- LeBron James took a $48.7 million pay cut to sign a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers
- His $3.87 million salary next season sits behind 287 NHL players, Alex Ovechkin included
- Read below for where LeBron would land on the NHL pay scale
Alex Ovechkin is about to out-earn LeBron James for the first time in either man’s career.
LeBron made his decision Friday, signing a two-year, $7.95 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. The deal pays him $3,876,529 in 2026-27, a $48.72 million pay cut from the $52.6 million he pulled in with the Lakers last season, per Russian Machine Never Breaks.
Ovechkin will make $4.25 million in salary next season, with performance bonuses that can push the number as high as $9 million. He turns 41 during his 22nd NHL campaign, and 2026-27 is the first time he has ever made more than the four-time NBA champion.
The 41-year-old laid out his thinking in a long post on X:
He said he was “not going for money,” and the paycheck backs that up. James took the NBA minimum for a player with at least 10 years of service.
Drop that salary into the NHL and 287 players would still make more, per Spotrac’s total cash rankings. James would slot in 288th, just behind Ross Colton, Lawson Crouse, and Mathieu Olivier at $3.9 million and a notch above Ben Chiarot.
Ovechkin’s own locker room is loaded with names ahead of him. Thirteen Capitals are set to make more than LeBron in 2026-27, led by Alex Tuch at $15.7 million.
Hockey’s pay scale has served up plenty of surprises this summer. Even Connor McDavid signed a deal that left seven players earning more than him.
The two stars actually crossed paths back in January, when Ovechkin brought a crew to watch LeBron and the Lakers:
Ovechkin already owns the NHL goal record and a Stanley Cup ring. Out-earning LeBron for a season is a weird line to add to the resume, but the math holds up.
