m

7. Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors): US$43.3m / AU$45.7m

8. Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets): US$43m / AU$56.3

9. Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns): US$40.1m / AU$52.5m

10. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers): US$39m / AU$51m.

Topics: Basketball, NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, lebron james, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry