What Does The Average NBA Player Make?
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The average NBA player salary is $6.4 million per year, which is a huge increase from previous years. Learn more about how NBA player salaries are determined and what the average NBA player makes.
NBA Player Salaries
The average NBA player salary is $7.7 million per year. This is the highest average salary of any major professional sport. The NBA also has the highest minimum salary, $563,000 per year. This is nearly three times the minimum salary of the MLB, which is $350,000.
Minimum Salary
The minimum salary for a player in the NBA is $882,000 for the 2019-2020 season. Players on rookie contracts, two-way contracts, andminimum salary exception contracts are eligible to earn this amount. The minimum salary will increase each season until it reaches $1,445,200 for the 2023-2024 campaign.
Maximum Salary
In the NBA, a player’s maximum salary is determined by his years of service and the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players. There are two types of maximum salaries: the “Excluded Income” max and the “Included Income” max.
The Excluded Income max is calculated using a formula that takes into account the player’s years of service, league revenue, and other factors. For the 2017-18 season, the Excluded Income max is $24,859,000 for players with 0-6 years of service, $30,361,000 for players with 7-9 years of service, and $35,863,000 for players with 10+ years of service.
The Included Income max is calculated using a formula that takes into account the player’s years of service, league revenue, and other factors. For the 2017-18 season, the Included Income max is $33,295,280 for 0-6 year players, $39,837,640 for 7-9 year players., and $46,379,000 for 10+ year players.
Players can also earn bonus money (such as signing bonuses), which can push their total compensation above these maximums.
Average Salary
The average NBA player salary is $7.7 million per year, which is about $4.6 million more than the average WNBA player salary. The maximum NBA salary for a player is $35.65 million per year, while the minimum salary is $893,310 per year. In comparison, the average WNBA player salary is $106,000 per year, with a maximum salary of $117,500 and a minimum salary of $41,965.
NBA Player Contracts
The average NBA player’s salary is $5.15 million per year, but a rookie in the NBA will make a lot less. In fact, the rookie salary scale in the NBA is $490,180 for the first year, $562,920 for the second year, $635,560 for the third year, and so on. So, how do NBA players get paid?
Length of Contract
Max contracts can be up to five years in length for a player with fewer than seven years of NBA experience, and up to six years for a player with seven or more years of experience. If a team resigns one of its own players, that team can offer him an extension of up to four additional years, for a maximum contract length of nine years.
Rookie scale contracts are four years in length, with team options for the fourth and fifth seasons. Players can sign two-way contracts, which allow them to spend up to 45 days with their NBA teams while also playing for their G League affiliate.
Signing Bonus
The average signing bonus for an NBA player is around $3 million. However, there are a wide range of values, with the minimum being $500,000 and the maximum being over $20 million.
Signing bonuses are typically given to first-round draft picks and marquee free agents. They are designed to entice players to sign with a team, and they are usually paid out over the course of a few years.
For example, Shaquille O’Neal signed a 7-year, $120 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. His signing bonus was $15 million, which was paid out over the first three years of his contract.
Escalators and Incentives
Players can qualify for up to 20% of their base salary as an annual bonus, based on individual and team performance landmarks such as All-NBA, All-Star, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, etc. Bonuses are pro-rated over the course of the season, meaning that a player who is traded mid-season will only receive a partial bonus (or no bonus at all) based on their accomplishments while on that particular team.
How NBA Players Get Paid
NBA players are paid a salary that is based on the amount of years they have been in the league, and their experience. They also receive a percentage of their team’s NBA TV revenue. In addition, players receive endorsement deals, and can also make money from appearing in commercials, movies, and other events.
Salary Cap
The NBA’s salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that NBA teams can spend on player salaries. The salary cap is set by the NBA’s Board of Governors each year and takes into account factors such as league revenue, player benefits, and projected revenue growth.
For the 2019-20 season, the salary cap is set at $109.14 million. This means that the average NBA player will make just over $5 million per year. However, there is a lot of variation in player salaries, with some players making much more than $5 million per year and some players making much less.
The highest-paid player in the NBA for the 2019-20 season is Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who will make $37.46 million. The lowest-paid player in the NBA is Jarell Martin of the Memphis Grizzlies, who will make just $1.62 million.
Luxury Tax
In addition to their salaries, NBA players also receive benefits such as health insurance and a pension plan. They also get paid for any endorsements or sponsorships that they have.
The NBA has a salary cap that limits the amount of money that teams can spend on player salaries. The salary cap for the 2020-21 season is $109.14 million. Teams that go over the salary cap have to pay a luxury tax. The luxury tax is a penalty that is imposed on teams that spend more than the salary cap allows. The luxury tax is used to fund programs such as revenue sharing and the NBA’s Players Association health and retirement benefits trust fund.
The luxury tax is calculated by adding up the salaries of all of a team’s players, and then adding an additional amount for any player whose salary is above the league average salary. For example, if a team has two players who each make $5 million, and one player who makes $10 million, the team would owe $2.5 million in luxury tax ((2 x $5 million) + ($10 million – $5 million)).
Revenue Sharing
In order to ensure that all teams are able to compete for a championship, the NBA has a revenue sharing system in place. This system is designed to redistributed money from the teams that generate the most revenue to those that generate the least. In this way, all teams have access to enough resources to put together a competitive roster.
The revenue sharing system is based on a formula that takes into account each team’s performance over the last three years, as well as their local market size. The larger the market size, the more revenue a team is expected to generate, and the more they are required to share.
For example, during the 2016-2017 season, the Golden State Warriors were required to share $13.3 million with other teams, while the Charlotte Hornets only had to share $3.1 million.
This system ensures that all teams have an equal opportunity to compete for a championship, and prevents any one team from having an unfair advantage over the others.
NBA Player Endorsements
When it comes to NBA player earnings, salary is only part of the story. In this article, we take a look at the various endorsement deals that NBA players have signed, and how these deals can impact a player’s overall earnings. We also look at the some of the biggest endorsement deals in NBA history.
Types of Endorsements
Endorsements are a huge part of an NBA player’s earnings. The average player in the NBA will make $24.1 million over the course of their career, with nearly 40% of that total coming from endorsements.
There are four primary types of endorsement deals that NBA players sign: product, appearances, autographs, and social media.
Product endorsements are perhaps the most common type of deal that an NBA player will sign. These deals involve a player promoting a particular product, either by wearing it during games or by appearing in commercials or other advertisements for the product. Some of the most popular products that NBA players endorse include shoes, clothing, and performance gear.
Appearance fees are paid to a player for attending events or making public appearances on behalf of a company. Many times, these appearance fees will be in addition to any product endorsement deal that a player has already signed. For example, Nike may pay LeBron James to not only wear their shoes during games, but also to appear at Nike-sponsored events like basketball clinics or autograph signings.
Autograph deals are similar to appearance fees, but usually involve the player signing items like basketballs or jerseys that can then be sold to fans. These deals can be very lucrative for players, as they often receive a percentage of the sales from the autographed merchandise.
Social media endorsements are a relatively new phenomenon, but they have quickly become one of the most popular ways for companies to reach consumers. Under these deals, companies will pay players to promote their products on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. These endorsements can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for top players like LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Estimated Value of Endorsements
In addition to their salary, NBA players also receive income from endorsements. This can come in the form of promoting a product on social media, appearing in an advertisement, or wearing a company’s logo on their jersey or shoes. The estimated value of these endorsements varies widely depending on the player’s fame and success. The most popular players can earn millions of dollars per year from endorsements, while less successful players may only earn a few thousand.
Endorsement deals are often negotiated by the player’s agent and are usually based on a percentage of the total contract value. For example, if a player signs an endorsement deal worth $5 million and their agent takes a 10% commission, the player will receive $4.5 million and the agent will receive $500,000.
The following is a list of estimated annual endorsement earnings for some of the most popular NBA players:
– LeBron James: $52 million
– Steph Curry: $42 million
– Kevin Durant: $36 million
– James Harden: $28 million
– Russell Westbrook: $28 million