How Much Do NBA Players Make on Average?
How much do NBA players make on average? According to Spotrac, the average NBA player salary is $7.7 million. However, this number can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including the player’s position, experience, and performance.
NBA Players’ Salaries
The average NBA player’s salary is $7.7 million per year. However, there is a wide range of salaries that NBA players make. The lowest-paid NBA player this season is earnig $898,310, while the highest-paid player is earning $38,9 million. In other words, the average NBA player is making about 20 times more than the lowest-paid player.
The average NBA player’s salary
The average NBA player’s salary is $7.7 million, according to data from the 2017-18 season. This figure does not include benefits and other forms of compensation, such as endorsement deals. The average salary has grown rapidly in recent years, up from $5.2 million in 2010-11.
However, these figures can be misleading. The NBA has a minimum salary that all teams must pay their players, which was $838,464 in 2017-18. This means that the average salary is skewed upwards by the presence of these low-paid players. In fact, the median salary (the salary at which half of players earn more and half earn less) is $2.9 million – much lower than the average figure.
There is also a large disparity between the highest-paid and lowest-paid players in the NBA. The top 10% of earners took home an average of $24.1 million in 2017-18, while the bottom 10% earned an average of just $1.3 million.
The highest-paid NBA players
The highest-paid NBA players are a select few who earn an annual salary of $25 million or more. In the 2019-20 season, there will be 21 NBA players who will earn an annual salary of $25 million or more. The 21 highest-paid NBA players this season are:
Giannis Antetokounmpo: $27.5 million
Stephen Curry: $37 million
Kevin Durant: $30 million
Paul George: $33.6 million
Russell Westbrook: $38.5
Kyrie Irving: $29.7 million
James Harden: $37.8 million
Damian Lillard: $29 million
LeBron James: $37 million
Chris Paul: $38.5 million
Anthony Davis: $27.1 million
Klay Thompson: $32 million Kawhi Leonard: $32 million Joel Embiid:$33 million Ben Simmons :$29.3 million Karl-Anthony Towns :$28.8
The lowest-paid NBA players
When it comes to pro athletes, the narrative is often that they are all overpaid. And while there are plenty of examples of contracts that make you scratch your head, the fact is that the vast majority of pro athletes are paid quite modestly. In fact, there are scores of players in every major sport who make the league minimum salary.
In the NBA, the league minimum salary is $582,180 for the 2019-20 season. That number will go up to $612,600 for 2020-21 and $727,280 for 2021-22. So while NBA players may not be raking in quite as much money as we might think, there are still plenty of them who are making well over $10 million per year. In fact, according to Spotrac.com, there are currently 27 players who are scheduled to make at least $20 million this season.
At the other end of the spectrum are the players who are at or near the league minimum. While some of these players may be young and unproven, others are veterans who have simply fallen out of favor with their teams or have been unable to find another team willing to pay them more money. Here’s a look at 10 of the lowest-paid players in the NBA this season:
*All salaries via Spotrac
NBA Players’ Endorsements
On average, an NBA player earns about $5.15 million annually, which includes their salary and any bonuses they may receive. Most of the players in the NBA also have endorsement deals, which can often times be more lucrative than their actual salary. In fact, the top earner in the NBA, LeBron James, made a whopping $77 million from endorsements in 2019.
The average NBA player’s endorsement earnings
Approximately two-thirds of NBA players have endorsement deals, and the average player with an endorsement contract earns $7 million annually from endorsements. The top earner in the NBA in terms of endorsements is LeBron James, who rakes in an estimated $40 million per year from his many sponsorships.
The highest-paid NBA players for endorsements
Forbes has released its list of the NBA players who make the most money from endorsements. The list is topped by LeBron James, who brings in an estimated $52 million from endorsements. That’s more than twice the amount of any other player on the list.
The full list includes:
1. LeBron James – $52 million
2. Kevin Durant – $35 million
3. Stephen Curry – $33 million
4. James Harden – $28 million
5. Russell Westbrook – $28 million
6. Damian Lillard – $26 million
7. Kyrie Irving – $23 million
8. Anthony Davis – $22 million
9. Chris Paul – $22 million
10. Blake Griffin – $21 million
The lowest-paid NBA players for endorsements
During the 2017-2018 season, the average NBA player made $7.4 million in salary, according to Hoops Hype. However, not all players are at that level. The lowest-paid player in the NBA for the 2017-2018 season was rookie guard Jawun Evans of the Los Angeles Clippers, who made $815,615.
When it comes to endorsements, however, Evans is likely to make much more than his salary would suggest. In fact, even some of the lowest-paid NBA players can make millions of dollars through endorsement deals. For example, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard reportedly made $19 million in endorsements in 2017, despite having a salary of just $3.2 million.
Other low-paid players who have made millions through endorsements include Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young.
NBA Players’ Total Earnings
The average NBA player made $7.7 million during the 2017-2018 season, according to Hoops Hype. This figure includes their salaries, bonuses, and any other money they made from endorsement deals. The average player salary has increased significantly over the years. In 2001, the average player salary was $2.6 million. So, what has caused this dramatic increase in player salaries?
The average NBA player’s total earnings
The average NBA player’s total earnings are $7.7 million, which includes their salary and any bonuses they may have received, according to a Forbes report from September 2019. The median total earnings for an NBA player is $2.9 million. The average salary for an NBA player is $6.4 million, while the median salary is $2.6 million. These figures do not include any endorsement deals or other forms of income that players may have.
The highest-paid NBA player in 2019 was LeBron James, who earned a total of $88.7 million, including $53 million in salary and $35 million in endorsements. The second-highest-paid player was Kevin Durant, who earned a total of $65.4 million, including $30 million in salary and $35 million in endorsements.
The highest-paid NBA players
The highest-paid NBA player for the 2019-2020 season is Stephen Curry, who earns a salary of $40.2 million. He is followed by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who earn $38.5 million and $31.5 million, respectively. The highest-paid player in the NBA may change from year to year, but these three players have consistently been among the league’s top earners for several years now.
The lowest-paid NBA players
At the other end of the spectrum are the NBA’s minimum wage earners. A first-year player in the NBA makes a minimum of $893,310, although most will make more than that. Players who have been in the NBA for two or more years make a minimum of $1,512,611. Veterans with 10 or more years of experience make the maximum salary of $2,898,000 annually.
