How much Travis Kelce earns per game compared to LeBron James as NFL and NBA salaries compared

Travis Kelce and LeBron James both recently signed new two year contracts and the numbers they earn per game make for an interesting comparison.

LeBron has made history this season by playing alongside his son Bronny in the NBA for the LA Lakers.

Meanwhile Kelce is hoping to help the Kansas City Chiefs make history of their own this season by winning three consecutive Super Bowl titles. His fame and popularity has soared since his relationship with global pop superstar Taylor Swift, and sales of his jersey jumped nearly 400% following her first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kelce is widely considered one of the NFL ’s greatest ever tight ends, and the contract he signed at the start of the season makes him the best paid player ever at the position.

Meanwhile, LeBron signed an eye-catching deal worth $101m ahead of the 2024/25 season that gives him a salary of $48,728,845 this season and $52,627,153 in 2025/26.

That blows Kelce’s average earnings of $17.25m per year out of the water. However, on a per game basis, it’s Kelce that is cashing in.

Ignoring potential playoffs, Kelce and the Chiefs will play a maximum of 17 regular season games, for an average of $1.015m per game.

By contrast, LeBron’s LA Lakers have an 82 game regular season schedule, meaning LeBron earns $594,254 per game.

LeBron and Bronny James

However, it is worth noting that neither player comes close to being the highest paid player in their respective sports.

LeBron is 14^th in average salary for the 2024/25 NBA season, behind stars such as Steph Curry, who tops the list and is set to earn close to $56m this year.

But NBA legend LeBron is about to turn 40, has now signed a total of 10 contracts since entering the league in 2003 and he is set to pass $500m in total career earnings by the end of this season.

In the NFL, it is quarterback Dak Prescott who is the league’s highest paid player. The Dallas Cowboys star makes an average of $60m per year. Kelce’s teammate, Patrick Mahomes, makes $45m per year but he signed a ten year deal back in 2020 – the highest by total value in the league’s history.