The 2003 NBA Draft had one of the most talent-heavy groups of players to enter the league in the history of the draft. LeBron James was the No. 1 overall pick, but Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh were all in the same class as well.
A lot of these players won championships and made their mark on the game. As such, all of them earned hefty contracts from the teams they were on. And the five highest earners from the 2003 NBA Draft earned a combined $1.2 billion and LeBron James could still add to that number.
Here’s a look at the Top 5 earners from the 2003 NBA Draft:
1. LeBron James – $431 million (and counting)
2. Carmelo Anthony – $262 million
3. Chris Bosh – $239 million
4. Dwyane Wade – $196 million
5. David West – $91 million
Total – $1.219 billion
It’s no surprise that LeBron James leads this list, considering that his career has made him a GOAT candidate. To date, LeBron has earned $431 million in NBA salary alone and is set to make another $100 million at the very least. He has used his greatness to amass generational wealth too, becoming a billionaire before even retiring.
Carmelo Anthony is next on this list, he had the longest career from the draft class after James. Melo never won a championship or the MVP award, but he has scored titles to his name and is on the list of the Top 10 NBA scorers of all time. He earned $262 million in his career, with the New York Knicks accounting for $125 million of that.
Chris Bosh teamed up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami where they won two championships. And he is the third-highest earner from that draft class. He made $239 million in NBA salary during his career, thanks to two contacts exceeding $100 million, one from the Toronto Raptors, and one from the Miami Heat.
Dwyane Wade is easily the second most accomplished player in this class. He has a Finals MVP and three championships to his name. The Hall Of Famer struggled with injuries though, and famously took pay cuts to allow the Heat to acquire LeBron and Bosh. His career earnings round up to $196 million, just shy of the $200 million mark.
The 5th player on this list wasn’t a true superstar like the others, but David West played for 15 years, became an All-Star twice, and even won two championships. West made $91 million in his career thanks to big contracts from the New Orleans Hornets and the Indiana Pacers.
LeBron James Has A Contract Extension Worth $97 Million Kicking In Next Season
LeBron James’ longevity can only be described as freaky, he averaged nearly 30 points per game in his 20th season in the league. And the salary isn’t drying up for LeBron anytime soon, he has a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers kicking in before the 2023-24 season that will see him make $97.1 million over the next two years.
This will easily take the King to career earnings of over $500 million, although he does have a player option before next season that he could choose not to exercise. In any case, he will surely get a few more big contracts since he has shown no signs of slowing down. That incredible $1.2 billion number will only go up over the next few years.
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