Anthony Davis has just set a record in the NBA with the highest average salary in the league, so how does the figure of the bigman Lakers compare to Messi and other athletes?
With an extension of up to 186 million USD for 3 seasons, Anthony Davis has become the athlete with the highest average annual salary of any American professional sports at the moment. .
The total contract value of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is currently $ 270 million, making him an average of more than $ 62 million per year between now and the end of the 2027-28 season.
Lionel Messi and Anthony Davis are both in the top 10 athletes with the highest average annual salary in the US at the moment
The above figure puts Davis ahead of many of his NBA colleagues and some of the top stars in other American professional sports such as football, baseball or football.
Here is Anthony Davis’ annual salary with the new contract, compared with the highest-paid athletes in American professional sports:
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) $62 million (season 2025-26)
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (NBA): $60.9 million (season 2025-26)
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (NBA): $60.7 million (2024-25 season)
Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves (NBA): $58.6 million (season 2024-25)
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (NBA): $58.6 million (season 2024-25)
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (NBA): $55.2 million
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami (MLS): $55 million
*Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (NBA): $53.8 million
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (NBA): $53.3 million
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (NFL): $52 million
Anthony Davis is currently at the top in terms of annual salary, but experts predict that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar will be dethroned sooner or later.
Particularly in the NBA, Jaylen Brown (who has just signed the contract with the highest total value in league history) or some other stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and Jayson Tatum are all “waiting in line” to receive a huge extension. .
In other sports such as baseball, Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to receive a contract of up to 600 million USD when the free player transfer market opens later this year, pocketing the average player. 50-60 million dollars per season.
As for the football superstar who just landed in the United States, Lionel Messi, no one is sure how much the next contract will be worth and how high his salary will be.
