Basketball is one of the most-watched competition globally, and it pays to play the game. NBA athletes are, on average, the highest paid players. According to USA today sports, the average salary in the NBA in 2021/22 is $7.3 million.
The top 5 highest salaries in the association are over $3.9 million, including stars such as Stephen Curry of Golden State Warriors, KD of Nets, Lebron James of Los Angeles Lakers, etc. Some of the honorable mentions who don’t feature here include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, etc. They feature in a 10 most paid players in other articles
But which NBA player takes the most significant bag?
Well, this depends on how you view it. Steph leads the list if you want to know the highest paid NBA players by the NBA franchise. He agreed a whopping 4-year million contract extension worth $215 million in August 2021. However, if we consider off-the-pitch deals, Lebron James is the top man. In this guide, we’ve based most paid players earnings on average annual revenue. We take a player’s commitment and divide it by the number of years in the agreement.
Stephen Curry
Today, Steph is the highest paid B-baller in the NBA. He takes home a whopping $45,780 966 million. The athlete is known for being an MVP winner twice and has won the number one position because of his strong play.
Most gamblers love him because he has earned them loads of money. Whether gambling in top monero casinos or your favorite online sportsbook, you can count on Steph to come clutch. He is known to score points for fun.
Off the court, he receives massive earnings as well. He ties for second with KD. Some of his million dollar deals include Under Armour, where he earns approximately 20 million dollars each year. He also established Curry Brand, which hopes to challenge the Jordan Brand by Nike. Steph has also announced a massive endorsement deal with crypto firm FTX. He owns a production company called Unanimous Media that has produced an ABC reality show called Holey Moley.
James Harden
Harden is regarded as one of the NBA’s best and most successful stars. His stardom and talent get rewarded with a huge salary, and he is the second most paid star together with J Wall.
James plays for the Nets after a big move trade in January. His signature is worth $44,310,840 million. He is a popular figure in Dash casinos USA, among those who love wagering on today sports, especially the NBA. Betting on a team, he is playing for is always a plus.
His earnings off the pitch are also very impressive. He tends to prefer equity million deals in the last few years. Recently, he decided to take a stake in a massage-gadget company known as Therabody through his company 13 Endeavors. He also joined Saka, a luxury retailer, as a board member and investor. Other partnerships include Vanguart, a luxury watch firm as a shareholder and ambassador.
John Wall
He is a very popular basketballer. He is known worldwide and is one of the best NBA players among most fans. He also earns $44,310,840 million dollars like his teammate. Although his season has been full of injuries, his pockets have been packed. According to game 5 main rumors, he is going to renew this deal. However, the Rockets might attempt to offload the star, which means this might be the last time he earns such an amount. You can visit game 5 main rumors for topics like 20hr ago Zach Lavine undergoes surgery, 18hr ago Tyler Herro hoping and 19hr ago Marcus smart and heavy hearts main rumors.
Russell Westbrook
The point guard earns approximately $44,211,146 million. One of the reasons he is paid all the million dollars is his vast following on the pitch and on social media.
RW plays for his hometown team after being traded to Los Angeles Lakers. The million deal gets him closer to 10 auto dealerships he operates in Southern California.
One of them includes the Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealership in Los Angeles. The star recently added Hennessy as one of his sponsors and runs Honor the Gift, a clothing label, and a Frames/eyewear brand. He can opt to renew for the 2022/23 season or become a free agent. Who knows, he might get a bigger salary.
Kevin Durant
Kevin is one of the best players and is one of the most paid. Brooklyn Nets signed him from Golden State Warriors, and he receives a salary of 42,018,900 million dollars as an annual salary. With a net worth of approximately 500 million USD, he works with several brands, including Nike, 2K Sports, Degree, Master & Dynamic. His million USD deal with Under Armours is worth around $250M. Kevin gets an annual endorsement of approximately $47 million. Other companies Durant has worked with are Robinhood, Thirty-Five Ventures, etc.
Even after his return from injury, KD was still in top form but failed to be fit for the Eastern Conference finals. His team still gave him the massive 4-year million USD deal, which shows how they trust him. The million contract extension will earn him approximately $198 million.
KD has also been highly successful in the media business. He has investments and is in the boardroom of over 80 companies via his enterprise Thirty-Five Ventures. His net worth will grow thanks to companies like WHOOP, a fitness tracker manufacturer, Mercury, an online bank, Weedmaps, a cannabis tech firm, and Dapper Labs.
Conclusion
Many players earn big that have not made it to the list. Some include Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, and more.
These highest paid rankings reflect on-field earnings for the 2021/2022 season, including bonuses and base salaries. For instance, you will find a million Giannis Antetokounmpo deals on most lists. It doesn’t include incentives that come with a team or individual performance.
The off-field revenue estimates are determined through chats with industry experts and include annual earnings from appearances, licensing memorabilia, and ventures owned by the NBA stars. A player like Lebron James is about to hit a billion dollars in earnings from such deals. Mostly, agent fees and taxes are yet to be deducted.
