50 Top Paid American Athletes

jamal said:
18. Married his high school sweet heart despite the success he had in the NBA. Has a child and is a great father. Shows more maturity at his age then most people do in the NBA ever.

He's only 23 now.
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Same age as me, though I graduated a year or two before him (don't remember which). I'm not saying he's a bad guy or judging the mans character. Not like I talk to the guy or anything like that, so it would be bullshit to say the least and unprecedented as well. And I agree, he does show maturity for his age compared to most of the morons in the NBA. Though it was funny when he yelled at his mom to back off during one of the playoff games when she was trying to fight one of the other teams players who gave Lebron a cheap shot lol

Audino said:
No, you won't find his grades but you're not going to find Tom Brady's or Wayne Gretzky's high school grades either. Lebron was 18 when he graduated high school, so what? If he was a D or C student it doesn't necessarily mean he's a dumbass because I know kids that have gotten those kind of grades from junior high til senior year and they are actually some pretty smart motherfuckers. Is his graduation age (which may be one year later than the average) the only thing that makes him an idiot? It sounds like jealousy to me.
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I'll put out there that it's 100% jealousy. No doubt in my mind I'm smarter then him, work harder every day than him, and have my own taste of success that doesn't match up to him and I'm the same age. Thus, his income pisses me off because he can drink a bottle of sprite and dribble a basketball on a commercial. I feel it's a crime that these people make this much money to be a sports icon (regardless of whether they're a good one [IE: Tiger Woods] or a bad one [IE: Terrell Owens]) and yet people who actually make a difference in the world or put their life on the line make pennies on the dollar to them. Just a real shame
 
Golf is probably the hardest sport to make it big in. You don't have anyone else to pick you up when you're having a bad day. You can only blame yourself for mistakes that are made.
 
Kotsu said:
I'll put out there that it's 100% jealousy. No doubt in my mind I'm smarter then him, work harder every day than him, and have my own taste of success that doesn't match up to him and I'm the same age. Thus, his income pisses me off because he can drink a bottle of sprite and dribble a basketball on a commercial. I feel it's a crime that these people make this much money to be a sports icon (regardless of whether they're a good one [IE: Tiger Woods] or a bad one [IE: Terrell Owens]) and yet people who actually make a difference in the world or put their life on the line make pennies on the dollar to them. Just a real shame
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You'd be surprised at the actual work ethics and training that some athletes do partake in. When its off season, not all of them go to Maui and sip pina coladas. Lebron felt after last season he needed to work on his jump shot so just about every day he took at least 300 jump shots in his court. Different kind of work, yeah. But thats kinda a perk with the formula of talent + right place at right time = major $. Or you can just be born to the right family like Paris. If he was a cocky guy I'd probably hate him. Actually.. nah, I probably wouldn't. Don't forget though, its not usually the players that are asking for the kind of money they're getting. Its most times companies and leagues just throwing it at them. Neither you, myself or anyone reading this would say no to it either, lol.
 
Arien said:
Golf is probably the hardest sport to make it big in. You don't have anyone else to pick you up when you're having a bad day. You can only blame yourself for mistakes that are made.
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Not to mention you don't just get drafted, then sign a $50 million contract, and make $10mil right off the bat with a signing bonus. You only get those endorsements AFTER winning a tournament(usually requires a big tournament, or a major). Golf has no guaranteed money.
 
Shyrra said:
Not to mention you don't just get drafted, then sign a $50 million contract, and make $10mil right off the bat with a signing bonus. You only get those endorsements AFTER winning a tournament(usually requires a big tournament, or a major). Golf has no guaranteed money.
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Golf's biggest advantage is also it's biggest disadvantage, depending on who you are. Adding one person to a crappy team in a team sport won't win you championships. Being a great person in an individual sport (golf, tennis, boxing) means you're the only one to blame.
 
Yep. Being a great player in golf can mean that you can win championships, but in any other sport, one great player can't win a championship, and just like you point out, there's no one to blame if you don't win every single major! (har har Tiger)
 
I'm gonna agree with Kotsu here, just listening to Lebron speak makes my brain hurt. Another gentleman by the name of Kobe Bryant also skipped college all together, but he is an extremely intelligent individual. He is fluent in multiple languages including Italian, and just seems like a generally well-rounded person. When I hear Lebron talk, all I hear in my head is "Durrrr I like the Basketball".

Edit: Also LolJamarcus Russel being in the middle of the list.
 
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Tim Wakefield said:
I'm gonna agree with Kotsu here, just listening to Lebron speak makes my brain hurt. Another gentleman by the name of Kobe Bryant also skipped college all together, but he is an extremely intelligent individual. He is fluent in multiple languages including Italian, and just seems like a generally well-rounded person. When I hear Lebron talk, all I hear in my head is "Durrrr I like the Basketball".

Edit: Also LolJamarcus Russel being in the middle of the list.
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Kobe grew up in Italy while his dad was playing ball there...there's a reason he knows it.

You and Kotsu need to listen to actual interviews rather than sound bites.

Don't forget Kobe is the one who whined and cried about how he needed to be traded, and now has doubled back on all of his words.
 
Tim Wakefield said:
I'm gonna agree with Kotsu here, just listening to Lebron speak makes my brain hurt. Another gentleman by the name of Kobe Bryant also skipped college all together, but he is an extremely intelligent individual. He is fluent in multiple languages including Italian, and just seems like a generally well-rounded person. When I hear Lebron talk, all I hear in my head is "Durrrr I like the Basketball".

Edit: Also LolJamarcus Russel being in the middle of the list.
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This is why I love you

And why Al Davis has ruined the Raiders with his absolutely screwed up business plan(s)

Audino: I definitely wouldn't say no to the money lol but I make it my point to learn new things constantly just because I want to know them. His 300 jump shots are probably about the same as my re-reading the same book 3-5 times to make sure I have the whole thing memorized + testing myself multiple times after each chapter. To be good at what you do, you dedicate yourself to the pursuit of excellence. If you can't do that then you may as well accept mediocrity now. In both work and personal life.
 
jamal said:
Kobe grew up in Italy while his dad was playing ball there...there's a reason he knows it.

You and Kotsu need to listen to actual interviews rather than sound bites.

Don't forget Kobe is the one who whined and cried about how he needed to be traded, and now has doubled back on all of his words.
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lol posted while I posted =B

Well, the "sounds bites" I've heard certainly do him very little justice. And Kobe pulled a bitch move, no doubt about that. At least he can argue that he's won 3 championships and he can speak properly though. Flip side of this is he's 28 or 29 I think, so he has more time in the league. I'm thinking he may be doing the tri-fecta this year though. MVP - MVP of Playoffs - Championship. He's really come on this year.
 
jamal said:
Don't forget Kobe is the one who whined and cried about how he needed to be traded, and now has doubled back on all of his words.
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I didn't say he wasn't an asshole, haha.

Don't get me wrong, I think Lebron is gonna be (If he isn't already) one of the best players of our generation. I just also think he's stupid as fuck.
 
Kobe has 3 championships because of the situation he was brought into, this is the first year it's 'his' team. He's a good player, but at parallel stages in their career Lebron has surpassed Kobe in everyway. Unselfishness, the ability to take control when needed (50 against detroit in the playoffs last year), and the ability to thread the needle like a different laker (Might I say Magic?).

The big three perimeter players includes Jordan, Kobe, and Lebron. Jordan and Kobe both also showed immaturity at an early age, with flashes of brilliance, much like Lebron. Jordan I still believe to be the best, but only time can tell. Kobe would need another 4 championships to be above Michael's total, and even then 3 of them were with arguably the most dominant big man in the game.

Lebron has Big Z
Michael had Bill Cartwright and Will Perdue, lol.
 
Difference between Kobe and Lebron. They're both in positions with 4 guys covering them with 3 seconds on the ticker. Lebron will pass to the open guy. Kobe will shoot. =P
 
Audino said:
Difference between Kobe and Lebron. They're both in positions with 4 guys covering them with 3 seconds on the ticker. Lebron will pass to the open guy. Kobe will shoot. =P
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Now, do you think it's an issue of greed or an issue of trust? I kinda think it's probably both with Kobe.
 
Kotsu said:
Now, do you think it's an issue of greed or an issue of trust? I kinda think it's probably both with Kobe.
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Probably a little of both, but more on the greed side. Shaq, aka: Mr Free Throw, used to hell at him all the time because he'd never pass.

Edit: *Used to yell... doing Vandoura impressions messes my typing up for the day.
 
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