In the realm of professional basketball, the NBA is the biggest league globally. Over the years, it has cemented its status as the epitome of basketball excellence, attracting the best talent each season.
The league’s ability to cultivate an international following has resulted in higher revenues than any other basketball league in the world. This financial prosperity and robust economics behind the NBA has a direct impact on the earning potential of NBA players. This results in teams rewarding superstar level players with unparalleled compensation.
The salaries offered by NBA teams surpass those in any other professional basketball league worldwide. Going even further, the NBA teams can provide some of the most lucrative contracts across all sports.
In this article, we explore the heights of financial success achieved by some of the NBA’s elite players in history. It is the list of all-time highest-paid NBA players who generated immense wealth by being the best players in the league.
All-time Highest-Paid NBA Players
As of December 2023, the below table lists the top 20 highest-paid NBA players, based on earnings from their NBA contracts. Off-court endorsements are not factored in this list (according to Boardroom.tv).
| Rank | Name | Career Earnings |
| 1 | LeBron James | $479,466,457 |
| 2 | Kevin Durant | $396,705,024 |
| 3 | Chris Paul | $389,909,419 |
| 4 | Stephen Curry | $354,721,977 |
| 5 | Russell Westbrook | $340,265,800 |
| 6 | James Harden | $338,529,540 |
| 7 | Kevin Garnett | $334,304,240 |
| 8 | Kobe Bryant | $323,312,307 |
| 9 | Paul George | $305,332,086 |
| 10 | Shaquille O'neal | $286,344,668 |
| 11 | John Wall | $276,483,708 |
| 12 | Al Horford | $275,636,768 |
| 13 | Kyle Lowry | $275,048,700 |
| 14 | Mike Conley Jr. | $274,127,986 |
| 15 | Kyrie Irving | $270,083,674 |
| 16 | Kevin Love | $269,654,140 |
| 17 | Gordon Hayward | $268,384,749 |
| 18 | Bradley Beal | $267,875,552 |
| 19 | Damian Lillard | $191,215,866 |
| 20 | Kawhi Leonard | $188,433,635 |
FAQs
A: Michael Jordan is the wealthiest NBA player, with a net worth of around $3 billion, followed by Magic Johnson with $1.2 billion and LeBron James with $1 billion.
A: Jaylen Brown’s new $288 million contract, which is effective from the 2024/25 season, is the biggest so far in NBA history.
A: Stephen Curry has been the highest-paid NBA player since 2017.
A: In the 2023/24 NBA season, 42 players earn $30 million or more.
A: LeBron James, with career earnings of $479.5 million from NBA contracts.
A: The top 5 highest-paid NBA players in the 2023/24 NBA season are:
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Stephen Curry, PG (Golden State Warriors) - $51,915,615
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Kevin Durant, PF (Phoenix Suns) - $47,649,433
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LeBron James, SF (Los Angeles Lakers) - $47,607,350
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Nikola Jokic, C (Denver Nuggets) - $47,607,350
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Joel Embiid, C (Philadelphia 76ers) - $46,900,000
