Who Has The Highest Salary In The NBA?

We all know that professional athletes make a lot of money, but just how much do they make? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the highest-paid NBA players and see just how much they’re raking in.

The NBA’s Highest-Paid Players

The NBA has many millionaire players, but who are the highest-paid of them all? In this article, we’ll take a look at the top 10 highest-paid NBA players for the 2019-2020 season. These are the players who are raking in the most money, whether it’s from their salaries, endorsements, or both.

LeBron James

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is the NBA’s highest-paid player for the 2020-21 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

James will earn $41 million this season, which is $1 million more than last season’s salary. His total earnings for his NBA career are now $378 million.

This is the first time that James has been the league’s highest-paid player since he signed his first professional contract in 2003. He eclipsed Kobe Bryant, who had been the league’s highest-paid player for the previous two seasons.

James’ $41 million salary is also the highest of any American athlete in any sport for the 2020-21 season.

Steph Curry

In 2019, Steph Curry is the NBA’s highest-paid player, earning $37.46 million in salary with the Golden State Warriors. He also has numerous endorsement deals that likely add millions more to his annual earnings. Curry is followed by Kevin Durant, who will earn $30 million from the Warriors in 2019. LeBron James is the league’s third-highest-paid player at $27.25 million, followed by Russell Westbrook ($26.5 million) and Jimmy Butler ($19.84 million).

Kevin Durant

As of September 2018, Kevin Durant is the NBA’s highest-paid player, earning a salary of $30.0 million for the 2018-19 season. Durant signed a two-year, $61.5 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2017, which includes a player option for the 2019-20 season. Durant will become an unrestricted free agent in 2020 if he opts out of his contract.

Durant is followed by Stephen Curry, who will earn $37.4 million in salary during the 2018-19 season. Curry signed a five-year, $201 million contract extension with the Warriors in July 2017. LeBron James, who signed a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2018, is the third highest-paid player in the NBA at $35.6 million.

Rounding out the top five are Russell Westbrook ($35.0 million) and James Harden ($30.4 million). Westbrook signed a five-year, $205 million extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder in September 2017, while Harden signed a four-year extension with the Houston Rockets worth $118.1 million in July 2016 that runs through 2020-21 season.

The NBA’s Highest-Paid Teams

The NBA is a league full of star power, and that extends to their paychecks. The league’s top players are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world, and they don’t come cheap. So which teams are paying the most for their services? Let’s take a look.

The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have the highest salaries in the NBA. Their total salary for the 2018-2019 season is $145,487,580. This is over $30 million more than the next highest-paid team, the Houston Rockets. The Warriors’ highest-paid player is Stephen Curry, who makes $37,457,154 per year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the highest salary in the NBA. The team is worth an estimated $1.5 billion, and they are the only team in the NBA that is worth more than $1 billion. The Cavaliers have the highest payroll in the NBA, and they also have the highest luxury tax bill. The team’s total payroll and luxury tax bill for the 2017-18 season are both more than $100 million. The Cavaliers are also one of only two teams in the NBA that have a player who is making more than $20 million per season (LeBron James).

The Oklahoma City Thunder

In the 2019-2020 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the highest salary in the NBA at $164 million. The Thunder was followed by the Houston Rockets ($159 million), Cleveland Cavaliers ($154 million), and Portland Trail Blazers ($148 million). The Los Angeles Lakers ($145 million) rounded out the top five.

The NBA’s Highest-Paid Coaches

Gregg Popovich

Popovich has been the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs since 1996. He is also the team’s president of basketball operations. Prior to his time with the Spurs, Popovich served as an assistant coach for the USA Men’s National Team, as well as for multiple NBA teams, including the Golden State Warriors, Kansas City/San Antonio Kings and Philadelphia 76ers.

In his 23 seasons with the Spurs, Popovich has led the team to five NBA Championships and is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. He has also been named NBA Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2012, 2014).

As of 2019, Popovich is the highest-paid coach in the NBA, with an annual salary of $11 million.

Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr is the current head coach of the Golden State Warriors and is one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. He has a base salary of $5 million per year and can earn up to $12 million per year in incentives. Kerr is also eligible for a bonus of up to $3 million if he wins the NBA Coach of the Year award.

Doc Rivers

As of the 2019-2020 season, Doc Rivers is the highest-paid coach in the NBA, with an annual salary of $10 million. He is followed by Gregg Popovich, who makes $8 million per year. The rest of the top five highest-paid coaches in the NBA are:

3. Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors): $7 million
4. Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks): $6 million
5. Dwane Casey (Detroit Pistons): $5 million