LeBron James said he was wowed by baseball player Miguel Cabrera’s new contract—reported to be worth $292 million over 10 years—saying he’d opt out of his contract this summer for a Cabrera-type deal. The MLB, of course, doesn’t impose a salary cap, and if the NBA didn’t cap its teams, James undoubtedly would be earning more. From ESPN:
LeBron James says he was amazed and a little jealous when he heard Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera signed a contract Friday that guarantees him $292 million over the next 10 years.
“I said ‘wow,'” James said before the Miami Heat played the Detroit Pistons on Friday. “I wish we (the NBA) didn’t have a salary cap.”
Baseball, of course, does not have a salary cap. The NBA does, and players with James’ experience level are capped at earning 35 percent of the $58 million salary cap and can sign for no more than five years.
James will earn $19 million this season with the Heat, tied with teammate Chris Bosh for the ninth-highest in the NBA as part of a six-year, $109 million deal he signed in 2010.
“He’s the best player in baseball, and the best players in each sport should be rewarded,” James said. “It’d be nice to sign a 10-year deal worth $300 million.”
