Who are the NBA highest-paid players today? This question remains one of the most asked on the lips of every basketball fan, especially with the hype gathering around specific stars and their recent performances. In the list of the highest-paid basketballers, expect to see some of the most famous NBA players as well as some players who are new in the game.
Let’s get down to it!
Who is the Highest-Paid NBA Player in 2023?
Currently, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the highest-paid NBA player. He is paid a whopping salary of $48,070,014 every year and has the potential to earn more money in the near future.
Top 20 NBA Highest-Paid Players in 2023
When it comes to the NBA highest-paid players, basketballers who top this list are paid millions of dollars every year. Below is a list of the top 20 highest-paid NBA players in 2023:
20. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Salary (average): $37.98 million
Contract: 5 years, $189.9 million
With an average salary of $37.98 million every year, Davis comes 20th on this list. His constant struggle with injuries over the years is not new to basketball fans. In fact, Davis skipped almost half of the Lakers’ matches due to injury since he helped them to win the NBA title in the 2019-20 season. His shooting range has dropped drastically as he seems to be a shadow of his former self.
19. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Salary (average): $37.98 million
Contract: 5 years, $189.90 million
Thompson is another player whose career was also affected by injury. In fact, prior to the 2021-22 season, he missed two whole seasons due to injury. Nevertheless, he is still known as one of the greatest three-point shooters in the history of the NBA. Over his last 11 normal season games, Klay averaged 27.3 points in total on 42% shooting from a distance. Currently, he is under a contract for the next two NBA seasons with a total cost of over $83 million.
18. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Salary (average): $41 million
Contract: 5 years, $205 million
Gobert’s career has flourished over the years and he has grown from averaging only 2.3 points during his novice season in 2013-2014. The France pro basketballer has now achieved three straight All-Star appearances and has been awarded the “NBA Defensive Player of the Year” three times. Signed by his current team, Minnesota Timberwolves in December of 2020, Rudy is due for $116 million over the next three consecutive seasons and has a player option of a whopping $46.66 million in the 2025-26 season.
17. Russell Westbrook, Utah Jazz
Salary (average): $41.36 million
Contract: 5 years, $206.79 million
Russell Westbrook is no new name in the game and has risen to the top since he was first drafted in 2008. The 34-year-old is currently one of the members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Also, he won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, which he earned for the 2016-17 season. Although Westbrook is considered an average player by most people, he has still managed to earn so much money from his career.
16. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Salary (average): $42.46 million
Contract: 5 years, $212.28 million
Doncic joined the league of NBA highest-paid players after earning the All-NBA honors two times within just his first three seasons in the NBA. Fortunately, the Mavericks are financially stable enough to place him on an average salary of $42.46 million per year. Throughout the first four seasons Doncic played in the NBA, he averaged a total of 26.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, as well as 8.5 assists. Luka is fast rising and not slow down his pace anytime soon. We expect him to be a renowned name in the NBA in the near future.
15. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
Salary (average): $43.03 million
Contract: 5 years, $215 million
Since Zach entered the NBA as a two-guard in the NBA Draft of 2014, he has fast become one of the best basketballers today. LaVine shows no restraint in letting the ball fly from a distance. Also, he is an expert in slam dunks and has proven so in so many Dunk Contest competitions. The Bulls superstar is currently set to remain in Chicago all through the 2026-27 season.
14. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Salary (average): $44.07 million
Contract: 4 years, $176.27 million
After so many months of trade rumours, it seems now that Lillard is committed to his current team in Portland over the long term. All of this came after the superstar missed all but 29 matches during the 2021-22 NBA season. Currently, Damian is one of the NBA players who is highly paid after signing a two-year, $121.7 million contract extension in July.
13. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Salary (average): $44.07 million
Contract: 4 years, $176.27 million
When Leonard suffered a grade 2 sprain during the NBA Playoffs in 2021, many people expected his career to get affected. Fortunately, this didn’t affect his career and he was even offered a mouth-watering contract last summer. Well, this is still not surprising considering the fact that the superstar has been excelling so far. Not only was Leo a two-time NBA Finals MVP, but he is one of the best three-and-D wings in the history of modern NBA.
At 31, Leonard is averaging a total of 24.7 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.5 rebounds on 49% shooting ever since the beginning of the 2015-16 NBA season. Also, he was a seven-time All-NBA Defensive Team player. All of these make Kawhi an exceptional NBA player.
12. Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
Salary (average): $44.07 million
Contract: 4 years, $176.3 million
Paul George is currently one of the best two-way forwards you can find in the NBA. Despite the fact that he missed 51 matches due to injury during the regular season in 2021-22, the skilled superstar still averaged a total of 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, as well as 5.6 assists.
11. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Salary: $38.6 million
Contract: 5 years, $193 million (about $213 million max value)
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies point guard, spun a breakout NBA season into one of the biggest contracts ever in the history of the NBA. The 23-year-old, who was drafted in 2019, got an amazing extension worth a whopping $193 million and is likely to hit a mouth-watering $213 million in five years. Morant is currently the face of the Memphis Grizzlies and one of the NBA’s highest-paid players.
10. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Salary: 33.83 million USD
Contract: 4 years, $224 million
Karl-Anthony Towns’ super-maximum contract extension by the Minnesota Timberwolves was worth it due to his excellent effort in the past season. The Dominican-American professional basketballer was first drafted in 2015 and has rapidly grown to become one of the best basketballers in the NBA today. Currently, Towns is paid a whopping 33.83 million USD by the Timberwolves every year.
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Salary (average): $45.64 million
Contract: 5 years, $228.2 million
In December 2020, Antetokounmpo signed a $228.2 million contract extension with Milwaukee and this placed him on the list of the highest-earning NBA players in the world. Months after this, he led the Bucks to win the NBA title. Much to the delight of Bucks fans, Antetokounmpo has averaged 28.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 11.7 rebounds since the beginning of the 2017-18 NBA season. When it comes to basketball, Giannis is exceptional.
8. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
Salary (average): $48.55 million
Contract: 4 years, $194.22 million
Seeing Durant sign his current contract came as a surprise to everyone since he had the potential to earn more if he had waited till free agency this incoming summer.
At the age of 34, Durant went back to the Nets after originally calling for a trade this past summer, uniting with Ben Simmons for the Brooklyn squad with NBA championship aspirations. However, Kyrie Irving’s successful trade to the Dallas Mavericks switched things up. Within only 48 hours, Durant signed a contract with the Phoenix Suns with an average salary of $48.55 million.
7. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Salary (average): $48.56 million
Contract: 2 years, 97.1 million
LeBron James’ contract condition was the talk of the town since his recent struggle in the 2021-22 season. Nevertheless, he is sitting among the list of the highest-paid NBA players, thanks to a contract extension that is capable of earning him about $50 million in the next season.
Despite struggles at Lakers, James still continues to wow the audience by playing at a very high level. He averaged a total of 30.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 8.2 rebounds on 52% shooting for his team in the 2021-22 season. Also, James missed 26 matches to injury after being on the bench for 27 games the last season.
6. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Contract: 3 years, $146.40 million
Salary (average): $48.80 million
Miami Heat signed 33-year-old Butler for a whopping amount of $146.4 million in 2021 and this landed him a spot on this list. However, many people argue that Butler’s signing puts Miami at a great disadvantage, due to his age. Currently, this prediction has not happened.
The six-time All-Star superstar averaged a total of 21.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.9 rebounds on 48% shooting in the 2021-22 regular NBA season.
Related Article: Tips on How to Win NBA Bet
5. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Salary (average): $48.98 million
Contract: 4 years, $195.92 million
After Embiid blew off his first two NBA seasons (2014-16) due to a foot injury, everybody wrote him off and didn’t think that he’d make it this far. However, he has proven us all wrong. This last regular season witnessed the superstar centre averaging a total of 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, as well as 4.2 assists while shooting aout 50% from the field. He has been the most dominant centre in the Association since Shaquille O’Neal was playing for the Lakers. Now, he is earning a whole lot of money after signing a contract extension in August 2021.
4. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Salary (average): $50.2 million
Contract: 5 years, $251 million
A three-time NBA All-Star, Bradley is well respected around the basketball league. This is partly why other teams are always eager to trade for him, but the major problem is that the Washington Wizards value him much more than other teams.
Currently the age of 29, Bradley’s new contract allows him to remain in Washington throughout his age-33 NBA season till the 2026-27.
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Salary (average): $52.8 million
Contract: 5 years, $264 million
Jokic’s new contract is the richest agreement to be signed in the history of the NBA. When it comes to the annual average, it is just behind Stephen Curry’s contract in NBA history. Also, it comprises a $60 million player alternative for the 2027-28 NBA season. This has earned him a place on this list of the highest-paid NBA players.
2. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Salary (average): $53.5 million
Contract: 4 years, $214 million
At just 26 years old, Booker has achieved a lot in his career and has generally been a very skilful basketballer generally. He has been the backbone of the Phoenix Suns and has led them to become one of the most talked about NBA teams globally.
While Booker is certainly one of the greatest offensive players ever to grace the NBA, his next duty will be to find a way to get his team to the NBA Finals, since they fell just too short in the NBA 2020-21 season and still regressed in 2022.
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (the highest-paid NBA player)
Salary (average): $54.84 million
Contract: 4 years, $215.35 million
In August 2021, Stephen Curry became the first basketball player in NBA history to sign two contracts worth about $200 million. He really set the standards in a big way. Playing with Golden State doesn’t come cheap for him. Once Curry’s contract comes to an end in the 2025-26 season, he’s going to receive a mouth-watering $59.61 million.
Due to his excellent performance in his team, he is worth the huge salary he is paid. He has led Golden State to win four NBA titles and appeared in six NBA Finals in just an eight-year span.
Bottom Line
When speaking of NBA’s highest-paid players, there is no way you won’t mention names like Stephen Curry and Devin Booker. The presence of these two stars in their respective teams has given them a better advantage over their opponents so their earnings match their impeccable skills. Nevertheless, there is still a chance that the highest-paid basketball players may be overthrown by the younger generation in the near future. Whatever may happen, let’s keep enjoying our favorite NBA players competing with their opponents this season.
ZEbet offers the highest odds with fast deposits, withdrawals and multiple market options for players to enjoy steady wins.
Start enjoying the best live betting experience and win big today! Visit ZEbet.ng.
