In recent years the salary of NBA players has skyrocketed, in all these, the biggest NBA stars earned more than in total on it to this point in their careers. LeBron James ranks tops for the 2019-20 season, has made more than 270 million in playing salary over in his whole 16 years’ career. In the second, the earning of Kevin Durant’s on-court earnings is 187 million in his 12 seasons.
1. LeBron James
(Total Earnings $92.4 Million)
(Salary $37.4M + Endorsements $55M)
At $92 million, including salary and endorsements, James is the NBA’s highest-paid player for the sixth straight year. It is a record haul for an active basketball player. Nike is his biggest backer.
2. Stephen Curry
(Total Earnings $85.2 Million)
(Salary $40.2M + Endorsements $45M)
Stephen Curry comes in at No. 2 on the earnings list this year and is expected to generate $85 million this season, including $45 million off the court. Under Armour represents nearly half of his off-court income.
3. Kevin Durant
(Total Earnings $73.2 Million)
(Salary $38.2M + Endorsements $35M)
Durant has the NBA’s second-biggest annual shoe contract after James’ at an estimated $26 million this season. His total earnings from his playing salary and endorsements are $73 million.
4. Russell Westbrook
(Total Earnings $56.5 Million)
(Salary $38.5M + Endorsements $18M)
Westbrook’s five-year, $207 million contracts are the largest deal in the NBA right now. The eight-time All-Star extended his deal with Nike’s Jordan brand in 2017 for another ten years and in 2018 received his first signature shoe.
5. James Harden
(Total Earnings $55.2 Million)
(Salary $38.2M + Endorsements $17M)
The 2018 NBA MVP purchased a minority stake in the Houston Dynamo of MLS this summer for $15 million. Harden also holds equity stakes in Body Armor, Stance socks and Art of Sport. His salary with the Rockets jumps $8 million this season with the start of a contract extension he signed in 2017.
6. Kyrie Irving
(Total Earnings $51.7 Million)
(Salary $31.7M + Endorsements $20M)
His four-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets is worth $136 million and includes an additional $4.3 million in potential incentives. A viral Pepsi ad campaign featuring Irving as the elderly Uncle Drew eventually led to a 2018 feature film.
7. Klay Thompson
(Total Earnings $47.7 Million)
(Salary $32.7M + Endorsements $15M)
Klay Thompson will still collect his full $32.7 million salaries, after his last injury in June, final—almost double last year’s—under the first season of the five-year, $190 million pact he signed in July. Thompson is the basketball face of Chinese shoe brand Anta.
8. Chris Paul
(Total Earnings 46.5 Million)
(Salary $38.5M + Endorsements $8M)
Only Curry will earn more on the court this season than Paul, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in July. Paul was an early investor and ambassador for Beyond Meat, whose stock price has quadrupled since its initial public offering in May.
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo
(Total Earnings 45.8 Million)
(Salary $25.8M + Endorsements $20M)
The “Greek Freak” is eligible for a five-year, $248 million contract extension next summer with the Milwaukee Bucks. It would be the richest deal in the history of the sport. In June, Nike unveiled the first signature shoe, Zoom Freak 1, for the 2019 NBA MVP.
10. Damian Lillard
(Total Earnings 43.8 Million)
(Salary $29.8M + Endorsements $14M)
Lillard signed a four-year, $196 million extension in July with the Portland Trail Blazers that kicks in for the 2021-2022 season. The final year is worth $54.25 million for the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year and four-time All-Star. Lillard’s Adidas shoe deal is worth roughly $10 million annually.
