Forget LeBron James and Kobe Bryant and their sponsorship deals; the NBA's new most marketable player isn't interested in truly cashing in on his fame.
Dirk Nowitzki has taken the crown as the most marketable man in pro basketball. The Mavericks star replaced Shaquille O'Neal, who retired.
Nowitzki, a 10-time NBA All-Star, has an N-Score of 132, a whopping 59 percent higher than Kobe Bryant's 83.
The N-Score measures name and image awareness, appeal and personality attributes such as sincerity, approachability, experience and influence, both at the U.S. national and local levels.
Despite the Mavericks star's popularity, without an agent or business manager, the pride of Wurzburg, Germany, doesn't seem motivated in cashing in on his profit-making potential.
Nowitzki could be leaving a couple of million dollars on the table annually and maybe more, according to branding experts. He's got a single endorsement deal with Nike.
"I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more. Nothing less," Nowitzki told Bloomberg. "I have never really considered myself to be a 'brand.' Sure there are a few things that I wouldn't mind endorsing and maybe some day it will work out. For now, I am happy with where I am."
Dirk's not struggling to pay his bills, having earned over $141,342,603 over his career with the Mavericks.
James and teammate Dwyane Wade's plummeting endorsement value is the most shocking part of Nielsen's report.
King James, from hero to villain, 'witnessed' his marketability fall off an astonishing 403.8 percent, from an N-Score of 131 in 2010, down to just 26 in 2011.
D-Wade received his own flabbergasting dose of tough love. Wade's bankability dropped 244.1 percent in a single season, from 117 to 34.
It's also interesting to note ...
The Phoenix Suns have an amazing 30 percent (Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Vince Carter) of the most marketable NBA players.
Pau Gasol joined Kobe Bryant as the second Lakers player in the Top 10.
Eight of the top 10 most marketable players are in the Western Conference.
Kevin Garnett of the Celtics and Derrick Rose of the Bulls are the only Eastern Conference players to crack the top 10.
Blake Griffin, the Clippers rookie of the year, didn't make the cut, and neither did Magic center Dwight Howard nor Knicks stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.
