10 highest paid basketball players in 2018-19

The fact that there are 40 basketball players on the Forbes list of 100 best-paid sportspersons on the planet is because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NBA players' association and the franchises, which allows teams to offer up to 35% of their soft salary cap figure to one player.

But that isn't the only money the players receive. The NBA is among the most followed pro sports leagues in the world, meaning that the biggest brands in the world flock to the best-known players in the association to increase their cross-platform visibility.

Sportswear giants Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Li-Ning, among others, have invested heavily on marquee NBA players over the past three decades.

Here we rank the Top 10 highest paid NBA Players for the 2018-19 season, totalling their earnings from salary and endorsements:

#10 Giannis Antetokounmpo - $37 million

The Greek Freak is being projected as the early-season favourite to finish on top of the MVP ladder given the Bucks' hot start to the season and his own improved play. Eligible for a supermax extension in 2021, Giannis is currently on a 4-year, $100 million contract that makes me feel that he's criminally underpaid at the moment.

Antetokounmpo projects to earn $24 million in NBA salary in 2018-19, and will add $13 million in the form of endorsement deals through the course of the season. As the physical phenomenon tipped to take over the mantle of best player in the world from King James before long, his shoe deal with Nike is expected to bear fruition with a signature shoe by the end of 2018.