Earlier this year, LeBron James created history when he made the move to the Philadelphia 76ers. In Jul. 2026, James stunned the world when he announced his departure from the LA Lakers. The veteran reportedly agreed to a major pay cut and accepted a two-year deal worth $8 million.
However, while he took a pay cut in his NBA salary, he is now set to make up for it with his new Polymarket deal. As per a recent report from Front Office Sports, James will make more money from his Polymarket partnership than his current 76ers contract.
According to FOS' sources, the betting and prediction market platform is set to pay James a whopping sum of $15 million per year, as per their newly announced partnership. Based on one of their sources, James is an endorser rather than an investor in Polymarket.
The duration of his contract with Polymarket was uncertain, but one source mentioned it as an âÂÂongoing engagementâ involving several âÂÂdeliverables,â including social media posts and other content. Under the new contract, James will focus on promoting football and not basketball.
Article Continues BelowDerek Jeter and Eli Manning previously appeared in the Polymarket ad first teased by James, are reportedly being paid much smaller endorsement deals than James'. The commercial featured several top athletes and celebrities, including Spike Lee, Reggie Bush, Alexandra Daddario, and others.
As per FOS' source, some of those celebrities were paid for just that one commercial instead of giving them a longer deal. Apart from James, Jeter, and Manning, it was unclear who held long-term contracts and who was paid a onetime fee to feature in the advertisement. Front Office Sports also claimed that Polymarket's spokesperson declined to comment on this, while James' rep has not yet responded to FOS.
James chose the 76ers, with his decision focused on continuing his career and competing for the championship. James has now joined a roster featuring some of the NBA's current top stars, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown.

