The National Basketball Association (NBA) players are some of the well-paid athletes in the world. Whilst most players get millions annually, several persist amongst the top-earning players globally.
In 2020, Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant were listed by Forbes as some of the wealthiest athletes. So basketball enthusiasts are curious as to who is the highest-paid NBA player?
In the article, you’ll find out who the highest-paid NBA player is.
Do NBA Players Get Paid Weekly?
For the duration of the season, NBA players typically get paid bi-weekly. But they are entitled to discuss the payment schedule at a personal level.
What Is The Average NBA Player Salary?
In the last few years, the NBA’s popularity has grown significantly, leading to a significant increment in athletes’ salaries. In 2019, NBA’s mean yearly salary clocked 8.32 million U.S. dollars per player.
Who Is The All-Time Highest Paid NBA Player?
All-Time Highest Paid NBA Player: Kevin Garnett
Career earnings: $334.3 million
Kevin Garnett had the rare chance of seeing his NBA career come full circle. He was the fifth selection of the 1995 draft, and he spent a dozen seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kevin Garnett got 10 All-star berths and an MVP, but the Timberwolves lost for seven years in the first round and once in the conference finals. Soon after that, Timberwolves traded Garnet to the Boston Celtics. In his first season, Garnett helped the Celtics win an NBA championship.
Garnett played for the Celtics for five more years before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Basketball fanatics note the trade as repugnant. After 96 appearances for Brooklyn, Garnett returned to Timberwolves, where he retired.
What Is The Net Worth Of The Highest Paid NBA Player In 2022?
As you would imagine, LeBron James still holds the mantle. While COVID-19 slowed endorsement, the King got a remarkable USD 64 million worth of paychecks via this avenue.
The USD 64 million combined with his USD 31.4 million salaries was sufficient to place the King at the top of Forbes’ 2022 earning ranking of NBA players.
It is worth noting; King LeBron signed a great deal with PepsiCo after walking away with his long-term Coca-Cola deal early this year. He has retained his AT&T, Nike, Beats, Walmart, GMC, Blaze Pizza, and Rimowa endorsement partnerships.
The Top 10 Highest Paid NBA Players
1. LeBron James
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 31.4 million
Net worth: USD 500 Million
Tournaments Won: 4 NBA championships
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Despite the current COVID-19 crisis, which has slowed down endorsement globally, King James has managed to retain his crown. Combining his salary and endorsements gives you a whopping USD 95.4 million, a sum that is enough to put him at the top spot in Forbes’ 2022 list.
LeBron James made this insane amount of money despite moving from his long-term deal with Coca-Cola.
2. Steph Curry
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 31.4 million
Net worth: USD 150 million
Tournaments Won: 3 NBA championships
Team: Golden State Warriors
The shooting god Steph Curry assumes the second position in this year’s highest NBA earnings. The two-time most valuable player (MVP) made a whopping USD 74.4 million the entire year.
The most significant chunk of his earnings came from his salary. The most significant development for the shooting god was announcing his new Under Armour footwear, apparel, and accessories across several sports.
The Under Armor deal is projected to make him 20 million dollars annually should it take off. The deal is sweet for Steph, who only missed five games last season while recovering from a broken arm.
3. Kevin Durant
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 31.2 million
Net worth: USD 170 million
Tournaments Won: 2 NBA championships
Team: Brooklyn Nets
KD, a former MVP, made a big score in December when Uber, a tech juggernaut, bought Postmates, a food-delivery company, for a whopping USD 2.65 billion. Postmates was a startup, which KD had invested in.
Forbes claims that KD converted his USD 1 million investment into USD 15 million courtesy of the buyout. In addition, Durant’s contract is as huge as him.
4. Russell Westbrook
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 33 million
Net worth: USD 170 million
Tournaments Won: 0 NBA championships
Team: Washington Wizards
The last few years have been exciting for Russell Westbrook. Multiple teams and a run of brindled form have lowered his stock but have not dented his career earnings. Last year, the former MVP made USD 58.1 million, majorly from his deal with Nike.
4. James Harden
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 33 million
Net worth: USD 145 million
Tournaments Won: 0 NBA championships
Team: Brooklyn Nets
James Harden, popularly known as the Beard, has one of the most impressive contracts in the NBA, and it is showing. The Beard is currently receiving a whopping USD 33 million salaries, keeping him in good form.
In addition, late last year, Beard announced that he had invested in Pura, a fragrance brand. He also has endorsements from Boby Armor, Stance, and Art of Sport.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Country of Origin: Greece
Citizenship: Greece
Salary: USD 22 million
Net worth: USD 70 million
Tournaments Won: 0 NBA championships
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
It comes as no surprise that Forbes lists the two-time MVP’s one of the highest-earning players of 2022. Late last year, Giannis inked the most terrific deal in NBA’s history.
The Greek Freak secured a five-year deal extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, worth a whopping USD 228 million. At 26 years of age, the Greek Freak is one of the youngest NBA stars featured on this list. Hence, it is projected that his stocks will go up within the next couple of years, especially with Disney trailing him for a deal.
Reportedly, the entertainment giant has locked up the rights to do a movie on Giannis, highlighting his life’s journey from Mount Olympus to dunking in the NBA rims. Forbes has confirmed that the film will be released in 2022.
6. Klay Thompson
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 28.3 million
Net worth: USD 60 million
Tournaments Won: 3 NBA championships
Team: Golden State Warriors
Despite going through some unlucky injury runs in the sport’s history, Klay Thompson is still minting paper. The Golden Warriors shooting guard unveiled a CBD brand, Just Live. In addition, the injured All-Star has great endorsement deals with Anta, Mercedes-Benz, and Kaiser Permanente, among others.
7. Kyrie Irving
Country of Origin: Australia
Citizenship: Australia and the United States of America
Salary: USD 26 million
Net worth: USD 90 million
Tournaments Won: 1 NBA championship
Team: Brooklyn Nets
The start of the year has been quite interesting for the Brooklyn guard; luckily, it has not affected his cash streams a lot. This year, Kyrie parted ways with virtually USD 900,000 infringement for skipping games and a $50,000 fine for not upholding COVID-19 protocols.
8. Chris Paul
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 33.1 million
Net worth: USD 130 million
Tournaments Won: 0 NBA championships
Team: Phoenix Suns
Despite having the lowest endorsement earnings on this list, the point god succeeded in netting a whopping USD 40.1 million. Chris Paul is the reigning NBA Players Association president, and this has given him a massive contract, which has lifted him to his 3rd team since inking it. He has an alternative next season worth USD 44.2 million that any sane human wearing his shoes will take up.
9. Damian Lillard
Country of Origin: United States of America
Citizenship: United States of America
Salary: USD 25 million
Net worth: USD 70 million
Tournaments Won: 0 NBA championships
Team: Portland Trailblazers
Damian Lillard rounds out the top 10 this year’s list of highest earnings in the NBA. The Portland Trailblazers superstar and recurring All-NBA have gotten much of their money through endorsements and new partnerships.
In addition to his impressive earnings, the Trailblazers superstar also unveiled a yearly internship program last year for six needy students at high schools in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
Conclusion
Despite the current Global Crisis, NBA stars are still netting in lots of money. Hence, we can project that the stars listed will have their net worth grow significantly by next year.
According to Forbes, King James is expected to net his first billion this year if everything goes according to plan. Hence, we are all holding our breath and hope that he does.
Recommendation
