The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the best NBA teams of all time. They’ve won 17 NBA championships, tied with the Boston Celtics for the most. Philip Anschutz and The Jerry Buss Family Trusts, who bought the club in 1979, are the current owners. With a total wealth of $4.6 billion, they are among the most popular and powerful NBA teams. The Lakers make roughly $400 million in revenue and invest $144 million on player salaries.
The Los Angeles Lakers have already had a who’s who of all-time greats wear the purple and gold in the past, and no group has had as many legends suit up for them as they have in the past. Despite this, not all of them have made a lot of money as Lakers.
The LA Lakers are a pro basketball club based in Los Angeles, California. The NBA National Basketball Association is the primary affiliation of the Los Angeles Lakers. As a part of the NBA’s Western Conference Central Division, the team participates in NBA basketball Tournaments. The team’s home games are held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. These LA Lakers players not only earn their wealth from their NBA salaries but also because of brand deals, investment, acting, and many other sources.
So we present to you the Top 10 Richest LA Lakers Players:
10. Lamar Odom: $30 Million
Lamar Odom has a $30 million net worth as a pro basketball player in the United States. Lamar Odom rose to prominence in the National Basketball Association as a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. In his Major League career, Lamar earned a total of $115 million (pre-tax). In his highest-earning season, 2008-2009, the Lakers paid him $14 million.
Odom paid about $3 million for an 8,557-square-foot home in the Pinecrest district of Miami in 2003. After being traded from the Miami Heat, he kept the villa and rented it out for $20,000 every month. For a number of years, he sought to sell the house. In April 2017, he listed the house for $5.2 million, then dropped it to $4.5 million, and then to $4.1 million. In October 2017, Odom relisted the house for $3.8 million.
9. Andrew Bynum: $45 Million
Andrew Bynum has a net worth of $45 million dollars as a pro player in the United States. Andrew Bynum was born in Plainsboro, New Jersey, and attended many high schools until settling at St. Joseph High School for his final year of school. In 2005, he played in the McDonald’s World series game and finally decided to skip admission to the University of Connecticut in order to pursue a career in the NBA.
He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. When he made his first appearance with the Lakers in October of 2005, he became the youngest athlete to play in a pro basketball game. His first year with the Lakers was great, but inconsistency troubled him. Over the span of the next four seasons, his level of play continued to increase. He damaged his knee during the 2009-2010 season, and his comeback took longer than expected. Later in the 2010 season, he went on to play but was then suspended for unsportsmanlike behavior. He made a successful comeback for the 2011-2012 season.
8. Derek Fisher: $45 Million
Derek Fisher is a former NBA player who went on to become the team’s general manager after rising through the ranks. Derek Fisher has a net worth of $45 million and is a multi-millionaire. During his 18-year NBA career, he won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and later played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors.
Until 2020, Fisher held the world record for most postseason appearances by an NBA player. Derek paid $5.5 million for a home in Hidden Hills, California, in 2009. He sold this home for $6 million in September 2017. Derek put his Tarzana, California home on the market in November 2020 for $2.5 million. A month later, the house was sold for $2.31 million.
7. Pau Gasol – $120 Million
Pau Gasol has a net worth of $120 million and is a former international basketball player from Spain. Pau was a six-time NBA All-Star who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs, earning two NBA titles with the Lakers in a row. Gasol has won multiple awards on the international stage, including Olympic medals, a FIBA World Cup victory, and three EuroBasket titles. Pau Gasol earned a total of $225 million in his NBA career. Pau received $19 million per season with the Lakers during the height of his career in 2013/2014.
The six-time All-Star played basketball for FC Barcelona in 2020-21, the very same club with whom he started his professional career. Gasol has got rich playing basketball, having been an outstanding center for all of the teams for which he has played. The NBA, in general, is a well-paid competition and is home to many of the richest players in the world. Pau Gasol is no different.
Consider that his contract with the LA Lakers was from 2011 to 2013. This will give you a better idea of how much income he made during his tenure in the league. In just three years, Gasol earned a net worth of $59 million. With the San Antonio Spurs, he received a salary of $16.8 million in his last season in the league.
6. Anthony Davis: $130 Million
As a great basketball player in the United States, Anthony Davis appears to have a net worth of $130 million dollars. His season base salary in the NBA is $38 million. Anthony has been named to the NBA All-Star team seven times, from 2014 to 2020. He won an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Davis was a successful undergraduate player at the University of Kentucky and previously played for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Between June 2017 and June 2018, Anthony Davis earned $35 million in salary and sponsorships. He has acquired a net worth of $100 million from his basketball earnings alone. In December 2020, Anthony signed a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers. The contract extension increases his annual pay to $32 million during the first year of the contract. Anthony will be given a base salary of $43.2 million in the fifth year. It is the 5th-largest contract in NBA history, with an average annual salary of $38 million at the time of writing.
In 2018, Anthony paid $7.5 million for a 16,000 square-foot estate on 2.3 acres in Los Angeles’ Westlake Village neighborhood. He put this house on the market for $8 million in April 2020. In November 2020, the mansion was sold for $6.5 million. Following the sale of the house, Anthony is said to have started renting a $50,000-per-month villa in Bel Air. In May 2021, Anthony reportedly paid $31 million for a property in Los Angeles’ Bel Air Crest gated community.
Also Read: LeBron James Becomes a Billionaire, Here’s His updated Net Worth
5. Russell Westbrook: $170 Million
Russell Westbrook, an NBA basketball player in the United States, has a net worth of $170 million. In terms of both money and sponsorships, he is one of the highest-paid athletes in the league. Russell was paid $250 million in the NBA in his first ten years after joining in 2008. His base pay was $44 million at the time of writing. Every year, Russell earns millions more through endorsements. From June 2018 to June 2019, Westbrook earned $53 million in salary and sponsorships.
Westbrook got the biggest contract in both Jordan Brand and NBA history in September 2017. Russell’s contract was acquired by the Rockets when he was transferred from Oklahoma City to Houston in 2019, so his annual salary was $41 million. In 2020, he was transferred to the Washington Wizards. Then in 2021, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Until December 2020, after Giannis Antetokounmpo got a five-year, $228.2 million contract, he held the record for the highest NBA contract.
4. Luol Deng: $200 Million
Luol Deng, a pro basketball player from the United Kingdom, has a net worth of $200 million. He was born in Wau, Sudan, on April 16, 1985. (now South Sudan). He won various awards and honors with the Bulls, along with an NBA All-Star Game pick in 2011-2012. He became a registered British citizen in 2006, and a year later, he began playing for the Great Britain professional basketball team. In 2014, he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to the Miami Heat and subsequently the Los Angeles Lakers. Luol Deng, who came from humble beginnings, is an active supporter of various charities.
It’s the kind of long and successful career that pays well in today’s NBA, in which the minimum salary has tripled thanks to the most recent television deal with ESPN and TNT. As a result, Deng earned $151 million throughout his career on the court. Deng isn’t waiting for his next big score to come at the end of his career. He’s been spending in real estate virtually since he joined the league in 2004, and he now has a $125 million portfolio of resorts, hotels, condos, and apartment buildings.
3. Shaquille O’Neal: $400 Million
Shaquille O’Neal is a former NBA player, entrepreneur, tv personality, and commercial endorser from the United States. Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is $400 million at the time of writing. Shaq got $292 million in salary alone throughout his NBA career. During the same time span, he made well over $200 million from advertisements. Shaq still earns roughly $60 million per year from advertisements and numerous commercial ventures, despite the fact that he has been retired for several years.
In recent years, Shaq’s primary residence has been a spacious 12-bedroom home outside Orlando. The main home measures 35,000 square feet and has a 17-car garage, a 6,000-square-foot basketball court, and a 10-foot privacy wall. In 1993, Shaq paid $4 million for the land that would become his house, and he began to custom-build his fantasy castle. He put the mansion on the market for the first time in May 2018, seeking $28 million. He dropped the price to $22 million in January 2019. In September 2020, Shaq decreased the property’s list price to $19.5 million. He eventually accepted $16.5 million in January 2021.
Since the 1990s, O’Neal has been interested in the stock market. He has also expressed an interest in the entrepreneurial world. On March 22, 2019, it was reported that he would be joining Papa John’s Executive board. Shaq will receive $8.25 million in salary and shares over the course of three years with the role. He’s also putting $840,000 of his own money into a Papa John’s franchise with nine locations in Atlanta. Shaq spent $5 million for a 1% share in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings in 2013. Shaq sold his club interest in August 2021 to become the main sponsor of an online gambling startup called WynnBET.
2. Kobe Bryant: $600 Million
Kobe Bryant was an NBA player, producer, humanitarian, and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, California. Kobe Bryan used to have a net worth of $600 million at the date of his death. Kobe Bryant sadly died in a helicopter accident on January 26, 2020. He was a two-time NBA Finals MVP and an 18-time NBA All-Star. With other acquisitions and transactions, it’s safe to estimate that Kobe Bryant would have begun 2022 with just a net worth of $700 million in a different universe.
Kobe was one of the highest-paid athletes in the world even after he retired. Kobe Bryant made a lot of money in his career, both in salary and sponsorships. He made a number of wise business moves. At the time of his death, his stake in the drink BodyArmour was worth $200 million. He bought the stock for $6 million six years ago. In October 2021, Coca-Cola paid $5.6 billion for 100 percent ownership of BodyArmour.
By the time Coca-Cola purchased 100% of BodyArmour for $8 billion in October 2021, the Bryant estate’s portion had been cut to 5%. His estate earned $400 million before taxes as a result of this sale. After taxes, that amounted to almost $270 million. Kobe’s net worth would have increased from $600 million to $670 million if he had been alive at the time of the deal. That may not seem like much of an increase, but it includes a $200 million increase in BodyArmour’s valuation as well as a $130 million tax decrease.
1. LeBron James: $1.2 Billion
LeBron James has finally entered the billionaire’s list, with a net worth valued at $1.2 billion, after earning around $121.2 million in 2021. This makes him the Richest among all the LA Lakers players of all time. The 37-year-old legend earned more than $385 million in pre-tax compensation from the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavs, and Los Angeles Lakers during his 19-year NBA career. Surprisingly, the constant MVP contender has only had the highest NBA pay once in his career. James follows Michael Jordan as the second other NBA player with a net worth of much more than $1 billion, despite the fact that Jordan needed more than a decade after retiring to reach that level.
Off the basketball court, the four-time NBA champ has earned over $900 million in sponsorships and successful business enterprises, as well as ownership of many multimillion-dollar properties in Ohio and Los Angeles. James’ investments in real estate and commercial enterprises account for around half of his net worth. His production business, SpringHill Co., is valued at over $300 million and produced the successful film Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021, which starred James and grossed $163 million at the box office.
LeBron James has also made money through his stakes in the pizza business Blaze Pizza, the ride-hailing company Lyft, and the smart-fitness startup Tonal. Another significant source of income for James is endorsement agreements with well-known brands such as AT&T, PepsiCo, and Walmart; he just starred in a Super Bowl commercial for Crypto.com. James was 18 years old when he signed a sneaker deal with Nike in 2003, rejecting significant offers from Reebok and Adidas. Nike revealed in 2015 that it had extended James’ agreement into a lifetime contract valued at tens of millions of dollars per year.
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