Lakers News: Just How Underpaid Has LeBron James Been In His Career?

We get an in depth look of the true value of LeBron James

Throughout all sports the true value of a superstar may never be matched. As competition and TV revenue continue to rise, so do the giant contracts for players.

A name that comes to the forefront of overall earnings belongs to LeBron James. The four time NBA champion, who many consider will go down as the greatest player of all time, has gifted the basketball world with his world class athleticism over 20 years. 

James has made plenty throughout his career but is what he made truly what is worth is? Thanks to Hoops Hype, fans have been given the opportunity to use the metric Real Value to find out if someone like James has been underpaid.

James has made over $390.5 million over his career, but it may be obvious to see where his value truly lies.

The fact that he’s the highest-paid NBA player ever and also the most underpaid, per our research, may tell you something about the quality of his play for the last two decades.

The true value of James lies at nearly $630 million according to Real Value metrics. 

Per Real Value, James owns the second-most underpaid season ever (to go with the sixth and the ninth), which came back in 2008-09. That year, James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 66-16 regular season and to the Eastern Conference Finals. James was named league MVP that season, as well as being named an All-Star and 1st Team All-NBAer.

While the numbers are high, it's reassuring to know whoever James plays for seems to be paying a discount. James' career slowly is coming to an end, but the high level of play will keep fans wanting more until he finally gets paid what he's worth.