10 Highest Earning NBA Players

10 Highest Earning NBA Players

When it comes to making money outside the NBA courts, no one comes near the level LeBron James is currently at, with Kobe Bryant being the closest to him, although a bigger earner overall thanks to the highest salary in the league, as well as one of three Los Angeles Lakers players on the list.

Pau Gasol – $21.5 million

Gasol is having his worst season since entering the NBA, averaging 12.7 points. Most of his earnings come from his $19 million salary, while the rest from his deals with Nike, Banco Popular and EA Sports.

Chris Paul – $24.8 million

Paul is enjoying a very good season with the Los Angeles Clippers (16.6 points, 9.7 assists), and some more media exposure in LA. His NBA salary is $17.8 million, making the rest from State Farm, Nike, Powerade and Upper Deck.

Dwight Howard – $26.5 million

Howard is earning $19.5 million on the last season of his contract before becoming a free agent. He’s making the rest from other deals, despite losing his contracts with both Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.

Amare Stoudemire – $27.9 million

Stoudemire has missed about a third of the season due to injury and still hasn’t returned to the Knicks’ starting lineup. He’s making $19.9 million in wages and $8 million from the rest of his off-court endorsements.

Carmelo Anthony – $28.4 million

Anthony is once again having an excellent individual season, averaging a career-high 29.2 points per game. He makes $20.4 million from basketball and the rest mostly from his deal with Nike.

Kevin Durant – $29.7 million

Durant, averaging an NBA best 29.6 points per game this season is making $16.7 million on his current contract, gradually rising to more than $20 mil in a few years. The bulk of his endorsement income is from Nike.

Dwyane Wade – $30.2 million

Wade is making $17.1 million on his 10th season with the Miami Heat, averaging 20.5 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season. Wade left Nike last year, signing a very lucrative deal with China’s Li Ning.

Derrick Rose – $32.4 million

Rose hasn’t played a single minute of basketball this season, but his contract is paying him $16.4 million, as he prepares for his return for the Chicago Bulls around late February, early March. His off-the-court money mostly comes from his huge 13-year deal with Adidas, banking him a total of $185 million.

LeBron James – $57.6 million

LeBron James makes more money than anyone off the basketball court, bringing in $17.5 million from the Miami Heat and more than $40 million thanks to his deals with Nike, Coca-Cola, Samsung and McDonald’s.

Kobe Bryant – $59.8 million

Kobe Bryant is the highest paid player in the NBA for the third straight season with $27.8 million in salary from the Lakers, which will bounce to $32 million next season. He makes around $32 million off-the court, mostly for his Nike ties, which sells twice as many Bryant sneakers in China as in the U.S.

Hat tip: Forbes


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