Ranking the 5 active NBA players with the highest net worth
Basketball players from all over the world dream about playing in the NBA for two reasons. It is the best and arguably the most talented league in the world, and being a star in the NBA often means signing multi-million dollar contracts with teams, on top of potential endorsements and deals with shoe brands.
Currently, basketball is the highest paying sport in the world, even though it is not the most popular one. Basketball, mainly the NBA, possesses the potential for very high valued endorsements, and the popularity of their biggest stars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry allows for companies to easily market their brand through these athletes. This opens up avenues for players to promote their own brands through signature shoes – for example the Air Jordans or the recently announced LeBron 17 – while still in the league.
Due to this, some NBA players have accumulated a lot of wealth during their time in the league. These are the five active players with the highest net worth.
#5 Dwight Howard - $140 million
Dwight Howard has had a rocky career thus far. His 15 seasons have been filled with ups and downs and many have questioned his ability to play in the NBA. This, however, has not stopped him from building his net worth to $140 million.
Howard started his career when he was picked first in the 2004 draft by the Orlando Magic. Coming straight out of high school, he had immense potential and the Magic were willing to go all-in on him, paying him $4,179,720 in his first year alone. This proved to pay off as Howard stayed with the Magic till 2012 while winning the Defensive Player of the Year award 3 times, after which he joined the Los Angeles Lakers.
While with the Lakers, Howard's focus and effort were brought into question, which led to him leaving after 1 year and bouncing across 6 teams in 6 years. Howard has now rejoined the Lakers for the 2019-20 season and has the opportunity to redeem himself, and if he is able to do so in a big name market like LA, his net worth is likely to increase.