The legendary inventor of basketball, Mr. James Naysmith, at the end of the 19th century did not even suspect what his brainchild would be today. The modern game is noticeably different from the one that was in the 1860s. First of all, it concerns the speeds, equipment, rules and, of course, the financial injections of sponsors. Currently, basketball players are one of the richest and most famous athletes on the planet. The game, invented in the small Canadian town of Ramsay in 1861, today won the hearts of millions of fans across the Earth.
The most popular basketball player of our time
Kobe Bryant is without exaggeration the most famous and strong representative of the NBA. The 35-year-old striker of the Los Angeles Lakers has about fifty personal awards. It is he who is the most titled and demanded acting basketball player of our time.
Bryant’s annual income from the club and sponsors reaches $ 65 million, and its transfer value is blocked, as the Lakers management is not going to sell their best striker for any money until the contract expires.
Today, Kobe Bryant is considered the highest paid NBA representative, earning for the season even more than Michael George himself, who previously owned a record fee. He is also an official of Nike, Turkish Air, Lenovo, Hublot and other world brands.
The three most famous playing basketball players
Behind Kobe Bryant in popularity is the leader of the Miami Heat, James LeBron. At 29, he is not only an example to follow, but also one of the richest basketball players in the world. For the year, LeBron receives $ 19 million from the Miami Heat, as well as $ 42 million in sponsorship payments. Thanks to McDonald's, Samsung, Nike and Coca-Cola ad campaigns, King James is the most recognizable 2014 NBA.
The next line in the ranking of “The most famous basketball players in the world” is Derrick Rose. Chicago Bulls' main point guard is an idol for every fan of the team. Naturally, talent requires promotion, so Rose in recent years has rightfully become the third salary in the NBA. In total, with the Chicago Bulls, bonuses and advertising, Derrick has about $ 39 million per year.
No wonder it is believed that the most famous basketball players on the planet are forwards.
Kevin Durant plays as a light forward in Seattle SuperSonics and is one of the most talented NBA representatives in recent years. At the end of 2014, he was recognized as the most valuable basketball player of the championship. Currently, his fee for the season is just under $ 32 million.
Extended rating
The list of TOP-10 most popular basketball players also includes two representatives of the New York Knights. We are talking about Anthony Carmelo and Amar Stademire. The first one has recently signed a new contract, according to which it will receive $ 23.3 million for the season, and the second is a legend of the club, and its annual income varies within $ 22 million. Both Anthony and Stademire were the most famous New York Knights basketball players in 2014. Team mates became world-famous thanks to a contract with Nike.
The next in the list of “The most famous basketball players in the world” is Dwayne Wade. The attacking defender of "Miami Heat" for the past 9 years in a row has been in the national team of NBA stars. His salary is $ 18.7 million.
Such world famous basketball players as Dwight Howard and Dirk Nowitzki are located a few positions below Wade. The first is the Houston Rockets leader, and the second is the Dallas Mavericks.
Closes the rating of “The most famous basketball players in the world” defender of the Los Angeles Clippers Chris Paul. He is also part-time president of the NBA Professional Players Association.
The most famous basketball player of all time
The title of the most recognizable and popular NBA player and the entire planet went to Michael Jordan a few years ago.
The peak of his basketball career came in the 1990s, when he was the indispensable leader of the Chicago Bulls. It was thanks to Michael's amazing game that his team managed to become NBA champions for the first time in 1991.
Over his 19-year career, Jordan earned 32,292 points and made 2,514 interceptions, which for the defender of his plan is an outstanding result. In 2003, Michael left professional sports.
The top three basketball players of all time
Another legendary player, Shaquille O'Neal, came close in popularity to Michael Jordan. During his career, the 2-meter center became the leader and captain of such leading NBA clubs as Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and others. Shaquille is perhaps the most titled basketball player in the world who has the goblet World Cup and NBA Championship gold medals. Today he works as a commentator on the TNT sports channel.
One of the founders of the NBA golden era is the former Houston Rockets and Portland player Clyde Drexler. In the late 1990s, his name was for life included in the list of “Most famous basketball players of the NBA”, and he was repeatedly recognized as the most valuable forward of the championship in 1992, 1995 and 1996. He also has
gold medals at the 1992 Olympics.Following in the ranking are such famous basketball players as Wilt Chamberlain and
Dennis Rodman. The second became the real Detroit Pistons legend. The club management also decided to withdraw from circulation the T-shirt with its number - “ten”.
TOP 10 most famous basketball players in Russia
As recently accepted, the best players sooner or later go to the advanced clubs of the planet. Today, these are the NBA teams. That is why the most famous Russian basketball players are in the American League. One of these is Andrei Kirilenko. Currently, a native of Izhevsk is rightfully considered the legend of modern Russian basketball. Kirilenko is popular not only in his homeland, but throughout the world. He currently stands for Brooklyn Nets.
Other most famous basketball players in Russia - Alexey Shvets and Sergey Karasev - also preferred the NBA to the domestic championship. The first successfully stands for Philadelphia, and the second is Kirilenko's teammate.
The rating “The most famous basketball players of Russia” includes Sergey Monya. Heavy forward “Khimki” is considered to be one of the best players in the domestic championship. No wonder he more often than others in the team wears a captain's armband.
Next in popularity are such famous Russian basketball players as the center of UNICS Dmitry Sokolov, the tandem of CSKA defenders Vitaly Fridzon and Evgeny Voronov and Nizhny Novgorod striker Dmitry Khvostov. Closes the rating of the veteran of the team “Locomotive-Kuban” 35-year-old
Alexei Savrasenko.Asia's most popular basketball player
Undoubtedly, the best player in this part of the world is Yao Ming. Today he is in the extended 20 of the most famous and recognizable basketball players on the planet.
Yao Ming spent his best years in the United States playing for the Houston Rockets. The growth of the Chinese athlete reaches 2.26 m with a weight of 140 kg. Few managed to restrain such a center. However, the dimensions were not its main advantages. Min knew how to skillfully give a difficult pass and easily throw a 3-point from any part of the site.
For 486 games in the NBA, Yao made 189 interceptions and 920 block shots. In 2011, he completed his professional career as a basketball player.