5 highest paid players in LA Lakers history
The LA Lakers have had no shortage of stars in their history. In fact, a lot of the greatest basketball players have all worn Lakers jerseys at some point in their careers. This is why the Lakers are the most successful NBA franchise with 16 championships, tied with the Boston Celtics.
Today, we will look at five LA Lakers players who were the highest-paid in the Lakers franchise history.
5) Pau Gasol - $120,116,000
After the Lakers lost the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, they had a rough patch. However, Pau Gasol was the solution to a lot of the Lakers and Bryant's issues. Gasol is a key piece for the Lakers, having helped them win championships in back-to-back years in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
During his seven seasons with the Lakers, Gasol averaged 17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 52.0% shooting from the floor. Gasol earned a total of $120,116,000 in these seven seasons.
His highest salary as a Laker in a single season stood at around $19 million. Gasol was definitely worth this money, as he did what every great Laker has ever done - to win an NBA championship.
4) Anthony Davis - $133,177,099
The LA Lakers traded all their young players at some point to acquire Anthony Davis in hopes of a championship run. Luckily for them, their gamble paid off, as the Lakers won the championship under his leadership.
As a Laker, Davis has averaged 24.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.1 blocks on 52.4% shooting from the floor. Perhaps, the impact that Davis has on the defensive end on a nightly basis cannot be understated or explained using just stats.
Anthony Davis will likely surpass some of the other Lakers on this list, like O'Neal if he chooses to stay with the Lakers. He is writing his legacy as we speak and is cementing his position alongside some of the greatest bigs in Lakers' history and in the game of basketball.
Over his four seasons with the Lakers, Davis has earned $227,701,628; his highest single-season salary hovers just below $38 million. It is fair to say that as a top-five talent in the league, Davis is well compensated.
3) Shaquille O' Neal - $144,749,716
Shaquille O'Neal is widely considered the most dominant player or big man in NBA history. As a Laker, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.5 blocks on 57.5% shooting from the floor.
O'Neal's highest single-season salary with the Lakers was almost $25 million, and he earned a total of $144,749,716 during his Lakers stint.
O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had a very successful run as Lakers. They had a historic three-peat, which established their dominance in the league. However, following this three-peat, several issues plagued the Lakers, and O'Neal eventually was traded away by the Lakers.
At the time, Lakers owner Jerry Buss did not want to overpay O'Neal. Buss thought that O'Neal was no longer taking care of his body and was not worth the money. There were also locker room conflicts with Kobe Bryant that ultimately led to the trade.
2) LeBron James - $197,966,106
LeBron James is arguably the greatest basketball player ever and sits in the number two spot on this list. James has been part of the Lakers for five seasons now and has averaged 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.2 steals on 50.7% shooting from the floor during this time.
During his Lakers run, James has been able to earn a total of $197,966,106 so far. This puts him ahead of a lot of Lakers legends who spent their entire careers with the Lakers.
The main reason for this is, of course, that James is paid lucratively given that he makes any team an instant title contender. James' highest single-season salary with the Lakers is approximately $44.5 million.
As for the Lakers, James helped them bring home one championship and also broke NBA's all time scoring record in a Lakers jersey.
1) Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant - $328,237,108
Kobe Bryant spent his entire career with one franchise which is a feat very few superstars in the league have accomplished. It wasn't just the fact that Bryant didn't leave LA, but rather the impact he was able to make as a Lakers player. It is fair to say that Kobe Bryant is the best player in Lakers franchise history.
Bryant earned a stellar $328,237,108 during his 20 seasons with the Lakers. His highest single-season salary was just above $30 million in the 2013–2014 season, and was the highest salary across the league that year.
While Bryant did earn a lot of money, it can be said that overall he was rather underpaid for his talent. In the modern-day NBA, Bryant could make the amount of money he did in 20 seasons in around 5 seasons.
Nevertheless, Bryant remains the highest-paid player in LA Lakers history. His success as a Laker is self-evident in the five championships that he won. He is also popularly known for his Mamba Mentality, which continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
Kobe Bryant is not with us today, but his legend lives on in the world of basketball and will continue to do so for a very long time.