What is the average salary of an NBA player?

Some of the highest-paid NBA players such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry are some of the richest athletes in the world.

What is the average salary of an NBA player?

Average salary of an NBA player is $10.5 million

NBA players are some of the highest paid athletes in the world. Routinely one will find LeBron James, Stephen Curry and other names dotted on the annual list of highest paid athletes. It goes to show that the league pays its superstars well. But is the average salary that good too?

Before the 2024-25 season started, teams had to work with a $140.588 million salary cap. However, they can go up to the 2nd Apron, which is $188.931 million. Most teams try to stay a little under that number so as to avoid facing penalties that can deter their efforts in the following seasons.

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Even then, those cap numbers are large enough to reward their players sufficiently. Considering a team usually has fifteen players on their active roster, the averages can be mouthwatering. However, there are varying levels of salaries.

The current CBA rewards the best and some salaries are poised to be the highest in the country. At the same time, the CBA also makes it easier for role players to earn a pretty penny. That is how the average salary of an NBA player this season was $10.5 million, high enough to lead all major sporting leagues.

Who is the highest-paid player in the NBA?

The CBA rewards players who perform well. That is, getting their names on All-Star sheets, end of season awards, player of the week and month, all of that goes in to help determine a player’s next contract. Get their names on some of those accolades, and they can earn generational wealth.

That is why every season, there is a new highest-paid player. There was a time when crossing the $50 million annual salary was deemed a milestone. Now Jayson Tatum is poised to break the $60 million-mark next season, and Curry and others will join him soon after.

Currently, the highest paid player in the league is Jaylen Brown, who pocketed $57 million. Since the NBA’s highest paid players are not restricted to any particular position, let us look at the highest paid players in the NBA in each position.

Player, PositionSalary (AAV)
Nikola Jokic, DEN, C$55,224,526
LeBron James, LAL, PF$50,677,999
Jaylen Brown, BOS, SF$57,078,728
Devin Booker, PHX, SG$55,110,496
Stephen Curry, GSW, PG$53,838,416

LeBron James is not a true power forward, rather he is a point forward who takes on the bulk of the Los Angeles Lakers’ playmaking. The highest paid true power forward is Pascal Siakam, earning $47,237,568. This shows a player just needs to be elite to earn a super max contract, unlike other leagues where position determines pay.

Who is the lowest-paid player in the NBA?

As mentioned before, the current CBA allows NBA players to earn a decent amount of money in a season. Some numbers might not show the real picture, considering basketball players tend to stay in the league longer than others.

The lowest paid NBA player is Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Knox. However, he can amass a few seasons of such paychecks and still have more money than a comparable NFL, MLB or NHL player. After seven seasons, he has pocketed close to $27 million to date.

Player, PositionSalary (AAV)
Orlando Robinson, TOR, C$491,887
Keshad Johnson, MIA, PF$1,340,130
Kevin Knox, GSW, SF$330,394
Ryan Rollins, MIL, SG$491,887
Pat Spencer, GSW, G$438,810

As one can see above, two of the lowest paid in the NBA are Golden State Warriors players. That is to offset the high salaries the team pays the likes of Stephen Curry, the newly acquired Jimmy Butler and its other stars. That is how the average salary of an NBA player is that high.

NBA players accumulate a lot of wealth over time

Another area where NBA players are a cut above the rest of the sporting superstars of this country is when it comes to endorsements. For starters, shoe deals are increasingly common in the NBA, whereas in other leagues, they are not that common.

There are more and more shoe companies coming into the space and therefore, more and more players are getting sneaker deals. Along with that, these players are a major draw for brands. Every player can impact a game, which makes them more likely to have a standout moment at least once a year.

Fringe players in other top leagues cannot even dream to have their moment unless many factors fall their way. This means, basketball players earn a lot of small to large endorsement deals. This helps them add to their salaries.

Jayson Tatum famously will not touch his $315 million contract and will live off his endorsements. Tatum might not match the richest player in the NBA, LeBron James’ billionaire status anytime soon. But if he plans and works for it, he can reach those levels of wealth.