The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the oldest squads in NBA history. The team has recruited players that were dominating the NBA in the past, but have accepted a smaller role in their older age.
The team has the biggest collection of current and former All-Stars, with 7 current and former All-Stars on the team. The collection of veterans the Lakers has is truly fascinating, as several of these players were dominating the NBA during the peak of their respective careers, but can no longer deliver those kind of performances.
But that is why the Lakers have superstar players like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. These three players are still playing at a high level, earning All-Star nominations last year.
This combination, along with a healthy mix of veteran presence has made the Lakers one of the favorites for the NBA championship team next season.
But the Lakers have put together an incredibly wealthy roster. As pointed out by Reddit user u/Tofu_Breath, the Lakers roster has an incredible $1.7 billion in total career earnings. In comparison, the 2020 Team USA roster has earned a collective $1 billion in career earnings.
LA Lakers Player Career Earnings (As of 2020-21 NBA Season)
LeBron James: $346,203,575
Carmelo Anthony: $259,881,402
Russell Westbrook: $242,500,792
DeAndre Jordan: $157,122,584
Anthony Davis: $152,666,234
Trevor Ariza: $114,232,977
Rajon Rondo: $108,277,250
Kent Bazemore: $76,378,166
Wayne Ellington: $44,945,656
Malik Monk: $15,474,272
Kendrick Nunn: $2,996,897
Talen Horton-Tucker: $2,360,147
Total: $1,767,410,476
Team USA 2020 Player Career Earnings (As of 2020-21 NBA Season)
Kevin Durant: $264,153,846
Jrue Holiday: $153,638,072
Damian Lillard: $151,870,966
Khris Middleton: $120,920,176
Draymond Green: $105,729,003
Zach LaVine: $66,928,548
JaVale McGee: $65,607,268
Devin Booker: $65,032,653
Jerami Grant: $40,740,910
Jayson Tatum: $29,583,945
Bam Adebayo: $13,799,892
Keldon Johnson: $3,876,728
Total: $1,081,882,007
Players like Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard were the best players on their respective championship contending teams. Whereas Rajon Rondo and DeAndre Jordan were key contributors for their own teams during the best years of their respecitve peaks.
But as time has gone on, these players have found their roles and outputs reduced significantly. And while they can still play a solid role on a team, they are no longer capable of being primary or central figures of a championship team.
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