LeBron James says he’s been ‘underpaid’ since Miami move in 2010

Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, has built a résumé that includes four championships, countless accolades, and the league’s all-time scoring record.

Now 40 years old and approaching the twilight of his storied career, James recently exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for the 2025–26 season — one many believe could be his last in the league. With that, he is set to make history once again by becoming the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter’s previous mark of 22.

Financially, LeBron remains the wealthiest active NBA player, with his career earnings — including salary, incentives, endorsements, and business ventures — exceeding $581 million. Yet despite his staggering fortune, the four-time MVP has admitted that he feels “underpaid,” particularly since his move to the Miami Heat in 2010.

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In Yaron Weitzman’s book A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers, the author recalls a conversation between James, Anthony Davis, Jared Vanderbilt, and others during a Lakers trip to Miami. In it, LeBron expressed that if the NBA operated without a salary cap — like Major League Baseball — teams would be freer to compensate players according to their true market value.

“Yeah, when I came here, 25 years old, I should have got like four years, 450. Something like that,” James reportedly said. “And then when I went back home, I probably should have gotten like 500 million. And then when I came to the Lakers for the first time, I probably should have gotten like another 500 million, because it ain’t just the basketball.”

One of my favorite bits of reporting from A HOLLYWOOD ENDING: LeBron talking to teammates about his value to NBA teams and what he’d be paid in a world with no salary cap:

“I probably should have gotten like 500…Because it ain’t just the basketball….certain players, it’s… pic.twitter.com/Baw3w0dugw

— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) October 27, 2025

“It’s more with me,” he continued. “Yeah, certain players, it’s just basketball. With me, I come with everything. I changed the whole s**t. I win a championship in every city I’ve been in, every team I’ve played for — we won a championship.”

LeBron infamously drew criticism in 2010 for leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat in pursuit of titles — and he delivered, winning two championships in four years. To his credit, he later returned to Cleveland and led his hometown team to its first and only NBA championship in 2016.

When he joined the Lakers in 2018, James reaffirmed a personal pattern that has come to define his legacy.

“Give me two years, I’m a two-year man,” he said. “Second year Miami — championship. Second year back home — championship. Second year with the Lakers — championship. Give me two years, I’ll figure it out.”

While LeBron has delivered titles for all three franchises he has represented, his career has not been without long droughts. He spent seven seasons with Cleveland from 2003 to 2010 without a title, leading the team to just one Finals appearance — a 2007 sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite his remarks about being “underpaid,” James has consistently ranked among the NBA’s highest earners, both on the court and off it — a testament to his enduring influence, longevity, and status as one of the game’s most transformative figures.

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