LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant to earn combined $300 million in 2022-23 season

Kevin Durant said that, during a decade and a half in the NBA, he can’t remember seeing another player getting punched like Poole was. “It’s rare,” Durant said. “It’s rare. I’ve been in the league 16 years, and I’ve never seen that until the other day on camera. You hear about it with MJ and you hear about it with Bobby Portis, but there’s nothing that’s happening every year. It’s very rare that something like that happens. “It’s none of our business. But it happened to be part of our daily conversation because we’ve seen the videos. We’ve all got our opinions, but to be honest, mine’s don’t matter. It is what it is.” -via ESPN / October 13, 2022

Durant and Green ultimately healed their relationship, and the Warriors went about their business, something they’re trying to do again almost four years later in the wake of this latest episode. But as Durant watches the process unfold, he sees a stark difference between then and now. “That’s not the same situation,” Durant told ESPN. “Somebody got punched in the face … It’s no comparison to that. It was just some words that being — I heard people say that that happens a lot in the NBA. I had never seen nothing like that before. But what me and Draymond did a few years back, that s— happens all the time. So it’s easy to get through something like that, but I don’t know what this situation is like.” -via ESPN / October 13, 2022

Although Durant and Poole, who was drafted by the Warriors in 2019, never crossed paths as Golden State teammates, they have built up a bit of a relationship thanks to their shared relationship with multiple members of the Warriors coaching staff. Durant noted, however, that his friendship with Poole is not “to the point where I can text him or call him and talk to him about it.” “It seems cool, everybody’s back to normal,” Durant said. “Draymond is playing next game, Jordan was playing last game. So I guess it’s back to normal. Anything around our sport that doesn’t just involve the game of basketball — once it gets to that type of stuff, I try to stay away from it. It has nothing to do with anybody else but those people in the locker room.” -via ESPN / October 13, 2022

Stephen Curry ($93.1 million), Kevin Durant ($91 million), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($86.5 million) and Russell Westbrook ($72.1 million) fill out the top five behind James. Curry has the NBA’s highest salary for the sixth straight season at $48.1 million. Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo is the only player in the top 10 under the age of 32. Los Angeles’ two clubs, Lakers and Clippers, each landed three players among the top 15 earners, although the Houston Rockets are paying 86% of John Wall’s $47.4 million salary this season after a buyout. -via Sportico / October 13, 2022

Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar all earn higher playing salaries than any NBA star, but soccer can’t match the depth of big contracts in basketball. Those four are the only soccer players expected to make $30 million in base salary this season (bonuses will also push Erling Haaland over that mark). In the NBA, more than 40 players will earn at least $30 million this season. Off-court earnings estimates were compiled through conversations with those familiar with NBA endorsement deals. Also included are royalties from sneaker deals, as well as earnings from memorabilia, appearances, media and businesses tied to their celebrity. We exclude investment income unless it is connected to an endorsement agreement. The figures are all before taxes and any agent fees. -via Sportico / October 13, 2022

A month prior, Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers had been eliminated in the first round for the second straight season, leaving the guard uncertain about his future with the franchise. James had suffered an early playoff exit himself, and was looking to recruit a star guard to Los Angeles. Ever the salesman, he extended Lillard an invitation to his sprawling Brentwood estate. “He was just like, ‘Pull up to the house,’” Lillard told me recently. “And I’m like, shit, I’m out here. Tomorrow is the only day I ain’t got nothing planned out. I can pull up for a little bit.” Now Lillard was seated across from James and Anthony Davis, who needed help in their quest for another title. That evening, they indulged in expensive wine and Italian cuisine and discussed their plans for the future. “We just chopped it up just about the possibilities,” Lillard said. -via The Ringer / October 13, 2022

Warriors general manager Bob Myers joined broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike in the booth during the second quarter of Golden State’s preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at Chase Center, where he suggested that Curry might just be the greatest face of a franchise in the history of sports. “I stole this from somebody, but they said this: ‘best face-of-the-franchise in the history of sports, Steph Curry,’” Myers said. “Like who’s better?” “When it comes to the unselfishness, the pride, the credentials, staying in the same place for his entire career.” -via NBC Sports / October 12, 2022