The NBA is rapidly changing. With the new TV deal coming into effect, the value of just about everything that has to do with the NBA seemed to go up. Players are being valued now at an all time high, and some of the contracts we have seen this past offseason have been frankly unbelievable.

What Lebron James does not only for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the city of Cleveland itself is invaluable and the Cavs or any team may never be able to truly pay him what he is worth due to the salary cap rules. Michael Jordan faced virtually the same situation back in his playing days. Both of their presenses cannot be matched by anyone, and what they have done for their teams and the cities where their teams reside, as well as the National Basketball Association, is iconic.

Jordan and James, two of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, have both had extremely lucrative deals. However, the value of Jordan's 1997-98 contract with the Chicago Bulls, worth $33 million at the time, significantly outweighs the $33 million a year that LeBron will get from his newly signed 3 year, $100 million deal that he just signed with the Cavaliers.

Taking inflation into consideration, MJ's contraction is valued at an unbelieveable $50 million.

One also must take into account that the monetary values back during Jordan'a playing career were significantly less, and Jordan spent the majority of his career making $3-4 million per season, whereas James hasn't seen the 7-figure salary range since his rookie deal. With LeBron's most recent contract, he is set to make more than Jordan did during his entire playing career.

With all the endorsements both players have, including Nike of course, it's safe to say neither will be running out of money anytime soon.