Who’s the Most Paid Player in the NBA?

Here are the top 10 highest-paid NBA players, according to Spotrac.com.

LeBron James

LeBron James is the most paid player in the NBA. He has a four-year, $153 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also has a lifetime deal with Nike worth more than $1 billion. In addition to his salary and endorsements, LeBron James also has a investment portfolio that includes a stake in the Liverpool Football Club.

2010-2014

LeBron James Signed a 6 year / $85,544,000 contract with the Miami Heat, including $17,171,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $14,257,333. In 2014-15, James will earn a base salary of $20,644,400 and a roster bonus of $0 while carrying a cap hit of $20,644,400 and a dead cap value of $0.

2015-2017

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has played in fifteen NBA seasons, and his teams have reached the Finals in ten of them. His accomplishments include four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has also been selected to thirteen NBA All-Star teams, twelve All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.

In 2013-14 and 2014-15, LeBron became just the fifth player in history to win back-to-back MVPs. In 2012-13, he led the Miami Heat to their second NBA Championship in franchise history. In 2011 and 2012, LeBron was named AP Male Athlete of the Year, making him just the third basketball player to receive that honor. In 2009 and 2010, he was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year. LeBron has also been active off the court with his LeBron James Family Foundation, which is committed to providing children from Akron with access to quality education and health care.

Kevin Durant

As of 2019, the most paid player in the NBA is Kevin Durant, who earns approximately $38 million in salary with the Golden State Warriors. He is followed by LeBron James, who earns $33.5 million with the Los Angeles Lakers.

2010-2014

In 2010, Durant signed a five-year, $86 million contract extension with the Thunder. The contract made him the third highest-paid player on the Thunder, behind Westbrook and Harden. The following season, Durant was again named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. During the 2012–13 season, he averaged 28.1 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, and 4.6 assists per game, leading the Thunder to a second straight Northwest Division title and the top overall seed in the Western Conference for the second time in three seasons. In 2013–14, Durant again helped lead the Thunder to a Northwest Division title as well as the number one seed in the Western Conference. However, in 2014 playoffs he was injured when he collided with Serge Ibaka which led to his missed games.

2015-2017

In July 2016, Durant signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Warriors, allowing him to become a free agent again in 2017. Durant chose to opt out of his contract in 2017, becoming an unrestricted free agent. On July 4, 2017, he officially announced his intention to sign with the Warriors on a two-year deal worth approximately $53 million.

Russell Westbrook

As of 2019, Russell Westbrook is the most paid player in the NBA, with an annual salary of $38.5 million. He is followed by LeBron James, who makes $33.3 million per year, and Kevin Durant, who earns $30.6 million annually. Westbrook’s salary is the result of the extension he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.

2010-2014

In 2010, Westbrook was the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played a vital role in the Thunder’s deep playoff runs during his first few seasons and was rewarded with his first All-Star selection in 2013. He reached new heights during the 2013–14 season when he was selected as an All-Star starter and named to the All-NBA Second Team.

2015-2017

In 2015-2017, Russell Westbrook was the most paid player in the NBA. He made a total of $26,540,100 in salary and bonuses.

James Harden

2010-2014

In 2010, James Harden was the third overall pick in the NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played a total of six seasons for the Thunder, winning an MVP award in 2014. He was then traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012, where he has spent the last eight seasons. In that time, he has won another MVP award and become one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. He is currently the highest-paid player in the league, earning over $40 million per year.

2015-2017

In 2015, Harden signed a contract extension with the Rockets for $118 million over four years, which made him the highest-paid player in Rockets history. Harden’s extension was the richest contract signed by an NBA player at that time.

In 2017, Harden signed a four-year, $228 million super-maximum extension with the Rockets, making him the richest contract in NBA history. The super-maximum extension is a provision in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement that allows teams to pay certain players up to 35% of their team’s salary cap.

Steph Curry

As of the 2019-2020 season, Steph Curry is the most paid player in the NBA. He is currently in his 12th season with the Golden State Warriors and is set to make $40 million dollars. Curry has had an impressive career thus far, winning 3 NBA championships and being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2015. Let’s take a look at how he stacks up against the other top paid players in the league.

2010-2014

In 2010, the Warriors used their first-round draft pick to select Curry seventh overall. During his rookie season, he was selected by NBA RookieExperts.com as the Rookie of the Year. In 2011, Curry improved his three-point shooting, and was named to the NBA All-Star team for the first time. He led the Warriors to the playoffs that year, but they were defeated in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs.

During the 2012–13 season, Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a season with 272. He was also named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for that season. The Warriors again qualified for the playoffs, but Curry was injured during their second-round playoff loss to the Spurs.

Curry returned healthy for the 2013–14 season, and he helped lead the Warriors to a league-best record of 67 wins. During that season, he set an NBA record with 161 three-pointers made in a single season. Curry was again named MVP for his performances, becoming only the 11th player in league history to be awarded MVP in consecutive seasons. The Warriors qualified for the 2014 playoffs as the Western Conference’s sixth seed. They went on to defeat the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 and then upset the top-seeded Spurs in Round 2

2015-2017

In 2015, Curry signed a five-year, $44 million contract extension with the Warriors. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50–40–90. He again led the league in scoring in 2016–17, winning his second consecutive MVP award.