For some good reasons, many of the National Basketball Association (NBA) players today are earning an astronomical amount of money in terms of the current total contract size.
Looking at these highest-paid players in NBA history, we can find that most players at or near the top rank of the list are active. If we go back in time, we can also check that the highest paid players are more likely to be coming from the players from the current times.
Interestingly, the league didn’t start tracking or checking salaries or rank until the 1984-1985 season.
After the said season, we can now find how the NBA league has grown in leaps and bounds as more players with amazing salary packages come in from the international basketball area.
Forget inflation, but the salaries of the players from nearly 40 years ago are indeed nothing compared to the modern era. What should be even more fascinating about this development is that the top salaries among NBA players may not come from those you would expect.
Perhaps you would start thinking that the best players in NBA revolved only around Michael Jordan and LeBron James. While these NBA personalities come to your mind, you will be again surprised that the NBA league doesn’t care if you are the best.
This is because when you trace the history of the NBA, you can find that the highest-paid player wasn’t always the MVP. More often than not, the highest-paid was also about the team and the markets. Think about the Los Angeles, New York, and now the Golden State Warriors.
With the increasing income from licensing, television, licensing, and sponsorships deals, agreements among NBA stakeholders and players are expected to be massive.
Owing to the perpetual growth of the sports industry and the NBA league, the biggest superstars in the court will surely earn the biggest slices of the pie, even raking over a quarter-billion dollars from guaranteed contracts or deals.
Currently, five of the highest earners in the NBA league’s history are active players. The rest have played during the recent decade.
For a start, basketball star Stephen Curry is not only famous for shots beyond the 3-point line, he is also known as Rank 1 on the list of the NBA’s highest-paid players.
Curry is expected to get almost $46 million in the final year of his current contract. Furthermore, this income just keeps on increasing.
He inked a deal for an extension this recent summer that will lead to the 2022-23 season. And the money is worth a whopping $215 million over four years.
John Wall and James Harden, former Rockets teammates, are trailing Curry at $44.3 million.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant came out at the top five. Although he earned the No. 6 overall spot, LeBron James owns the title of highest earner in NBA history.
By the end of his current contract with Lakers, James is expected to eclipse the $400 million in total income or salary.
The highest-paid NBA players for the 2021-2022 season
While James may be a few notches behind a few players based on his NBA salary, he, nevertheless, got the biggest one when you factor in his off-court income.
According to Forbes, James, a four-time MVP, will bring in $111.2 million when you add all his earning for all of his financial interests.
James has been destined for another record in the basketball league’s history.
“James is worth far more to any organization. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat profited immensely from his presence, just as the Lakers are about to,” said David Kenyon of the Bleacher Report.
“Name the record, and he’s on the list. Name the accolade, and he’s accomplished it. Name the award, and he’s earned it,” added Kenyon.
Following this information, James puts himself ahead of Curry ($92.8 million), Durant ($87.9 million), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($80.3 million) and Westbrook ($74.2 million), according to Jordan Greer at The Sporting News.
Ranks of NBA players in terms of earnings in 2021-2022
1. Stephen Curry
Team: Warriors
Salary: $45,780,966
2. James Harden
Team: 76ers
Salary: $44,310,840
3. John Wall
Team: Rockets
Salary: $44,310,840
4. Russell Westbrook
Team: Lakers
Salary: $44,211,146
5. Kevin Durant
Team: Nets
Salary: $42,018,900
6. LeBron James
Team: Lakers
Salary: $41,180,544
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Team: Bucks
Salary: $39,344,900
8. Paul George
Team: Clippers
Salary: $39,344,900
9. Kawhi Leonard
Team: Clippers
Salary: $39,344,900
10. Damian Lillard
Team: Trail Blazers
Salary: $39,344,900
11. Klay Thompson
Team: Warriors
Salary: $37,980,720
12. Jimmy Butler
Team: Heat
Salary: $36,016,200
13. Tobias Harris
Team: 76ers
Salary: $35,995,950
14. Khris Middleton
Team: Bucks
Salary: $35,500,000
15. Anthony Davis
Team: Lakers
Salary: $35,361,360
List of NBA’s highest-paid players of all time (through 2020)
The players included in the list of 15 highest-paid players in the NBA league’s history comprised of eight active basketball stars who continue to earn today. The list also includes Chris Paul, of Suns, who is seen to earn over $300 million in his professional basketball earnings this season, according to reports.
Rank Player and total earnings
1. LeBron James
Total earnings: $346,203,575
2. Kevin Garnett
Total earnings: $334,304,240
3. Kobe Bryant
Total earnings: $323,312,307
4. Chris Paul
Total earnings: $299,909,419
5. Shaquille O’Neal
Total earnings: $286,344,668
6. Kevin Durant
Total earnings: $264,153,846
7. Carmelo Anthony
Total earnings: $259,153,846
8. Dirk Nowitzki
Total earnings: $251,646,362
9. Russell Westbrook
Total earnings: $244,370,524
10. Dwight Howard
Total earning: $242,500,792
11. Tim Duncan
Total earnings: $242,024,800
12. Chris Bosh
Total earnings: $239,063,622
13. James Harden
Total earnings: $224,349,734
14. Blake Griffin
Total earnings: $223,359,012
15. Pau Gasol
Total earnings: $220,990,766
The salary cap for the 2021-2022 NBA season
For the 2021-2022 NBA season alone, the league said the salary cap has been set at $112.414 million.
This figure is about three percent higher than the past season.
The higher tax level is $136.606 million, while the minimum team salary is pegged at $101.173 million.
Cap, tax for 2022-23: $119, $145 — with cap level about $4 million higher than previous projections, said sports reporter Shams Charania on August 2, 2021.