When you are a global icon and the highest-paid player in the league at $7 million per season, this is the burden you must bear. Look around at any sport, and the highest-paid player is usually a player who is a champion or close to it. In the NFL, Aaron Rodgers is the highest paid player and he has a Super Bowl title on his résumé. In the NBA, the highest-paid player is Kobe Bryant, whose five rings are well worth the $25 million the Lakers are paying him for his farewell tour this season.