At least 18 college basketball players will make more than LeBron James next season

LeBron James just took the largest pay cut in NBA history.

Now comes an even stranger way to put it in perspective: At least 18 college basketball players are expected to make more money than James next season.

According to Brendan Marks and Joe Rexrode of The Athletic, NIL compensation will put at least 18 college players above the roughly $3.88 million James will earn from the 76ers in 2026-27.

Yes, college players.

James made $52.63 million during his final season with the Lakers before agreeing to a two-year, roughly $8 million contract with Philadelphia. His new deal includes a player option for the second season.

As HoopsHype previously noted, the drop from $52.63 million to $3.88 million represents a pay cut of approximately $48.75 million, the largest single-season salary decrease in NBA history.

Of course, James isn’t exactly clipping coupons. He has earned more than $580 million in NBA salary alone during his career, before even getting into endorsements and other business ventures. Still, the comparison says plenty about both sides of the equation.

College basketball has entered an entirely different financial era. Meanwhile, James made it clear that money wasn’t driving his final free-agent decision.

He chose Philadelphia because he believes the Sixers give him his best chance at a fifth championship. Apparently, he’s willing to make less than a bunch of college kids to find out.