The Money Trail

Highest salaries in each sport by average annual value:

BASEBALL

* Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners, $8.5 million for four years

BASKETBALL

* Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, $30 million for one year

FOOTBALL

* Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, $6.25 million for eight years

HOCKEY

* Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, $6 million for seven years.

Highest salary packages by total guaranteed value, not including possible performance bonuses.

BASEBALL

* Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, six years, $43.75 million.

BASKETBALL

* Shaquille O’Neal, Lakers, seven years, $120 million.

FOOTBALL

* Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, eight years, $50 million

HOCKEY

* Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, seven years, $42 million.

MONEY COMPARISONS

* O’Neal: seven years, $120 million

* Jim Carrey, actor: $20 million for “The Cable Guy”

* Bill Clinton, U.S. president: $200,000

* Al Gore, U.S. vice president: $171,500

* Pete Wilson, California governor: $120,000

* Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, U.S. senators: $133,600

* College professor at a four-year state university: $51,870

* Average California elementary school teacher: $40,264

* General in the armed forces: $108,201

* U.S. Supreme court judge: $164,100

* An average worker making $11.17 an hour would have to work 10,743,061 hours (1,342,883 working days or 3,679 years) to equal O’Neal’s contract.

THE CONTRACT

O’Neal’s contract year-by-year*:

1996-97: $10,714,000

1997-98: $14,857,000

1998-99: $15,000,000

1999-2000: $17,142,000

2000-01: $19,285,000

2001-02: $21,428,000

2002-03: $23,571,000

*-figures approximate

O’NEAL’S MONEY BREAKDOWN

* Per game: $209,959

* Per minute played: $5,801

* Per rebound: $18,942

* Per point: $7,871

* Per blocked shot: $97,959

* Per missed free throw: $43,073

* Per foul: $58,508

Researched by HOUSTON MITCHELL / Los Angeles Times