The Top NBA Player Marketing Figures for 2008

A few months back I made a call for the creation of an NBA marketing database. Places like Draft Express and Hoopshype have done a wonderful job of putting together NBA player salary databases and agent databases. However, no one has put together a database to let us know what players made in marketing dollars and which agents were negotiating those deals for them. After looking over SI's 2008 Fortunate 50, I realized that I could probably put together a pretty accurate list of who makes what for their clients, as SI breaks down their list in terms of marketing and team contract salary. 

There obviously are some players that make enough marketing dollars to make it on to this list that might be missing. The reason for this is that to make the list you needed to make a total of $15,450,000 in salary and endorsements. A guy like Gilbert Arenas-- who has a few marketing deals--might have a few million in endorsements, but isn't on my list because his total in salary and endorsements was under the $15,450,000 of the 50th ranked player on SI's list (Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning). I could speculate on how much he makes from endorsements, but for accuracy's sake, I'm only placing numbers on here that have been researched and confirmed by the team that puts together SI's fortunate 50. Major marketable players that aren't on my list but are likely making $100K+ per year in endorsement agreements includes Gilbert Arenas, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, Yi Jianlian, Greg Oden, Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Rip Hamilton, Monta Ellis, and Chris Paul.

Also, I'm not sure how accurate SI's numbers are for each player and will note that they say they put together the endorsement figures of everyone on their list through estimates from Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, other sports-marketing executives and analysts, and agents. If they are relying on agents alone for some of these figures, I know that there is a possibility that some of the numbers are inflated. However, knowing the effort that SI puts into this, I highly doubt that they would just rely on the agent of the particular player they are reporting marketing numbers on for accurate information without getting some additional confirmation. 

In terms of analysis, it's obvious that the notion that a large agency is more capable of negotiating big time marketing deals than a smaller agency is a farce.  In particular, two boutique agencies stand out in their marketing efforts.

With their endorsement deals for Dwight Howard (number five on this list) and Kevin Durant (number two on this list) Aaron and Eric Goodwin of Goodwin Sports have shown that they are pretty darn good at negotiating endorsement deals. I mean, the fact that Dwight Howard is making more than Amare Stoudemire in endorsements, when Amare has just as explosive of a game, and has been playing for one of the top teams in the league for the past four seasons tells you all you need to know. They also negotiated the majority of LeBron's current marketing deals. LeBron still makes $15.5 million per season from the combined $105 million the Goodwin's negotiated for him with Nike and Coke. I know they also negotiated deals with Juice batteries ($8 million), bubblicious ($4.5 million total), and Upper Deck ($6 million total) for LeBron, but those deals might be up by now. Here is some more info on GSM's current marketing accomplishments.

Bill Duffy's boutique agency, BDA Sports has also done pretty well with global icon, Yao Ming pulling in $18 million in endorsements this year, and Carmelo Anthony pulling $9.5 million. Although it must be noted that Anthony parted ways with BDA Sports (for marketing purposes) in March, so some of the money he currently is making, including a reported extension with Nike, might not have been negotiated by Duffy's office. 

Either way, it should be noted that both BDA Sports and Goodwin Sports have done a good job securing marketing deals for their clients. Especially considering that neither is backed by a well capitalized conglomerate like WMG, William Morris, CAA, IMG, Octagon, or CSMG.

Guys that should be making more money: Baron Davis and Paul Pierce. Pierce likely will see an endorsement bump after his MVP performance in this years NBA Finals. Baron Davis plays for one of the most exciting teams in the league, is personable and well spoken, and has a game that is very marketable. Yet he's only making $2.5 million per season in endorsements. But then again, he's still making more than Paul Pierce, who has been the best player on one of the most popular teams in the league his entire career. 

As mentioned above, Amare Stoudemire should also be making more money. He's played on a team that was the toast of the league for three straight seasons, and has one of the most explosive, marketable games in the entire league. He pretty much makes Sports Center every night his Suns play during the season, yet he only made $2.5 million in endorsements this season.

I was also a bit surprised that Dwyane Wade wasn't at the top of this list. I mean, for as much as he's on television endorsing products, you would figure he'd be neck and neck with LeBron in terms of endorsement dollars. But of course, I have to keep in mind that LeBron got the jump of his wave of hype coming out of high school that D-Wade didn't have.

The fact that Tim Duncan makes $3.5 million in endorsements was also very surprising. I can't ever think of any kid in an urban area purchasing a particular product because Tim Duncan endorses it. I just don't see Tim Duncan's neutral/robotic public persona resonating with target consumers.

Shaq's a great example of a guy that understood marketing and business really well before he came into the league. According to SI's 1993 article entitled "Triumph of the Swoosh", Shaq was so sure of his marketing strategy that he yawned during Nike's presentation to him:

"Only six or seven college basketball players are invited to formally tour the World Campus each year and witness a Nike presentation, and only Shaquille O'Neal, who was a star at LSU when he look his tour last year, ever showed up in Reebok gear and yawned during the sports marketing team's elaborate spiel. O'Neal had told various agents and marketing types long before leaving college that he had his own ideas about his image and endorsement future. He had no intention of competing with Jordan, Barkley and the others already at Nike for money and air-time. So he signed a $15 million, five-year deal with the R company and went on to sell the Shaq umbrella marketing concept to other corporations for millions more." 

People talk about Kobe Bryant being dead in the marketing world, but he's still number four in total marketing dollars pulled in this year. As I've said before, you can't say that a guy who is first or second in jersey sales every season, whose team is first or second in road attendance every season, and whose team is near the top in league television ratings every season is not marketable. His partnership with Zambezi Ink is also doing wonders for his image, as their viral marketing campaigns have been sensational.

Lastly, I feel sorry for whoever is paying Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury a combine $3.4 million in endorsements per season. That's a ton of money to be paying to two guys that didn't even play last season and likely don't hold a special place in any NBA fan's heart. 

If you have any questions or suggestions for making this list more accurate, please email me at natetijion [at] gmail.com.