Top 5 richest NBA player contracts

When Magic Johnson signed a 25-year deal worth $25 million in 1981, it was the richest contract ever signed at the time. Since then, the NBA has grown and the contracts have bulked up due to the globalization and popularity of basketball.An NBA contract is lucrative and an athlete’s dream because it promises guaranteed money. Unlike most of the other professional sports, a basketball player earns the money pledged to him irrespective of the team he plays for or performance or even if he is inactive/ injured.Often the contracts include a player option and a team option, which gives the flexibility to both the parties to decide if they would like to continue with each other at a certain point. But the cool part is that the player would be paid the money irrespective of whether he takes the court or not once he signs an NBA contract.The top players usually sign the maximum possible deals within the salary cap. And in this edition we will count down the top 5 richest contracts signed by NBA players over the years, by ascending order of value*Updated as of 2015-16 NBA season

#5 Rashard Lewis

Rashard Lewiss contract consisted of a 6-year deal worth $126 million

When Rashard Lewis signed a 6-year$126 million deal, he entered his name in the top 5 richest contracts in NBA. In the summer of 2007, Orlando Magicacquired R. Lewis in a sign and trade deal with the Supersonics ( aka Thunder after they moved to Oklahoma).

Lewis was the high flying forward and scorer who was the last piece of the puzzle the Magic hoped would help bring a title to Orlando. He joined all-star center Dwight Howard and Vince Carter to be a dominant force in the eastern conference. The team was coached by Stan Van Gundy and they had amazing marksman in JJ Reddick and Ryan Anderson.

Lewis played a major role when the Magics reached the NBA finals in 2009. But he did not turn out to be the player the Magics expected.

With injuries and deteriorating scoring, Lewis was sent to the Washington Wizards to play out his contract. Nevertheless, he made his money andwas the owner of a high paying contract.