Listing all NBA players among top 50 highest-paid athletes of all-time ft. LeBron James & more
NBA players make big money and there is no second thought in that. However, some of the players in the league history have made earnings throughout their careers which could easily touch billions of dollars. From Micahel Jordan and LeBron James to Magic Johnson, athletes have touched the billionaire status.
Here is the list of NBA players who are among the top 50 athletes in terms of money accumulated throughout their career earnings. The numbers are estimated after adjusting the inflation.
Listing all NBA players among the top 50 highest-paid athletes of all-time
#12 Dwyane Wade (47), $565 million
Dwyane Wade is a Miami Heat legend, who won three titles with the Heat and was one of the most hyped-up players in the early 2000s. Wade spent most of his career with the Heat and a few seasons for his hometown team Chicago Bulls.
When he joined the Bulls in the 2016-2017 season, Wade was the highest-paid player in the NBA. He is ranked 47th on the list with $565 million in his career earnings. Apart from his salary, Wade also made a lot of money from endorsements and other deals.
#11 James Harden (45), $570 million
Had James Harden been what he was with the Houston Rockets, he would have been higher on the list. The Beard has made over $300 million just through his career earnings. This season, he is one of the highest-paid players in the NBA. The LA Clippers are paying Harden over $35 million for the 2023-24 season.
Harden has a massive deal with sneaker giant Adidas which earns him over $15 million every year. Moreover, he has other deals with Body Armor, Beats, State Farm and others like Amazon, which gets him heavy money every year.
He is ranked 45 in the top 50 list with $570 million in career earnings
#10 Chris Paul (44), $575 million
Chris Paul has amassed a heavy sum through his salary as well as the endorsement deals that he has signed with different companies. In the 2020-21 season, Paul was the second-highest-paid player in the NBA with over $41 million in salary behind Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors star has made well over $300 million through his salary alone.
Paul also had endorsement deals with Jordan Brand, The Walt Disney Company and Spalding, which gets him handsomely paid every year. He is 44th on the list with $575 million in career earnings.
#09 Russell Westbrook (42), $620 million
Russell Westbrook went from being one of the highest-paid American athletes to one of the lowest-paid star athletes in the country. After his brief stint with the Lakers, the 2017 MVP’s market fell heavily. In 2023, Westbrook signed a two-year/$7.86 million contract with the LA Clippers.
From his career alone, Westbrook has earned over $330 million. Moreover, he has also made money through endorsement deals with Nike, PepsiCo, Samsung Electronics and other companies. Russ is ranked 42nd in the top 50, with $620 million.
#08 Kevin Garnett (39), $635 million
Kevin Garnett was the highest-paid player in the NBA for three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007. Garnett was one of the highest-paid athletes during his playing career winning a title with the Boston Celtics and putting Minnesota Timberwolves on the map.
In his 21 seasons in the league, Garnett played with the Timberwolves, Celtics and briefly with the Brooklyn Nets. He made over $320 million through his career earnings. Garnett also amassed a heavy sun through his deals with Nike, Adidas and And1. He has a lifetime deal with Adidas. Garnett is ranked 39th on the list with $635 million.
#07 Magic Johnson (34), $645 million
It could be argued that Magic Johnson made more money outside the NBA after retirement than he made during his playing career. The LA Lakers recently joined the elite club of Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Michael Jordan to do so.
Johnson was the highest-paid NBA player for four seasons in the league. He earned $40 million through his career earnings, which is estimated with inflation. The Lakers also paid Johnson until the 2009-10 season even after his retirement from the NBA. The face of the Showtime Lakers, Johnson had many endorsement deals, which earned with handsome checks from around the corners.
The Lakers star is ranked 34th on the list with $645 million.
#06 Stephen Curry (21), $770 million
Steph Curry is by far one of the highest-paid athletes in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors star has been the highest-paid player in the NBA for the past six seasons and will remain so for at least the next three seasons. Curry has earned over $350 million from his NBA salary alone, while he will be paid over $51 million by the Warriors this season.
He also had deals with Under Armour, which is over $200 million and stakes in the company. He also has small endorsement deals with companies like Chase and Nissan Motors. He is ranked 21st on the list with $770 million in earnings.
#05 Kevin Durant (17), $955 million
Kevin Durant might not have the title of the highest-paid player in the NBA, but he has made a great amount of money through his salary and endorsement deals. Durant has made over $390 million through his career earnings alone.
He has a massive lifetime endorsement deal with Nike, which is around $300 million and a retirement package with $80 million. Durant also has deals with Beats by Dre, Gatorade, Google and other big companies.
He is 17th on the list of the top 50 with $955 million.
#04 Kobe Bryant (14), $1.09 billion
Kobe Bryant had a legendary career in the NBA and the LA Lakers. Bryant made over $320 million through his career earnings. Four seven seasons, the last seven that he played with the Lakers, Bryant was the highest-paid athlete in the league. He has a lifetime deal with Nike, which earns him over $1 billion.
Bryant also earned through deals with Nintendo, McDonald’s and other big names in the market during his playing years. The late NBA great is ranked fourth and 14th overall with $1.09 billion in career earnings.
#03 Shaquille O'Neal (13), $1.21 billion
Shaquille O'Neal really made the best out of his NBA career. Even though Shaq wasn’t what he became afterward, in terms of finances, he always knew how to market himself. He was the highest-paid NBA player for three seasons in the NBA. In his 19 seasons in the NBA, Shaq made over $280 million, which is without inflation estimate.
The former LA Lakers star owns several restaurant chains and is currently the president of Reebok. Shaq has other deals with Taco Bell, Wheaties, PepsiCo, NBA 2K and others. He is ranked 3rd on the list and 13th overall with $1.21 billion in career earnings.
#02 LeBron James (5), $1.7 billion
LeBron James is the richest active athlete in the world. James had made his career earning from his salary, off-court investments and endorsement deals. In total, in 21 seasons in his NBA, the LA Lakers star has made over $470 million through salary alone. He has a lifetime deal with Nike that is worth over a billion dollars.
Moreover, he has invested in several football and baseball teams which adds to his wealth. He has endorsement deals with Crypto.com, GMC, PepsiCo, Beats and other big companies. He is ranked 2nd on the list and fifth overall with $1.7 billion.
#01 Michael Jordan (1), $3.75 billion
Michael Jordan's salary from the Chicago Bulls remained unmatched over a season for over 30 years. It was finally broken by Stephen in 2018. MJ’s last three years of earnings in the NBA remained highest while he continued to earn from outside the court. He also became the first NBA player to reach billionaire status and is currently estimated at over $3 billion.
During his playing years, Jordan had the biggest contract with Nike and by now he has earned over a billion dollars from his deal with the company. Jordan also earns on every Jordan that Nike sells. MJ also had deals with McDonald’s and Gatorade that earned him handsomely.
He is ranked No. 1 overall on the list with $3.75 billion in career earnings.