Published 12/31/2022, 4:30 PM EST
The NBA player salaries have grown exponentially since the 90s. There have been numerous max contracts in the NBA which have turned heads of sports fans across the globe. However, recently, the Portuguese soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new contract that dwarfs the NBA salaries by a substantial margin. The soccer icon’s latest contract with a Saudi Arabian soccer team blows away the humongous salaries of the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Although the NBA fandom has heard about a lot of crazy contracts, this is probably unbelievable for most.
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Many NBA legends in the past have demanded exorbitant salaries as they realized their worth. But none could have even dreamt of negotiating a deal like Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s salary dwarfs LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s contracts
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The Portuguese soccer legend signed a two-year contract with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. According to a report in The Athletic, Ronaldo will be paid $214 Million a year, an amount unheard of in sports history. The NBA salaries look pale compared to this staggering deal. Stephen Curry earns $48 Million a year, after disregarding endorsement deals, topping the list of highest-paid NBA stars. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James come in second and third position, as they are paid $47 Million and $44 Million respectively.
The salaries of basketball superstars have always exceeded that of soccer stars. The primary reason is that there are fewer basketball players in a team than in soccer.
Both sports have a salary cap for teams. But due to the lesser amount of basketball players, they can dip their feet in bigger pools of money. All of the above facts emphasize how impressive Ronaldo’s deal is. The former Real Madrid superstar had a fallout with his former team, Manchester United just before the FIFA World Cup. The fallout led to a mutual termination of his contract and as of December 2022, Ronaldo is the newest forward of Al-Nassr.
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Although Ronaldo’s transfer makes NBA contracts look miniscule, there are a lot of factors influencing NBA contracts.
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Intricacies in the NBA contracts for rookie and experienced players
The NBA contracts do have a salary cap, but much of it is based on the experience of players. If one were to explain in layman’s terms, rookie players, no matter how talented they are, can’t receive the same amount of money as experienced veterans.
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To further expand, a player with five years of experience will be paid a minimum of $2.1 million, according to the 2022-23 budget. The 2022-23 soft spending limit of a team is set at $123 Million.
What do you think of Ronaldo’s mammoth contract? Let us know in the comments below.