Kobe Bryant is Top-Earning NBA Player

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is the highest-earning NBA player according to Forbes.com. Although there was a work stoppage during the summer which cut into the players’ salary, Kobe was busy touring the world and in turn received a hefty amount of money.

This summer Kobe went around the world and made stops at Athens, Istanbul, Milan and Rome. The basketball tour was with Nike and involved setting up basketball camps and opening company stores.

Aside from his Lakers’ salary, Kobe is sponsored by a myriad of companies which include Nike, Smart Car, Panini and Turkish Airlines, and they pay him $28 million annually. If you put together the money from the Lakers, Bryant is the NBA’s top-earning athlete at $53.2 million.

Right below Kobe Bryant is Miami Heat forward LeBron James who stands at $49 million. James makes about $33 million off endorsements from the hands of Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, State Farm and Upper Deck.

Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo round out the top five, but are miles away from Kobe and LeBron.