The NBA is the highest paid league in the world. In no team sport do players earn more than basketball players in the United States. But the news that came the other day from the world of football (or rather, from the field of the French “PSG”), left even the most eminent people baffled.
A difficult situation that has drawn the attention of the whole world has developed around the 24-year-old striker Kylian Mbappé. He officially refused to renew the contract with PSG, in which he had played since 2018, for which he was finally removed from the team. In a year, Kilian can become a free agent and leave the Parisian camp for free. Meanwhile, several clubs want to sign him at the same time, including Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal.
Kylian Mbappé in an NBA game
Photo: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
The point is that they are ready to deploy a billion euros for this transfer: 300 million euros will go to PSG, but the remaining 700 million euros will go to Mbappé himself. And in just one year. And the French club has already allowed its player to start negotiations to sign a contract.
Thus, Mbappé’s transition could become the most expensive in the history of world sport. And while the NBA is the highest-paid league in the world, basketball players have never dreamed of such numbers, at least at this point.
Thus, Al-Hilal’s offer for Mbappé made even the most stellar players jokingly consider moving.
“I’m the one who goes to Saudi Arabia when Rich Paul and Maverick Carter are called up for a one-year deal!” LeBron James wrote, attaching a GIF of Forrest Gump running to the message.
Shot from the movie “Forest Gump”
Photo: twitter.com/KingJames
Al-Hilal, you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe”, Giannis Antetokounmpo wrote next to the selfie.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Photo: From the personal file of the basketball player.
Mbappé retweeted the message and added a bunch of smiley emojis, his first post on social media since PSG accepted Al-Hilal’s offer.
“776 million dollars in a year? What the fuck lol,” Damien Lillard wrote.
Actually! Dame himself made $235.6 million in 10 years in Portland. This is a great compensation for the lack of a ring.
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“They also have basketball leagues, right? I don’t think the ink on my contract is dry yet,” Draymond Green wrote.
Dray signed a new four-year, $100 million contract with the Golden State Warriors this summer.
“One year and $776 million? Do they need a doorman?” wrote Andre Drummond, pointing to “Al-Hilal”.
Jokes aside, Mbappé himself does not want to move to Saudi Arabia, however profitable this offer may be for him. Yes, and PSG, which in this situation would receive an impressive amount, cannot force him to sign a contract with a team to which the player does not want to go. Kilian dreams of winning the Champions League, and it doesn’t matter with which team. And if the Parisians decide to try their hand at European competition without him, he is ready to spend the final season under contract on the bench.
But if Kilian does sign with Al-Hilal, he would earn more in the coming year than the 16 highest-paid players in the NBA combined.
Player salary 2023-2024 Stephen Curry $51.9 million Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Joel Embiid $47.6 million (each) Bradley Beal $46.7 million Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damien Lillard $45.6 million (each) Jimmy Butler $45.2 Clay Thompson $43 .2 million Rudy Gobert $41 million Fred Vanvliet $40.8 million Anthony Davis $40.6 million Trae Young, Zach Lavigne or Luka Doncic $40 million (each)
The total salary of these teammates for the 2023/2024 season will be 768 million dollars, 8 million less than what Al-Hilal is willing to offer Mbappé. Golden State, the team that overpays the most, will only give out $207 million to all its players next year.
Overall, the amount Al-Hilal offered Mbappé is exorbitant even by NBA standards. As if in Saudi Arabia now there is no big basketball league…
