Top 5 Underpaid Athletes!!!

Compared to the rest of the working world, no professional athlete is underpaid. After all, a player earning the minimum yearly NBA salary ($457,558) is in the top one percent of American earners. But compared to other athletes who can earn $20 million not to play (Stephon Marbury) or $15 million to pitch 17 innings in a season (Jason Schmidt), there are plenty of players who are underpaid in comparison to the rest of their peers.

Rajon Rondo, NBA, Boston Celtics, G, $2,623,326 -- The engine that fuels the mighty, aging Celtics is the 22-year-old guard who played his college ball at Kentucky. Rondo is in year three of a four-year deal and is slated to get paid less in 2009-2010 than most backups. Boston has until Halloween to extend Rondo's contract, so it's quite possible that Rondo will go from underpaid to well-paid by the end of the month.


Joe Flacco, NFL, Baltimore Ravens, QB, $1,300,000 -- Like most first round picks, Flacco signed an incentive-laden deal that could eventually get him upwards of $17 million in guaranteed money. For this year, at least, he'll be getting $1.3 million to quarterback a team many think is the best in football. That's a pretty good deal for a player who already has more playoff wins than high-priced talent such as Tony Romo and Matt Schaub.

Adrian Peterson, NFL, Minnesota Vikings, RB, $2,821,320 -- Peterson is a star whose compensation is adequate, but not in line with his talents. Despite leading the NFL in rushing yards for the second consecutive season, Adrian Peterson was the 28th highest paid running back in the NFL in 2008, behind such luminaries as Ahman Green, Cadillac Williams, Kevin Faulk, Greg Jones and Ovie Mughelli. The rookie contract Peterson signed after being drafted No. 7 out of Oklahoma guaranteed him $17 million and it's heavily backloaded and filled with incentives (for instance, Peterson will get $2.5 million next year for rushing for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons)


LeBron James, NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers, F, $15,771,992 -- How can a player getting a shade under $16 million in 2009-2010 be considered underpaid? When your name is LeBron James. Sure, LeBron gets the maximum for a player of his service and will be eligible for free agent riches in nine months. But, for now, the $15 million+ he gets (a lot less than Tracy McGrady or Jermaine O'Neal) make him a steal.


Tim Lincecum, MLB, San Francisco Giants, P, $695,000 -- The lanky 25-year old is set to win his second straight Cy Young Award after another stellar season that will see him lead the NL in strikeouts, finish second in ERA and end up in a tie for the most complete games and shutouts. And, for all this, Lincecum gets paid almost 20 times less than another pitcher on his team (Barry Zito).

Don't Forget To Subscribe