Topline
Basketball billionaire LeBron James will lead the U.S. men’s basketball team into a highly anticipated matchup with South Sudan at the Olympics Wednesday during the 5×5 group stage, and while its Group C rivals—Puerto Rico, Serbia and South Sudan—include NBA stars, the U.S. team counts the highest career earnings in the league by far.
Team USA’s roster dominates NBA earnings among teams in Group C of the Olympic men’s 5×5 basketball. … [+]
Key Facts
Team USA men’s basketball team, including James and Stephen Curry, is competing against Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico during the competition’s group stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The U.S. squad has collectively earned $2.5 billion during their time in the NBA—seven times more than the three other teams, combined—with James earning $479.5 million over his 21-year career in the league, while Kevin Durant is runner-up with $396.7 million, according to Spotrac.
South Sudan is making its Olympic basketball debut this year and the team includes former Memphis Grizzlies forward Wenyen Gabriel and forward JT Thor, who played for the Charlotte Hornets the past three seasons; they are mostly responsible for the team’s total earnings of $11 million in the NBA.
Jose Alvarado, current point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, stood out in Puerto Rico’s Olympic opener against South Sudan with 26 points and, along with Davon Reed, who competed in the NBA’s minor league and is currently a guard for the Memphis Nustle, has contributed to the team’s $9 million in NBA earnings.
Serbia’s roster features six-time NBA All-Star and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, current center for the Denver Nuggets, who has earned about $200 million to date—making up most of Team Serbia’s $315 million total NBA earnings.
What To Watch For
South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico in the nation’s first Olympic basketball game, with commentators highlighting Carlik Jones’ performance. South Sudan takes on Team USA Wednesday after a near-historic exhibition game earlier this month, in which South Sudan lost to the U.S. by one point in a match that saw James lead the comeback with 23 points.
How Many Groups Are There In Olympic Men’s Basketball?
The Olympic men’s 5×5 basketball event has 12 teams divided into three groups of four teams. Group A includes Australia, Canada, Greece and Spain, while Group B consists of Germany, France, Brazil and Japan.
Big Number
$1.2 billion. That is James’ estimated net worth, according to Forbes, making him the first active NBA player to become a billionaire.
Here’s Where Group C Career Nba Earnings Stand (source: Spotrac)
Team USA = $2,482,950,913
- LeBron James: $479,466,457
- Kevin Durant: $396,705,024
- Stephen Curry: $354,721,977
- Anthony Davis: $266,608,394
- Jrue Holiday: $256,749,232
- Joel Embiid: $214,429,387
- Devin Booker: $166,532,853
- Jayson Tatum: $120,639,285
- Bam Adebayo: $104,855,232
- Derrick White: $60,092,940
- Anthony Edwards: $44,271,137
- Tyrese Haliburton: $17,878,995
Serbia = $315,428,822
- Nikola Jokic: $198,124,795
- Bogdan Bogdanovic: $99,166,913
- Vasilije Micic: $7,723,000
- Marko Guduric: $5,210,938 (2019-2020)
- Nikola Jovic: $4,591,920
- Filip Petrusev: $611,256
- Uros Plavsic
- Vanja Marinkovic
- Ognjen Dobric
- Dejan Davidovac
- Aleksa Avramovic
- Nikola Milutinov
South Sudan = $10,620,861
- Wenyen Gabriel: $5,507,178
- JT Thor: $4,649,614
- Carlik Jones: $464,069 (2 seasons, now undrafted)
- Nuni Omot
- Khaman Maluach
- Bul Kuol
- Kuany Kuany
- Marial Shayok
- Jackson Makoi
- Majok Deng
- Peter Jok
- Sunday Dech
Puerto Rico = $9,473,628
- Jose Alvarado: $4,899,614
- Davon Reed: $4,382,154 (2017-2022)
- Tremont Waters: $191,860 (2021 only)
- Isaiah Pineiro
- George Conditt IV
- Jordan Howard
- Stephen Thompson Jr.
- Aleem Ford
- Gian Glavell
- Ismael Romero
- Christopher Ortiz
- Arnaldo Toro
Further Reading
The Highest-Paid Athletes At The Paris Olympics (Forbes)
Team USA’s Basketball Superstars Are Staying Outside The Olympic Village—At A Cost Of $15 Million (Forbes)
These Countries Pay Olympians Six-Figure Bonuses For Winning Gold (Forbes)
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