Being one of the most popular and lucrative sports leagues worldwide, the NBA attracts millions of viewers each season, regardless of the teams playing. Due to this popularity, NBA players have been earning great fortune from team contracts and tournaments. In fact, several players have earned more than $300 million solely from their NBA careers. Plus, in recent years, the NBA salary cap has increased significantly, which adds to the players’ earning potential.
1. LeBron James
King James, as he is fondly called, is currently the highest-paid NBA star of all time. As of this year, LeBron James has earned nearly $480 million from his NBA career. LeBron’s journey started back in 2003 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played for the team until 2010, after which he joined Miami Heat and played four seasons with them until 2014. After his stint with the Miami Heat, James rejoined the Cavaliers for four more seasons, being a part of the team until 2018. That year, he again left the Cavaliers and announced that he would be playing as a free agent. But only a few days after this announcement, it was declared that James would be joining the Los Angeles Lakers, which he has been a part of since 2018. LeBron has a lot of feathers in his cap, including winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title and the Finals MVP title four times, which further solidifies his status as one of the most iconic basketball players of all time.
2. Kevin Durant
With a career spanning 17 seasons, Kevin Durant is the second-highest-paid NBA player of all time. Being one of the best players in the game, Durant has won one MVP and two Finals MVP titles. Solely from his league career, he has earned around $397 million. At the start of his career in 2007, Kevin was signed to play for Seattle SuperSonics. Right in the next season, the team was rebranded as Oklahoma City Thunder, with whom Durant played for eight seasons. After leaving the team in 2016, Durant went on to play for the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets. He is currently associated with the Phoenix Suns.
3. Chris Paul
For his consistently outstanding performance as the point guard, Chris Paul has rightfully earned the title “the Point God” from his fans. After kickstarting his career in 2005, he has played 19 seasons till now and has earned around $390 million from his NBA career. Currently signed by the San Antonio Spurs, Paul has played for more than six teams before. He had started his career with the New Orleans Hornets, then went on to play for the LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors before moving on to his current team.
4. Stephen Curry
Yet another point guard who has made it to the top 5 highest-paid NBA players list is Stephen Curry. His career started in 2009, and ever since then, he has only played for just one team—the Golden State Warriors. Being the two-time winner of the MVP title and one-time winner of the Finals MVP title, Curry has earned around $355 million from his NBA career.
5. Russel Westbrook
Widely regarded as one of the most explosive point guards in the league, Russel Westbrook has earned over $340 Mn in his NBA career till now. He is currently signed by the Denver Nuggets, but before that, he played with the LA Clippers for two seasons. Before the Clippers, Russel also played with the Lakers, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets for one season each. He kickstarted his basketball career with Oklahoma City Thunder, for whom he played for 11 years from 2008. But interestingly, in 2019, the Houston Rockets made a trade with the City Thunder, trading Chris Paul in exchange for the 2016-17 MVP title winner Russel Westbrook.
6. James Harden
The 2017-18 season MVP title winner, James Harden, started his career in 2009 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Known as one of the best shooting guards in the league’s history, Harden, through his 15-year NBA career, has earned around $337 million. After playing for the City Thunder for a good three seasons, he got traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012. He played eight seasons with the Rockets, after which he went on to play for the Brooklyn Nets and then for the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden is currently playing for the LA Clippers after the team brought him in as a part of a trade in 2023.
7. Kevin Garnett
Despite retiring from the NBA, Kevin Garnett currently ranks as the sixth highest-paid NBA player of all time. Known widely as “the Big Ticket,” Garnett started his NBA journey in 1995 with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Interestingly, he was also playing for the same team in 2016 when he announced his retirement from the league. Garnett has also played for the Brooklyn Nets for a couple of seasons and for the Boston Celtics for six seasons. In his career, he earned around $334 million.
8. Kobe Bryant
The late Kobe Bryant, one of the most beloved NBA stars of all time, currently ranks eighth on the list of highest-paid NBA players, having earned around $323 million during his 20-year career with LA Lakers. He was drafted by the team in 1996 and went on to win the MVP title once and the Finals MVP title twice. Throughout his career, Bryant made many noteworthy records. He marked an end to his career in 2016 by scoring 60+ points in his last game, becoming the oldest player to achieve the feat.