Cleveland Cavaliers Feature on the Top List of Highest-Paid Sports Teams in the World, Players Making an Average of $8.7 Million
Sporting Intelligence just recently published the top highest-paid sports teams in the world through this year's Global Sports Salaries Survey (GSSS), and revealed that the 2016 NBA Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are the new top team in this list.
With a team composed of high-caliber NBA stars, including LeBron James who is arguably the best player in the NBA right now, the average salary of a Cavaliers player is $8.7 million for the 2016-17 NBA Season. That's equivalent to about $157,000 weekly.
As expected, LeBron James is the highest paid Cleveland Cavalier, with a salary of $31 million this season. Among the players in the top 20 list, though, Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona actually has a higher salary at $53.4 million.
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NBA TV Deals
The incredibly high NBA salaries are, in no small part, due to the new and incredibly lucrative TV deals that the league has recently obtained. This has prompted teams to pay free agents with high-paying contracts, and give money-spinning extensions to NBA stars.
Aside from the TV deals, Sporting Intelligence also attributes Great Britain's withdrawal from the U.N., more commonly known as Brexit, as one of the reasons why last year's top teams (with the top 10 previously dominated by 8 football teams) in this survey fell, with NBA teams taking their place.
As a result, 18 of the top 25 highest paid teams in the world are from the NBA.
Other NBA teams in the Highest-Paid List
The Golden State Warriors, with an average pay per player of $6.66 million, made it to the top 20 in this Sporting Intelligence list. Miami Heat is at top 18, with each player getting an average pay of $6.72 million.
The Detroit Pistons made it to top 17 ($6.74 million per player), while the New York Knicks made it to the top 16 ($6.76 million per player). The Washington Wizards are at the top 15 ($6.82 million), while the Chicago Bulls are at the top 14 ($6.87 million).
The San Antonio Spurs are at the top 12, with an average pay per player of $7.00 million. The Toronto Raptors are at top 11 ($7.10 million), while the Orlando Magic are at top 10 ($7.12 million per player).
The Dallas Mavericks are at the top 8, with each player getting an average pay of $7.27 million; at top 7, the Memphis Grizzlies with $7.29 million per player. The Portland Trail Blazers get the top 6 spot ($7.39 million), while the Los Angeles Clippers get the top 3 spot, with an average pay per player of $7.65 million.
