Most Underpaid Athletes

Even LeBron James makes the list—relatively speaking, of course
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2009 6:27 AM CDT
Most Underpaid Athletes
Arizona Diamondbacks' Mark Reynolds.   (AP Photo/Chris Park, File)

If you set aside the fact that even the minimum-earning NBA player ($457,558) is still in the top 1% of American earners, you can appreciate that some sports standouts are relatively underpaid. Yahoo! Sports lists some of the biggies:

  • Tim Lincecum, MLB, San Francisco Giants: Though he’s set to win a second straight Cy Young Award, he makes nearly 20 times less than another pitcher on his team at $695,000.
  • LeBron James, NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers: He’s making the maximum possible—nearly $16 million—and he’s still a steal, considering he saved his franchise.

  • Elvis Dumervil, NFL, Denver Broncos: He’s quietly become one of football’s best pash rushers—and is earning only $535,000.
  • Zack Greinke, MLB, Kansas City Royals: Sports Illustrated called this $3.75 million-earner “the best pitcher in baseball.”
  • Adrian Peterson, NFL, Minnesota Vikings: He led the NFL in rushing for two consecutive seasons, but he’s only the 28th highest-paid running back at $2.8 million.
For the complete list, click the link.
(More Mark Reynolds stories.)

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