5 times NBA superstars have signed record-breaking contracts
It is no surprise that NBA players are paid well. The superstars in the NBA are in a league of their own when it comes to expensive contracts, with some of the biggest deals in sports being landed by basketball players.
Let's look at five NBA superstars who have signed record-breaking contracts in the past.
#1, Jaylen Brown - $304,000,000
Salaries are rising, and they are rising fast. However, Jaylen Brown's contract is something that the NBA had never seen before. When it comes to NBA records, there is nothing to top Brown's $304 million contract.
Jaylen Brown is the first player in basketball history to land a $300 million contract extension. Brown’s extension is the largest contract in NBA history by both total value and average annual value. The AVV of his contract stands at a historic $60.8 million.
Here is the breakdown on the Jaylen Brown super max extension in Boston:
2024-2025 $52,368,085
2025-2026 $56,557,532
2026-2027 $60,746,979
2027-2028 $64,936,425
2028-2029 $69,125,872
Total $303,734,893
It is crazy to think that Brown will earn almost $70 million in the last year of his contract. To put this into perspective, Michael Jordan made $33.1 million in the 1997-98 season which was his highest salary in a single campaign. Jaylen Brown will make more than double the money that Michael Jordan did.
#2, Nikola Jokic - $270,122,630
Nikola Jokic is a two-time MVP and now an NBA champion. He made history when he signed the unprecedented Supermax extension with the Denver Nuggets. At the time, it was the largest contract ever signed in league history, which is crazy because Jokic was literally sleeping when he was drafted into the NBA.
The Nuggets are definitely excited for their future, given that they just won a championship with Nikola Jokic. While one championship doesn't necessarily satisfy a $270 million contract, it does take the pressure off the Nugets and Jokic alike.
#3, Bradley Beal - $251,019,650
In July 2022, Bradley Beal signed a Supermax deal worth $251 million over five years. He will be paid an annual average salary of $50,203,930, which is a Washington franchise record.
Bradley Beal is not necessarily a superstar who would command max money provided he is not synonymous with winning. It might be fair to say that Washington Wizards had money to spend and Beal was in the perfect landing spot for it. That is not to take away from Beal's game, as he indeed is a special player.
Interestingly, Beal's contract had a no-trade clause alongside the max money. This became especially prominent in his recent trade to the Phoenix Suns.
While Beal has not won a title yet, the Suns could be an early favorite for next year given their all-time great starting five.
#4, Steph Curry - $215,353,664
Steph Curry has the least expensive contract on this list despite clearly being the most successful player on the list. Curry has had a historic decade of basketball and effectively turned the Golden State Warriors into a basketball dynasty.
As the greatest NBA shooter of all time, it is fair that Steph Curry was the first player ever to deserve a $200 million contract. Curry has an average annual salary of $53.8 million and is set to make $59.6 million in the final year of his deal in 2025-26.
After Curry signed the deal, it was speculated that $200 million contracts would become commonplace. This turned out to be true.
#5, Devin Booker - $224,000,000
Devin Booker is one of the most elite scorers in the league today and has a $224 million deal with the Suns.
After looking at all the other deals, it almost seems like Booker is just another one of the countless $200 million contracts. However, this is not the case.
$200 million plus-deals are becoming commonplace, but are still reserved for the best of the best in the league. More so, Booker's total deal value over six years amounts to $295 million which is far from normal and at the time of signing was a franchise record.