With a combined revenue of 10 billion dollars from its franchise in the 2021-22 season, the NBA has become one of the most profitable leagues in the world, which has grown faster than Steph Curry’s release. Everyone wants to be a part of it, with fans buying tickets in huge numbers, and the demand for merchandise has increased considerably.
The players always stand to gain the most. In the world today, the majority of the highest-paid athletes are football players. Several NBA players have joined Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of highly-ranked athletes. Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant have been on this list for a long time, but things are changing in the NBA.
Young players who have taken the league by the storm have already made significant financial gains this year thanks to a fresh round of NBA free-agency deals. With lucrative contract extensions, stars like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, and Karl-Anthony Towns have locked down their respective paychecks.
Joki, for instance, recently agreed to the largest contract in league history, worth a whopping $269 million over five years. This is a significant $18 million more than the second-largest contract, which the Wizards signed with shooting guard Bradley Beal.
Other players have also moved up the list, with some you will see later as they are still working out deals during the free agency period. James Harden, for instance, has chosen to forego his $47.4 final year to accept less money and aid the Philadelphia 76ers in amassing more assets under the salary cap. However, he is currently a free agent.
Here are the 25 highest-paid NBA players for the 2022–23 season, according to Spotrac. This list will look very different in a year when Jokic rises to the top three and other young stars follow.
The Highest-Paid NBA Players 2022-23
1. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers): $119.5 million
Age: 37; $44.5 million in compensation; $75 million in endorsements
King James has secured the Small Forward a league-maximum deal after signing the recent two-year contract extension. The deal is short of $45 million annually and career-guaranteed money summing up to $532 million, overtaking Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets star. King James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Even though he trails behind the top soccer players in the number of social media followers, he has 133 million fans on Instagram, three times what Steph Curry has on his socials. James has given SpringHill more control over the IP around his Uninterrupted talk show, The Shop, which he moved from HBO to Youtube earlier this year.
2. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors): $93.1 million
Age: 34; $48.1 million in salary and bonuses; $45 million in endorsements.
With Under Armour and Curry Brand leading, Steph Curry has more than ten endorsement deals. He was an executive producer on a short documentary called The Queen of Basketball, in which he won an Oscar award. With his first NBA Finals MVP title and his fourth and his fourth NBA title, Curry has added some more hardware three months later.
Thirteen years after leaving campus, he completed his college degree at Davidson whilst playing basketball. In the video game called PGA Tour 2K23, the basketball devotee will be a playable character.
For the sixth consecutive season, it is to no amazement that Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, arguably the greatest shooter of all time, has taken the title of the highest-paid player of all time. Per minute, the PG earns $586,220 per game, $146,555 per quarter, $12,213 per minute, and $4,005,835 per month for the 2022-23 season.
3. Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets): $91 million
Age: 34; $43 million in compensation; $48 million in endorsements
In a five-player, five-pick trade that vastly changed the landscape of the East and the West Conferences, the Phoenix Suns stole the spotlight in early February when they acquired the All-NBA forward Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant is set to earn over $44 million per year and a whopping $192 million in total, which is $10 million more than any other player in the Phoenix’s, in his first year of a four-year contract.
Apart from his media company, which has expanded with Boardroom TV and has projects on Showtime and Apple TV+, Durant has numerous endorsement deals with Coinbase, Call of Duty, Nike, NBA 2K, FanDuel, and Weedmaps.
With more than 75 investments that have been made, 35V, which is the venture capital arm of the four-time scoring champ, includes sport-oriented investments like League One Volleyball, the Premier Lacrosse League, the Philadelphia Union, Athletes Unlimited, and Gotham FC.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks): $86.5 million
Age: 27; $42.5 million in compensation; $44 million in endorsements
Following a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, the ‘Greek Freak’ who has one of the greatest contracts in the history of the NBA is set to earn $228 million over the next five years. After investing in the two-time MVP, Milwaukee Bucks is showing its franchise’s plans to build a championship-winning team around Giannis.
With more than 15 endorsement agreements, the two-time NBA MVP, in collaboration with Nike, just released the Zoom Freak 4, the fourth iteration of his signature shoe. Whatsapp tapped Antetokounmpo to be its first global ambassador earlier this year.
Just last month, a 12-minute film was released by the popular message app that featured the origin story of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Last year, he acquired a minority stake in the Milwaukee Brewers.
5. Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles Lakers): $72.1 million
Age: 33; $47.1 million in compensation; $25 million in endorsements
The nine-time All-Star was dealt to the Jazz earlier this month after 125 games repping the LA Lakers’ signature gold, purple, and white as part of a three-team deal. Fans of Utah, however, should only celebrate for a while.
Following a lucrative $47 million post-deadline buyout, the league announced Westbrook’s hometown return in a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers just yesterday. It is expected that Westbrook will rake in an additional $798,914 (which is the league’s minimum) following the one-year contract, according to Sportskeeda.
In addition to his businesses with RW Digital and his fashion brand, Honor the Gift, which opened its first retail store in Los Angeles last month, the Lakers guard has endorsement deals with Nike’s Jordan Brand and Hennessy. In South California, Westbrook has more than half a dozen car dealerships that carry his name.
6. Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors): $61.6 million
Age: 32; $40.6 million in compensation; $21 million in endorsements
To the extensive list of his deep endorsements, which Chinese shoe and apparel brand Anta leads, Thompson has now added Mountain Dew. After missing the previous two years with knee and Achilles injuries, Curry’s fellow Splash Brother returned to play 32 games last season.
In his $190 million contract with the Golden State Warriors, the 2023-24 season is the final year of his current five-year contract.
However, Klay Thompson’s $40 million salary is far from teammate Steph Curry’s $48 million annual earnings despite ranking in the prestigious top ten of highest-paid players.
7. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers): $59.5 million
$42.5 million in salary | $17 million in endorsements | 32 years old
In July, Lillard signed a two-year extension worth $63.3 million in the final year with the Trail Blazers, which ties him to the club through the 2026-27 season. His endorsement partners are Bose, Modelo, Tissot, Adidas, Gatorade, Oakley, and Hulu.
The Point Guard is set to be paid $42 million annually by the Trail Blazers. They should also include a guaranteed sum of $176,265,152.
8. James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers): $52 million
$33 million in salary | $19 million in endorsements | 33 years old
In his contract with the 76ers, the MVP of the 2017-18 season has opted out of the final year of his contract worth $47.4 million. However, he has agreed to receive a pay cut in a new two-year contract. It has a $35.6 million player option for year two, and the contract will pay $33 million this year. When Coca-Cola bought the BodyArmor sports drink for $8 billion in 2021, Harden banked a payout of more than $15 million as a stakeholder and an early endorser in the drink.
9. Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers): $51 million
$42.5 million in salary | $8.5 million in endorsements | 32 years old
The Clippers have become a favourite to win the NBA title with the return of its star players, George and Kawhi Leonard. Last year, the forward Paul George was limited to 31 games by some of the endorsement deals are juries—Nike, Chime, Therabody, Crypto.com, American Express, and ant deals.
$3.5 million per month, $518,202 per game, $129,551 per quarter, and $10,796 per minute is the amount that roughly equates to his four-year contract with the Clippers.
10. John Wall (Los Angeles Clippers): $47.9 million
$47.4 million in salary |$500,000 in endorsements |32 years old
During the 2021-22 season, Wall did not appear in any games for the Houston Rockets as the club was building around its young players. For the final year of his four-year $171 million contract, Wall and the Houston Rockets reached a buyout agreement in June.
He signed a deal with the Clippers – a two-year, $13.3 million deal after he subsequently accepted a $6.5 million cut. Steph Curry is the only one who will earn more in playing salary than Wall.
11. Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards): $47.8 million
$43.3 million in salary|$4.5 million in endorsements|29 years old
After Nikola Jokic’s $272 million pact, Beal signed the NBA’s largest contract – a five-year $251 million supermax contract extension this summer that kicks off the following season.
Beal’s most significant off-court endorsement is with Nike’s Jordan Brand and other deals with Hotels. com,LMNT, Purina, and Recur.
Thanks to a five-year quarter-billion extension with the wizards, Beal is set to earn a base salary of over $43 million this season.
12. Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets): $47.5 million
$36.5 million in salary|$11 million in endorsement| 30 years old
In the fourth and final season of his four-year, $136.5 million contract with the Nets, Irving exercised his $36.5 million player option for 2022–23. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, most of Kyrie Irving’s endorsement deals have expired, and it is unlikely that Nike will extend its lucrative deal with him beyond this season.
13. Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers): $47.5 million
Age: 31; $42.5 million in compensation and bonuses; $5 million in endorsements.
While recovering from partial wear in his ACL during the 2021 playoffs, Leonard missed the entire first season of his four-year, $176 million contract extension with the Clippers. For the first time since 1980, New Balance jumped back into the basketball market four years ago, making Leonard the face of its push.
Leonard earns an average salary of just shy of $45 million. Following his signing of a four-year contract with his hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers have tied for the seventh highest-paid player of the season.
14. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers): $47 million
Age: 29; $38 million in salary and bonuses; $9 million in endorsements.
Although he has yet to deliver on the winning front, Karl-Anthony Towns has the proven skills to back up his seven-figure salary after getting the top selection in the NBA draft. Towns have earned individual achievement awards, the league’s Rookie of the Year, three All-Star selections, and he was also the winner of the 2021–22 NBA Three-Point Contest in his eight-year tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves have not done much, in any case.
He helped keep the Lakers out of the playoffs since he missed half the 2021-22 season as he is often out on injuries. Anthony Davis has his lime and jalapeno-flavoured Ruffles, resulting from endorsements with PepsiCo brands Ruffles. He has also endorsed Mountain Dew.
15. Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks): $45.6 million
Age: 23; $37.1 million in salary and bonuses; $8.5 million in endorsements.
Slovenian-born Luka Dončić, the youngest ranked baller on our list with a salary of $37 million and a 264 per cent increase in his earnings from 2022–23, ties for the sixteenth highest-paid player in the league.
Winning the NBA MVP award has made Dončić enter the 2022–23 season as the favourite. Since he was voted first-team All-NBA twice, he could sign a five-year, $215 million deal extension with the Mavericks in 2021, and this is his first season of the five-year contract.
For the Slovenian guard, the year also marks the debut of his first signature shoe with Nike’s Jordan Brand. According to a source, his shoe deal is worth roughly $6 million annually in addition to royalties. His other partners are NBA 2K, Nerf, and BioSteel.
16. Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
$33,665,040 (AUD $49,487,608)
Jrue Holiday remains a renowned two-way player looking to make his fifth selection in the NBA 2023 All-Defensive team. He remains a pest on the defensive side of the floor, as already established.
The Point Guard’s $33 million salary justifies his tenacity in guarding the ball and creativity when handling it putting him in the 25th position in this lucrative position. He is a match made in heaven for Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.
17. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
$33,833,400 (AUD $49,735,098)
Following a four-year Designated Veteran Player Extension worth$224 million, which equates to an excellent salary of $ 33 million at just 26 years old, the season sees the Olympic medalist and Phoenix franchise player heading into his eighth year with the Suns.
18. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
$42,492,492 (AUD $62,463,963)
Leonard earns an average salary of just shy of $45 million. Following signing a four-year contract with his hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers has tied for the seventh highest-paid player of the season.
19. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
$42,492,492 (AUD $62,463,963)
The Point Guard is set to be paid $42 million annually by the Trail Blazers. They should also include a guaranteed sum of $176,265,152.
20. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
$42,492,492 (AUD $62,463,963)
Following a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, the ‘Greek Freak’ who has one of the most significant contracts in the history of the NBA is set to earn $228 million over the next five years. After investing in the two-time MVP, Milwaukee Bucks is showing its franchise’s plans to build a championship-winning team around Giannis.
21. LeBron James, Los Angeles Laker
$44,474,988 (AUD $65,378,232)
King James has secured the Small Forward a league-maximum deal after signing the recent two-year contract extension. The deal is short of $45 million annually and career-guaranteed money summing up to $532 million, overtaking Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets star. King James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, the NBA remains one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world, with top players earning millions of dollars per year.
The highest-paid NBA players for the 2022-23 season are a mix of established superstars and rising talents, with salaries ranging from over $40 million to just under $30 million.
These players are highly skilled and sought-after athletes who have earned their place at the top of their profession through hard work, dedication, and exceptional talent.
While the salaries of NBA players may be controversial to some, it is clear that these individuals are among the most skilled and talented athletes in the world, and they continue to inspire fans and aspiring basketball players around the globe.