Boston Celtic’s star, Gordon Hayward, makes an annual income of $29.7 million. He’s been an active NBA player for the last nine years and has continued to prove his worth. The talented athlete is both hardworking and financially savvy.
In 2016, he became the first player ever to sign an endorsement deal with HyperX, and in 2018 he made a high-paying deal with Anta. He makes $3 million annually from these sponsorships.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to make $26.5 million a year? Just ask Mike Conley. The basketball player was drafted in ‘07 and has spent the last 12 years with the Memphis Grizzlies. And his loyalty to this team clearly paid off because he was the highest paid Grizzlies player in the 2017-2018 season.
Since then, he's been traded to the Utah Jazz team and is expected to make more than $32 million per season. Talk about trading up!
After only seven years with the NBA, Damian Lillard is making millions. He signed a five-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers that guarantees him more than $27 million a year.
And thanks to his extensive endorsement portfolio, Lillard makes an extra $14 million a year off of partnerships with Spalding, Powerade, JBL, McDonald’s, Toyota, and many other multi-million dollar companies.
Kyle Lowry, who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors, has been a part of the NBA for the last 14 years. He recently signed a three-year contract with the Raptors that guarantees him an annual average salary of $33.3 million.
As if this isn’t enough, he also makes more than $1 million each year off of endorsement deals. Axe, Google, and Adidas are just a few of the big-name companies he represents.
For the last nine years, Paul George has made sports headlines. He started his NBA career with the Indiana Pacers, but majorly increased his salary when he moved to Oklahoma City and then to Los Angeles. The talented NBA player currently earns $33 million each season.
George is one of the highest paid basketball players and that’s excluding the money he makes off of endorsement deals. Nike, Gatorade, Foot Locker, and other companies have sponsored and endorsed George throughout his career.
John Wall, who’s a point guard for the Washington Wizards, has made a fortune during his nine years with the NBA. He’s constantly proving his worth as he climbs his way up the list of great players.
His contract with the Wizards promises him an annual salary of $38 million. He also has partnerships with Adidas and Kumho Tire that pay him an additional $5 million annually.
Blake Griffin was drafted in 2009 by the Los Angeles Clippers and is currently preparing for his upcoming season with the Detroit Pistons. His annual salary is $34.4 million and his contract with the Pistons promises him a total of $110 million over the next three seasons—making him the highest-paid player on the team.
Along with this multi-million dollar salary, Griffin also has numerous endorsement deals that earn him approximately $7 million per year. He works for Kia, EA Sports, Nike, Powerbar, and other big endorsers.
Pau Gasol has played for many teams during his 20 years with the NBA, but made the heftiest salary when he was with the LA Lakers. His annual salary during the 2013-2014 season was $19.3 million. He’s also made millions of dollars from the Bulls, Spurs, and Grizzlies.
When Gasol isn’t practicing or playing, it’s likely he’s making endorsement and sponsorship deals. He has partnered with EA Sports, Nike, and San Miguel and has also released a book with LA Times photographer Lori Shepler.
Chris Bosh was drafted for the NBA in 2003 and played until 2016. His lengthy career was sustained by the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. At the end of his career, his salary was $26 million, which made him one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
He also has made more than $16 million from endorsements and merchandise. Some of the biggest companies and brands he partnered with were Foot Locker, ESPN, Nike, and EA Sports.
Stephen Curry has spent the last 10 years on the basketball court. He started playing for the Golden State Warriors in 2009 and has been with them ever since. During his time as a Warrior, his salary has steadily increased. He currently makes more than $37.5 million each year and is currently the highest-paid player of the Golden State Warriors.
Curry also makes another $42 million dollars each season off of endorsement deals with companies like Under Armour, Chase, Nissan/Infiniti, and Rakuten.
American basketball player Joe Johnson has been a part of the NBA for the last 17 seasons. Although he played for a plethora of teams during this time(Utah, Miami, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Boston), he is best known for his six-year, $119 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks.
He remains to be one of the highest-paid NBA players in history and is proud of his earnings. His annual salary was $24.9 million and his endorsement deal with Nike’s Jordan brand typically earned him an annual income of $1 million.
Chris Paul has been with the NBA for 14 years. His career started with the New Orleans Pelicans in ‘05. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Houston Rockets, and is now a point guard for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
His annual salary is $38.1 million and his annual income from endorsement deals stands at approximately $8 million. Endorsing for brands like Spalding, Nike, State Farm, and more has significantly increased Paul’s yearly earnings.
Carmelo Anthony's career has stood the test of time—he’s spent more than 17 years with the NBA. During the beginning of his career, he made an annual salary of $3 million. Fast-forward 10 years, Anthony was making more than $20 million each season.
His current net worth is $120 million dollars. A decent amount of that money was made from endorsement deals. He worked with Foot Locker, Nike, Steiner Sports, and Nickelodeon among others and made more than $6 million annually.
At the height of his career, former pro-basketball player Kevin Garnett’s salary was more than $28 million. His 22-year stint with the NBA definitely paid off. He played for only three teams during these two decades: the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Boston Celtics, and the Brooklyn Nets.
Off the court, he earned roughly $4 million a year.
There is no doubt that Dwyane Wade is one of the highest paid NBA players in history. This pro-athlete has spent the majority of his 17-year career with NBA’s Miami Heat. And he’s racked up more than $120 million during his time as a basketball star. He’s so successful because he’s focused on both athletic and financial opportunities.
He signed a lifetime partnership with athleticwear company Li-Ning, made endorsement deals with multiple other brands, including Gatorade, Hublot, and Sandals Resorts, and he’s even launched his own line of socks with the help of Lids.
Yao Ming is a retired NBA basketball player remembered for his eight seasons with the Houston Rockets. Although he played for less than a decade, Ming is considered one of the richest NBA players in the world.
He grossed roughly $10 million per season and made more than $17 million in his final season. While he was still playing, Ming had endorsement deals with Reebok, Apple, Visa, Garmin, and many more well-known companies.
For the past 11 years, Oklahoma City’s NBA superstar, Russell Westbrook, has impressed and excited fans. But this season, Westbrook has signed to play for the Houston Rockets.
His starting salary with this team is projected to be more than $38.5 million. He also makes another $19 million through endorsement deals. His major partners are Nike’s Jordan brand, Mountain Dew, True Religion, Samsung, and Barneys.
Gary Payton, who became better known as “The Glove,” played NBA basketball for 18 seasons. He spent 13 seasons as the point guard for the Seattle SuperSonics, which is the team he's best known for. He also played for the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Payton earned $104 million during his time with the NBA and has a net worth of approximately $130 million. He’s also endorsed by successful brands like Nike and Beats and uses his social media platforms to make additional earnings.
Tim Duncan spent 19 years as an NBA basketball player in the Alamo City. Duncan proved his loyalty to the San Antonio Spurs and was generously rewarded. At the height of his career, he earned a salary of $22.2 million, and by the end of his career, his net worth was more than $150 million.
While Duncan avoided the majority of endorsement offers, he did allow himself to make an annual income of $2 million off of partnerships with Adidas, AT&T, and HEB.
Dwight Howard has been an active NBA player for 15 seasons and currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. His salary is set at $23 million—and that’s excluding his endorsement income.
Thanks to sponsors like Adidas and McDonald’s, Howard is quickly becoming one of the highest-paid NBA players of all time.
Dirk Nowitzki played his entire 21-year NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks. His earned his most competitive salary during the 2016-2017 season, making more than $25 million.
Although Nowitzki has retired from the NBA this past year, he continues to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He’s worth $140 million and almost all of this fortune was made exclusively through the NBA. The only endorsement deal he had was with Nike!
James Harden has spent the last 10 years with the NBA and the last seven years with the Houston Rockets. He currently makes more than $30 million each season for his basketball skills and $20 million each year for his endorsement deals.
Companies like Adidas, State Farm, Electronic Arts, and Foot Locker pay Harden the big bucks for his advertisement and marketing.
Kevin Durant has been an NBA star since ‘07. As his career has grown, so has his income. He makes a yearly salary of $30 million as a Golden State Warrior.
When he’s not perfecting his free throws, he’s making money moves. Durant, who makes an additional $35 million each year from endorsements, has multiple business ventures. He has endorsement deals with Nike, Alaska Airlines, Google, Apple, and many other big-name companies.
Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1985 and played for them until his final season in 2001, when he signed with the Toronto Raptors. During his time as a professional basketball player, he had many financial opportunities.
He earned more than $107 million in salary from the NBA and an estimated $3.8 million per year in endorsements. He worked with Spalding, Visa, Taco Bell, and other companies.
Former NBA player Grant Hill made a name for himself when he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1994. Over the span of his 18-year career, Hill’s most impressive annual salary was almost $17 million and his total NBA earnings were more than $140 million.
Additionally, Hill has a lifetime endorsement deal with Fila and had a number of endorsements with multi-billion dollar companies during his time as an active NBA player. He worked for companies like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola (Sprite), Adidas, and Nike.
Shaquille O’Neal, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, played for the NBA for 19 years. During his career, he was insanely successful. He’s best remembered for his 1996 contract with the Lakers—which paid him $121 million over the span of seven years.
In addition to the money he earned while playing for the Lakers, Magic, Heat, Suns, Cavs, and Celtics, Shaq made a fortune off of endorsement deals. According to Sports Illustrated, Shaq has represented more than 50 products—Papa Johns, Reebok, Oreo, Gold Bond, and Carnival Cruises are just a few. Even years after his retirement, he still earns between $25-$30 million per year on endorsements and advertisements!
Sixteen seasons later and Lebron remains to be one of the highest-paid NBA players of all time. Although he is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers, he spent 10 seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers—where his annual salary was $35.7 million. We can only assume that he was offered even more to play for the Lakers!
In addition to the millions of dollars he makes on the court, he makes even more money off the court. His yearly endorsement profit is approximately $55 million. Brands like Nike, Coca-Cola (Sprite), and Beats By Dre are to thank!
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He made a hefty annual salary of $25 million and currently has an estimated net worth of $500 million.
He’s also made more than $25 million through endorsement deals. He teamed up with companies like Nike, Coca-Cola (Sprite), Hublot, and Panini to increase his income and still has endorsement relationships even though his NBA career has come to an end!
Earvin “Magic” Johnson played point guard for the LA Lakers for 13 seasons. Although his NBA career was shorter than most, he still managed to become one of the highest-paid basketball stars of all time.
Magic’s net worth has been built largely out of endorsements and partnerships. While he was an active NBA player, he had endorsement deals with companies like Pepsi, Spalding, and Converse. After his retirement, he’s made partnerships with businesses like Starbucks, T.G.I. Fridays, and 24 Hour Fitness. His earnings illustrate the importance of being both a businessman and an athlete.
Michael Jordan, who is arguably one of the best NBA players of our time, is also one of the wealthiest athletes of our time—and rightfully so. Not only was MJ an excellent athlete, but he was also a smart businessman. During his 15 seasons with the NBA, he played for the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards.
Although his salary wasn’t as competitive as some of the current NBA salaries, Jordan was still able to make a fortune for himself. His net worth is estimated to be more than one billion dollars. And his estimated 2019 endorsement, merchandise, and business income is expected to make him $145 million!
