It’s always good to have a side hustle, even for us normal folk. What about for athletes though?! Even wonder what NBA players are raking in — not for playing in the NBA — but for their endorsements?! It pays to be amazing.
Check it out…
Via Forbes:
The top of the NBA endorsement food chain is led by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Both are global superstars who made $42 million and $34 million, respectively, last year from endorsement partners. James has been one of the NBA’s top endorsers since he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. His current partners include Nike, McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Samsung Electronics , Upper Deck, Audemars Piguet and Dunkin’ Donuts.
Five championships and 18 years of All-Star play transformed Bryant into the most popular player in China with a little help from his main backer, Nike. Bryant also has deals with Turkish Air, Lenovo, Hublot and Panini for merchandise.
The NBA’s top 10 endorsers pulled down $155 million last year by our count. It dwarfs the totals in baseball and football. MLB’ s 10 biggest endorsers earned less than $30 million off the field last year with only Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki (all in Japan) making more than $3 million from sponsors and merchandise. The NFL’s top 10 made $55 million from endorsements, led by Peyton Manning at $12 million in 2013. The NHL lags even further behind with the 10 biggest stars making $15 million cumulatively.
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Via BR:
