You may also like: 10 of the biggest underdog victories in March Madness history, - Team: Toronto Raptors WebRT @AndrewPetcash: At his peak, Dennis Rodman was the 10th highest-paid player in the NBA. You may also like: Iconic moments in sports that defined the '70s. Ben Simmons' career began with a cascade of superlatives: first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Rookie of the Year honors, and three All-Star nods. Create or join a NBA league and manage your team with live scoring, stats, scouting reports, news, and expert advice. He is exactly what this team needs, simultaneously scratching itches for defense, shooting, secondary scoring (and distributing) and star power. Career stats: 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists. One thing to know: Paul, who took less than the maximum last summer to stay with Phoenix, hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, as he led the NBA in assists last year his 17th in the league. Awards: 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, Most Improved Player, Career stats: 17.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists. - Team: Phoenix Suns Top 10 highest-paid NBA players The perennial NBA All-Star and four-time champion will enter his 20th season this fall, seeking his second championship with the Lakers, after winning with the team in 2020. It includes a player's option for a third year, which means that for the 2024-25 season James can choose to extend the contract or sign with another team. James lent his likeness to Epic Games Fortnite video game in July and joined home gym company Tonal as an investor and brand ambassador just this week. You may also like: Best sports documentaries of all time, - Team: Milwaukee Bucks You may also like: High school sports that cause the most concussions, - Team: Philadelphia 76ers That keeps him atop Forbes ranking of the NBAs highest-paid players for the eighth straight year. (And check out Boardrooms salary roundups for NFL and MLB players, too.). He got off to a slow 2022-23 start, though his 7.2 assists per game is solid. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over $20 million and in fact it exceeded $30 million as well in a season (1996-97) and (1997-98) where he earned $33,140,000; this was a record he had held for 20 years. The duo signed with Memphis during the November early signing period as part of an acclaimed six-man recruiting class that is ranked No. LeBron James has ruled over the NBA almost from the moment he entered the league in 2003, racking up four MVP Awards, four championships and 17 All-Star Game selections. Russell Westbrook is playing for his hometown team after an off-season trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Greek Freak is just beginning the five-year, $228 million super-max contract he signed in December, and he counts Nike, JBL and TCLplus Greeces Sarantisamong his sponsors. Since Phoenix drafted him in 2015, Booker has improved almost every year, averaging a career-high 26.8 points per game in 2021-22 and holding steady at 26.5 per game in the first 13 games of 2022-23. Rodman's career highlights include: - 2x NBA All-Star - 5x NBA Champion - 7x NBA Rebounding Champion - 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year So, what happened? 6 overall, but he owns the title ofhighest earner in NBA history. Golden State Warriors forward (and CBD entrepreneur) Klay Thompson is the seventh-highest-paid NBA star, expected to earn $43.3 million this year. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. For now, its Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis Antetokounmpo is fresh off a championship run with the Milwaukee Bucks and has two MVP Awards to his namemore than anyone on this list not named LeBron James or Stephen Curry. In other words, he could add something to this squad right now and potentially add more down the line. He had his best scoring season (29.9 per game) during that season and notched his 30th career triple-double (26 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) in his eighth game of the 2022-23 season. LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history, as first reported by ESPN. Starring for the Brooklyn Nets after a blockbuster trade in January, James Harden ties with John Wallcoincidentally a member of his old team, the Houston Rocketsfor the NBAs second-highest salary this season, with a $47.4 million player option for next year. You may also like: How many Olympic athletes hail from every state in the US, - Team: Washington Wizards MORE: Who has the most 50-point games in NBA history? In his return to the court from an Achilles injury last season, Kevin Durant was as dominant as ever, falling just a toes length short of an Eastern Conference finals appearance, and he was rewarded with a four-year, $198 million contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets in August. Aside from his NBA salary, James' $1.2 billion net worth includes money from endorsements, business investments and his own entertainment production company. The Los Angeles-based company does everything from producing movies and documentaries (Space Jam: A New Legacy, Whats My Name: Muhammad Ali) to doing marketing work for the likes of J.P. Morgan. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. Defense remains his calling card, but there are nights he'll convince you he could become a go-to option or strong No. 2 at some point. - Team: Milwaukee Bucks Paul George of the LA Clippers starts off this list of the top 10 highest-paid players in the NBA, raking in over $35 million per year through the end of the 2021-22 Cap, tax for 2022-23: $119, $145 with cap level about $4 million higher than previous projections. Partnered with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group|Powered by. Liz Cambage plays for the Las Vegas Aces and is probably the highest-paid WNBA player of all time. 22 highest paid Damian Lillard has continued to dazzle for the Trail Blazers even though the team hasn't been able to surround him with enough talent to reach the NBA Finals yet. The highest-paid basketball player during the 1946 through 1947 season was technically Tom King, playing guard for the Detroit Falcons.However, Kings $16,500 salary also accounted for his job duties as the business The Larry Bird exception, more commonly known as Bird Rights, allows teams to re-sign a current player only if he has played for that particular team for a minimum of three years. The four-timeMVP will bring in $111.2 million when accounting for all of his financial interests, according to Forbes, putting him ahead of Curry ($92.8 million), Durant ($87.9 million), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($80.3 million) and Westbrook ($74.2 million). He remains a force at 34 as the first player to score at least 25 points in the first 12 games of a season (2022-23) since Michael Jordan. Basketball One thing to know: Lowry is unique in that he didn't make his first All-Star team until his ninth season, when he was 28. You may also like: 12 times taxpayers footed big bills for new stadiums and arenas, - Team: Golden State Warriors First, teams can simply pay their best players more. If a player named John Ringo joined the Clippers, he and Paul George would surely be called the Beatles Brothers. In doing so, youre agreeing to the below guidelines. Forbes has thus elected to credit players for their full salaries. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. Draymond Green, PF. List of highest paid Major League Baseball players, "Kobe Bryant to Become NBA's Second Ever $30-Million Player", "The NBA's 25 highest-paid players for the 2016-17 season", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Highest-paid_NBA_players_by_season&oldid=1142898961, National Basketball Association statistical leaders, Employee compensation in the United States, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 22:55. Each year has been a stepping stone to greatness for Slovenian Luka Doncic: Rookie of the Year in 2018-19, first All-Star appearance (at age 20), first playoffs appearances in 2020, and first West Conference Finals appearance in 2022. Incentives that are based on 2021-22 individual or team performance are not included. Highest-Paid Basketball Player 76ers vs. Celtics: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Heat vs. Knicks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Draymond Green: '[Malik] Monk said we was old', Klay Thompson on matchup against Lakers: 'It's just a dream come true. With the 115th pick, the Chicago Bears selected Texas running back Roschon Johnson, a player who at Texas might've been "the star'' had Bijan Robinson (who went No. Highest-paid NBA players by season - Wikipedia Under Armour, which pays him $20 million a year, launched Curry Brand in December, hoping to challenge Nikes Jordan Brand, and he last month announced a major endorsement deal with cryptocurrency platform FTX. Jokics new deal is the richest contract in the history of the NBA and only behind Stephen Curry in NBA history when it comes to per-year average. It also includes a $60 million player option for the 2027-28 season. To say that the two-time reigning NBA MVP has earned this would be an understatement. - Team: Washington Wizards A ProPublica report in July indicated James had declared $124 million in income on his 2018 tax return; however, Forbes has not been able to obtain the document to verify its authenticity or determine whether the $124 million figure included pass-through income. WebRT @AndrewPetcash: At his peak, Dennis Rodman was the 10th highest-paid player in the NBA. - 2022-23 Salary: $35,448,672. One thing to know: The bulk of John Wall's earnings came from a 4-year, $171 million contract he signed in 2017. Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. The Sixers desperately want to shed their habit of playing well in the regular season but faltering in the postseason. Both are solid on both offense and defense. Stacker believes in making the worlds data more accessible through The 18 highest-paid NBA players of all time 1. Whatever they envisioned for the 2022-23 campaign could not have been this. Paul George, unquestionably the Los Angeles Clippers on-court leader with Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a knee injury, has a four-year, $190 million contract extension kicking in this season. - Position: Center Highest-paid NBA Players of All Time - Boardroom LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history, as first He signed an extension this past summerthat will kick in at the start of the 2022-23 season and is worth a total of $215 million over four years. 2023 Cap Hit Rankings Trending Players view 1 Jimmy Butler https://t.co/toBjpvmhEq. After missing the last two seasons because of leg injuries, Klay Thompson is nearing a return to the Golden State Warriors, with three years remaining on a contract he signed in 2019. Hell earn $48.07 next season, and his salary number only increasing from there. But the surge in this years top-ten total also owes a great deal to two factors on the court, where the highest-paid players are raking in $408 million, up from a high of $351 million in 2019-20. In the first 15 games of the 2022-23 season, his 21.9-point average was tied with Anthony Edwards for the team lead, and his rebound numbers fell off (to 9) only because new teammate and fellow seven-footer Ruby Gobert has taken over that role. - Team: Dallas Mavericks However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. The list of the 15 highest-paid players in NBA history features eight current players who are still adding to their totals, including Suns star Chris Paul, who will hit more than $300 million in career earnings this season. - Team: Los Angeles Lakers WebChicago Bulls. Yahoo Fantasy Basketball. - Team: Golden State Warriors 2. Gobert may be best known as the first NBA player to contract COVID after making light of the virus in a press conference, for which he apologized. Sign up now:Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter, Don't miss:NBA superstar LeBron James is officially a billionairehere's a look into his net worth, Get Make It newsletters delivered to your inbox, Learn more about the world of CNBC Make It, 2023 CNBC LLC. With the new deal, James will make at least $528.9 million in guaranteed money during his career, surpassing Kevin Durant in all-time earnings, according to salary-tracking site Spotrac. - Position: Point guard - Position: Power forward NBA's riches reach a bit deeper, though, as the NFL's 25th-highest salary is $24 million and the MLB's is $25 million compared to the NBA's $33.7 million (Jrue Holiday). The WNBA may be a league on the rise, but its players pay is low. $27,300,000. Curry also has his own production company, Unanimous Media, which is behind the ABC reality competition series Holey Moley. Chris Webber - $80 million Chris Webber in a suit. Cowboys Miss On Kicker; Sign Gould? Jerry Reveals Plan LeBron James looks well on his way to becoming the second billionaire to emerge from pro basketball, after Michael Jordan, who joined the three-comma club in retirement. Thanks for signing up. James is not expected to pocket much cash from the deal, instead reinvesting the bulk of the proceeds into the business, a source close to the transaction tells Forbes. Swinging a deal for O.G. With the extension, he will make an estimated $46.7 million for the 2023-24 season. He has consistently been on the top 10 highest earning athletes since 2017. Right now, the Greek Freaks supermax deal is worth $228.2 million, an NBA record for total value. Another option for teams would be to assign players to a league-assigned minimum salary contract for a maximum of two years. Might this be his last season in Cleveland? Beal's sparkling 2020-21 seasonaveraging a career-high 31.3 points with a 48.5% shooting percentage and one 60-point game against the 76ersconvinced the Wizards that Beal is one magician they can't afford to lose. 1. Jimmy Butler averaged a solid 20.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists over the first 15 games of the 2022-23 season. As we dive into the salaries of WNBA players, however, the difference is stark. One thing to know: James signed a two-year, $97 million extension with the Lakers this week, which will help push his career earnings over the half billion mark. as well as image rights, data visualizations, forward planning tools, His early-season 2022-23 average was 32.8 points per game ranked second in the NBA. The luxury tax levelis $136.606 million, and the minimum team salary is $101.173 million. Last season, emergency adjustments to the NBAs escrow system appeared likely to cut players salaries by 20%, so Forbes reduced the top tens published on-court earnings figures accordingly. The Phoenix Suns point guard will earn $40.1 million in the last year of his $160 million contract. When Klay Thompson signed a five-year, $190 million contract in 2019 to stay with the Warriors, they knew his ACL surgery would likely sideline him for a full season but, combined with a later injury, cost him two seasons. His magic from beyond the arc is literally game-changing and legendary, but he's also the glue holding the Warriors together as they claimed four NBA titles between 2015 and 2022. [1] LeBron James became the third in the 201617 season. The veteran point guard for the 76ers and Pelicans before joining the Bucks in 2020 managed to score 27 points in Game 5 of the Bucks-Suns NBA Finals. A knee injury kept Kawhi Leonard out of most early-season games in 2022-23, but his return is eagerly awaited. His scoring and rebounding have fallen off compared to his seven years with the Pelicans, but he got off to a solid start in the first 12 games of 2022-23 by averaging 24.3 points and 11.2 rebounds, both better than his career averages. WebIf you're wondering how the highest-earning players in the NBA stack up financially against their major-sport counterparts, #1 Stephen Curry's $48.1 million is similar to the NFL's #1 earner, quarterback Aaron Rodgers ( $50.3 million) and the MLB's #1 earner, pitcher Max Scherzer ($43.3 million ). Contract: 5 years, $201,158,790 Paul George, F. LA Clippers. 1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (highest paid NBA player) Back in August of 2021, Curry became the first player in Association history to sign two NBA contracts worth north of $200 million. In doing so, the four-time champion set the bar in a big way. After all, Brown has free agency awaiting him in 2024, if he doesn't ink an extension between now and then. The "Greek Freak" was the NBA's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, meriting a five-year, $228 million contract extensionthe heftiest in NBA history. So, it's back to the drawing board for the Hawks, who loom as one of the biggest wild cards of the upcoming offseason. - 2022-23 Salary: $43,279,250. One thing to know: Conley may not have made many All-Star teams, but he's always been among the steadiest, two-way guards in the NBA and a fit on any team. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images). 1 LeBron James (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Guaranteed earnings: - Team: Minnesota Timberwolves Golden State Warriors. One thing to know: Some NBA analysts mocked the Bulls for giving DeRozan an $82 million contract last summer, but he made it look like a good deal by averaging a career-high 27.9 points per game. I've looked forward to this for 12 years', Warriors take down Kings in Game 7 behind Stephen Curry's heroic performance, Joel Embiid officially listed as doubtful for Monday's game, Jimmy Butler's injured ankle looking visibly swollen following Game 1, Mitchell Robinson dealing with hip injury, Jalen Brunson on loss against Miami: I was horrific, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The highest amount that can be paid is $19,500 and the NBA matches 140% of it. Al Horford, C. Boston Celtics. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. The Heat have $96.3M in total committed to Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo & Kyle Lowry next season. With the 115th pick, the Chicago Bears selected Texas running back Roschon Johnson, a player who at Texas might've been "the star'' had Bijan Robinson (who went No. The NBAs salary cap is up to $112.4 million and the luxury-tax threshold to $136.6 million this season, nearly double the levels of a decade ago. There are better post defenders and perimeter stoppers, but few players who can execute both roles at such a high level. Nick Maivelett #BLM on Twitter: "RT @AndrewPetcash: At his LeBron James. Awards: 7x All-Star, 6x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, Most Improved Player, Career stats: 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists. Earlier this year, he became the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status, according to Forbes. One thing to know: Hayward is an impactful player when he plays, but staying healthy has been a problem he's played more than 70 games just once in the last five seasons. Through the first 13 games of the 2022-23 season, he has led the team in assists (7.9 per game) and trailed only superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in points (19.6 per game). - 2022-23 Salary: $48,070,014. The Australian is one of the league's most prominent critics. Anunoby cracks the league's shortlist of its very best defenders. Despite the Lakers missing the playoffs last season, James played well, putting up 30.3 points per game his most since the 2005-06 season. The NBAs highest-paid players are set to collect more than $305 million combined off the court, easily beating last years record total of $260 million. The 32-year-old also recently partnered with luxury watch brand Vanguart as an ambassador and shareholder. He is set to score big on his stakes in investing apps Robinhood and Acorns, online bank Mercury, fitness-tracker maker WHOOP and fantasy sports startup Sleeper, and he recently partnered with cannabis tech company Weedmaps and NBA Top Shot creator Dapper Labs through his firms. - 2022-23 Salary: $42,492,568. Because of injuries and a trade request, he played just 40 games on it.