The Highest-Paid Players in the NBA Finals: LeBron vs. Everyone Else
Despite a convincing win by underdog Miami Heat in Game 3, the Los Angeles Lakers are poised to bring a 17th NBA Championship home after a mismatched finals series against a depleted and so-far outclassed Heat.
Using data from Spotrac, GOBankingRates ranked all 10 starters by their average annual salaries in ascending order from lowest to highest. Here’s how the rest measure up against LeBron James, who is playing in pursuit of a historic championship with his third franchise and a highly competitive race for series MVP against one of his own teammates. Then see how James compares to the richest athletes in the world.
Kendrick Nunn
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Yearly contract value: $1,028,483
Miami shooting guard Kendrick Nunn started in all 67 games during the pre-shutdown regular season, averaging 15.3 points per game and earning runner-up for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Even so, he was a rare sight in much of the playoffs, missing six of the first 15 contests and getting only short court time when he did play. In the finals, however, he has emerged as a legitimate threat and was one of the only glimmers of light in an otherwise ugly start to the series by Miami during the opening two games.
Duncan Robinson
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Yearly contract value: $1,030,062
Duncan Robinson has failed to impress so far in the NBA Finals, including a scoreless Game 1 to start the series. Even before the current contest with Los Angeles, the Miami power forward/small forward emerged from the pre-finals postseason with a sub-11.5 point average—and the Lakers excel at defending against his style of play, according to CBS Sports.
Bam Adebayo
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Yearly contract value: $2,966,760
Edrice Femi “Bam” Adebayo is an All-Star whose presence is crucial to any chance of a Miami victory—which is exactly the problem. Adebayo was injured in Game 1 — along with another key player, Goran Dragic — and missed both Game 2 and Game 3 of the finals.
JaVale McGee
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Yearly contract value: $4,100,000
The Lakers benched JaVale McGee twice in the playoffs prior to their current series against Miami. Generally, L.A. fans can expect to see either McGee—a two-time NBA champion—or Dwight Howard starting at center alongside King James and the rest of the Lakers nucleus.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
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Yearly contract value: $8,291,514
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope replaced Avery Bradley when Bradley declined a place in the Lakers’ bubble for family reasons. Caldwell-Pope was slow getting started when play resumed, including into the early postseason. He got hot when it counted deep in the playoffs, however, and has largely been a positive presence for the Lakers despite a miserable Game 3.