Gilgeous-Alexander agrees record $285mln extension

NEW YORK: Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed a four-year $285 million contract extension, the richest per-year contract in NBA history, US media reports said Tuesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who guided the Thunder to the NBA championship last month after a campaign that saw him win regular season and finals Most Valuable Player awards, is now tied to the club through 2031.

The 26-year-old Canadian point guard has two years remaining on his existing contract with Oklahoma City worth $79.1 million (67.2 million euros).

The four additional seasons of his contract extension will see him receive $62.5 million, $68.6 million, $73.7 million and then $78.7 million in 2030-2031.

The deal gives Gilgeous-Alexander the highest annual salary in the NBA, eclipsing the average $64.3 million salary of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the $62.8 million earned by the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the fulcrum of the Thunder’s dazzling 68-win Western Conference season, before inspiring the team to a 4-3 NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers last month.

The Thunder ace averaged a league-high 32.7 points during the regular season and 30.3 points in the NBA Finals on his way to completing his MVP double.

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He became only the fourth player in history to win both NBA regular season and finals MVP awards as well as the league’s scoring title, putting him into an exclusive club alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

Similarly, LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million player option to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers next season, hoping to challenge for his fifth NBA title, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

ESPN and The Athletic reported James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player who turns 41 in December, will be watching the Lakers’ off-season roster moves as he prepares for a record-setting 23rd NBA campaign.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” James’s agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”