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Athlon Sports
Fans Share Same Opinion on Jeanie Buss' Viral LeBron James Contract Take
By Paolo Songco,
6 hours ago
Earlier this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers secured the future of their cornerstone superstar by signing LeBron James to a two-year extension worth a whopping $101.4 million. Such is the steep price one has to pay to keep the NBA's all-time leading scorer on the payroll.
For Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, however, this six-figure amount is still something she considers a "bargain." This isn't because she has a net worth of $700 million but rather, this sentiment stems from the fact that LeBron, who averaged 25.7 points , 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists last season, brings so much to the table for the Lakers -- both on and off the court.
"He's still a bargain to me," Buss said.
For context, the Lakers are currently valued at $6.4 billion , per Forbes. In 2023, their revenue was listed at $516 million, which is the highest they've gone over the past 10 years.
If you look at it from that perspective, paying LeBron roughly $50 million a year is indeed a bargain. This is a notion that the majority of fans agree with.
"Lebron is a cash commodity! Jersey sales, seats, special events, tv… the amount of revenue being generated for the Lakers outweighs that salary. 👏🏾" commented a fan.
"I mean when you are 40 and still better than 98% of the NBA...he for sure is worth the money," said another.
"Lebron being on the team pays for itself in ticket merchandising and tv sales," a supporter mentioned.
"From a business standpoint she’s probably right. The amount of revenue being generated by having Lebron on your team I’m sure far surpasses that," surmised a reader.
"Born bring in so much revenue just off him being bron so of course 😭" a fan said.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
Gary A&period Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
With LeBron's reign soon coming to an end, it would probably be safe to assume that Buss and the Lakers organization will do everything they can to make sure that they get as much return on their investment over the next couple of years.
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