The annual salary of "Sir 70 million" has appeared, will "Sir 100 million" still be far away?

Qilu Evening News·Qilu One Point Feng Zihan

Book's annual salary exceeds 70 million is shocking. (Data photo) Xinhua News Agency reported that on July 10, according to US media, Suns star Devin Booker reached a two-year maximum salary renewal of US$145 million, and the contract will expire in 2029-2030.

Booker has three years of contract worth 171 million, plus the two years of the new contract renewal, he will stay in the Suns in the next five years, and his revenue will reach 75.46 million in the 2029-2030 season. According to Booker's 164 regular season games in two years, he can earn $880,000 per game during the execution of the new contract.

In fact, this Suns core is not the first star to earn more than $70 million a year. Tatum is the first star in NBA history to enter the "70 million club". His annual salary for the 2029-2030 season was about $71.45 million in the contract extension signed with the Celtics in early July.

Subsequently, the Thunder star Alexander also became a Mr. Seventy million in annual salary. A few days ago, he and the Thunder renewed their contract in advance, with a contract amount of 285 million yuan for four years, of which the salary in the 2029-2030 season was 73.69 million yuan, and the salary in the last year was 78.77 million yuan (2030-2031 season).

Book has now entered the club with an annual salary of 75.46 million yuan. His average annual salary of $72.5 million in renewal contracts is more than Alexander's $71.25 million, becoming the highest in the NBA's history in "early renewal".

What's more exaggerated is that judging from the current salary growth rate, this highest record will not last long. It is estimated that if the future salary cap rises by 10% this year, then by the 2032-2033 season, the league will have the first player to earn $100 million annually. The salary of top players has repeatedly broken through the ceiling, thanks to the continued rise in revenue related to basketball (such as broadcasting fees, tickets, jerseys and various sponsorships), which in turn reflects the bullish commercial value of the entire NBA.

Last year, the NBA signed a new broadcast agreement with three giants, with a total price of up to $77 billion in 2011, which has caused the salary caps of each team to rise sharply. Stars like Tatum, Alexander, and Booker are also getting higher and higher.

Compared with the stars, the bosses behind them have made a lot of money. Two years ago, Cuban sold a majority stake in the Mavericks for $3.5 billion, which is already a small amount. The Celtics sold $6.1 billion a few months ago, while the Lakers changed hands at a sky-high price of $10 billion that shocked the industry.

Book signed not only a contract, but also a distinct mark of the NBA capital feast. Money never sleeps, it rushes and flows in every corner of the NBA. When fans cheered for the stars' shocking scoring performances, the astronomical salary itself has become another silent but more shocking "performance". Perhaps, we are witnessing a golden age of professional sports, and where its peak is still unknown.