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LeBron James is the highest paid NBA player, with reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant coming in second, and LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant third, report Forbes. Meanwhile, the team that James left in the offseason, the Miami Heat, has the best fans in the NBA, according to a separate report. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs fans came in second and third respectively. Apparently Forbes have never been to a Miami Heat game in time for tip off, or walked off the court in South Beach.
Forbes' Kurt Badenhauser says that Cleveland Cavaliers superstar and TV game show producer LeBron James, with total earnings of $64.6 million — including endorsements from Nike, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Beats By Dre and Samsung — tops the $54 million raked in by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, a gap of over $10 million. Kobe Bryant — whose actual NBA salary of $25.5 million per year is the highest in the league — comes in third with $49.5 million
As for the other seven of the NBA's top 10 highest paid players — based on their NBA salary and endorsement — they are Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin.
Badenhausen points out that market size now seems to no impact on global superstardom, explaining that "Cleveland and Oklahoma City ranked 19th and 44th among the largest U.S. markets," yet LeBron and KD still make more money and have a bigger presence than just about any other sports stars on Earth.
Highest paid NBA players: 1. LeBron James 2. Kevin Durant 3. Kobe Bryant Full list: https://t.co/oPQ7FJlGd9 pic.twitter.com/P6B2WmXMSu
— Forbes (@Forbes) January 21, 2015
The NBA says isn't quite so much super-star driven sports as completely driven by it. As Forbes' Christina Settimi says "Let's just call it what it really is: home of the biggest bandwagon fans in all of sports."
Because Forbes have also ranked the NBA's Best Fans — based on hometown crowd reach, television ratings, arena attendance, merchandise sales and social media reach — and say that the Miami Heat have the best fans.
They say that in "the last three years Heat fans have supported their team the best per our metrics, coming in, on average, with the top selling team merchandise, and the third best TV ratings, home attendance and largest social media base."
#Nets fans are THE BEST! @Jeannie2321 made the trip from NY to DC to cheer on the team tonight! pic.twitter.com/7A4VzxxzCy
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 16, 2015
They add, "Let it be known that not everyone jumped on the LeBron-train right away. Team merchandise ranked fourth at the end of the 2011/12 season and only last year moved to the top of the NBA."
What they don't point out, however, is the evidence of Miami fans being the latest to arrive to games, and many abandoned their team and left the arena during Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs... only to miss the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
They do add, however, that those metrics are skewed by the presence of markable NBA superstars, with LeBron now in Cleveland, the Cavs are suddenly "leading the league in the highest road game average attendance this season. The Miami Heat led this category the past four seasons during King James' reign there."
They go on to say that while LeBron was in Miami the Cavs' home arena, Quicken Loans Arena, "was only 78% full. This season it is filled to capacity." Meanwhile "Cavs merchandise spiked from totally below-the-radar in the prior four seasons, to top-selling in the NBA so far this season."
Thanks for pic Congressman @DennyHeck and thanks for being Pro-Sonics! @BringBackSonics @sonicsrising @sonicsgate pic.twitter.com/BsZoMjUBYg
— Sonics guy (@sonicsguy) January 20, 2015
The next best fans, say Forbes, are the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, then the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
What do you think? Whose fans are best in the NBA?
