Highest-paid NBA players by season

The highest-paid NBA players by season has recently eclipsed $40 million. Larry Bird was the first player to earn $5 million or more with a salary of $7,070,000 in the 1991-92 season. Magic Johnson became the first player to earn $10 million or more in the 94-95 season with a salary of $14,660,000. Patrick Ewing became the first player to earn $15 million or more in the 95-96 season with a salary of $18,724,000. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over $20 million and in fact it exceeded $30 million as well in a season (1996-97); this was a record he had held for 15 years. During the 1997–98 season, Jordan earned $33,140,000, which still stands as the most any NBA player has earned on a 1-year contract. Jordan also holds the record for the second largest 1-year contract at $30,140,000 in the 1996-97 season. Kobe Bryant became just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013–14 season began.[1] LeBron James became the third in the 2016–17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 million per year when he signed a record 5-year contract worth $201 million in 2017, starting with $34,682,550 in the 2017-18 season and ending with the largest earnings in the 2021-22 season with a record payout of $45,780,966.

Michael Jordan, who earned $33,140,000 in the 1997–98 NBA season, attempts a slam dunk at the old Boston Garden.

Beginning in the 1984–85 NBA season, the NBA's first salary cap was introduced. The NBA salary cap is the maximum dollar amount each NBA team can spend on its players for the season. However, the NBA uses a "soft" salary cap, which means that significant "salary exceptions" allow NBA teams to exceed their allotted amount in order to sign players. The salary cap is determined during the offseason, but as stated earlier, it is liable to change.[2]

An exception is necessary to sign a player for a contract that would exceed the salary cap threshold of the "soft cap". The Larry Bird exception, more commonly known as Bird Rights, allows teams to re-sign a current player only if he has played for that particular team for a minimum of three years.[3] Another exception, known as the mid-level exception, allows for teams that are over the salary cap to sign one or more players as long as they do not exceed the total amount of the average NBA salary.[4] Next, the bi-annual exception can be used by teams every other year to sign a free agent(s) for up to two years at an amount set by the NBA.[5] Finally, the rookie player exception allows any NBA team to sign their first-round draft pick to a contract based upon a scale previously set forth by the NBA. Another option for teams would be to assign players to a league-assigned minimum salary contract for a maximum of two years.

According to 2010–11 NBA season game performance, the league's best players were not its highest-paid players. Each year there are ten players selected to one of the two All-NBA Teams. Out of those ten players chosen that year, Kobe Bryant was the only player that was also among the game's ten highest-paid during the 2010–11 NBA season.[6]

2020s

2010s

2016–2017

LeBron James became the third player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season, after Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Player [11]SalaryTeam
LeBron James$30,963,450Cleveland Cavaliers
Al Horford$26,540,100Boston Celtics
DeMar DeRozan$26,540,100Toronto Raptors
James Harden$26,540,100Houston Rockets
Kevin Durant$26,540,100Golden State Warriors
Russell Westbrook$26,540,100Oklahoma City Thunder
Mike Conley Jr.$26,540,100Memphis Grizzlies
Dirk Nowitzki$25,000,000Dallas Mavericks
Carmelo Anthony$24,559,380New York Knicks
Damian Lillard$24,328,425Portland Trail Blazers

2015–2016

Kobe Bryant, who spent his entire 20-year career in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, was the highest-paid player in the league from the 2009–10 until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2015–16 season.
Player [12]SalaryTeam
Kobe Bryant$25,000,000Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James$22,970,500Cleveland Cavaliers
Carmelo Anthony$22,875,000New York Knicks
Dwight Howard$22,359,364Houston Rockets
Chris Bosh$22,192,730Miami Heat
Chris Paul$21,468,695Los Angeles Clippers
Kevin Durant$20,158,622Oklahoma City Thunder
Derrick Rose$20,093,064Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade$20,000,000Miami Heat
LaMarcus Aldridge$19,689,000San Antonio Spurs

2000s

2008–2009

Kevin Garnett was the highest-paid player during the 2008–09, 2007–08, and 2006–07 seasons; he relinquished that position to Shaquille O'Neal for two seasons, but was also the highest-paid player during the 2003–04, 2002–03, 2001–02, and 2000–01 seasons.
Player [19]SalaryTeam
Kevin Garnett$24,751,934Boston Celtics
Jason Kidd$21,372,000Dallas Mavericks
Jermaine O'Neal$21,372,000Toronto Raptors
Kobe Bryant$21,262,500Los Angeles Lakers
Shaquille O'Neal$21,000,000Phoenix Suns
Allen Iverson$20,840,625Detroit Pistons
Stephon Marbury$20,840,625Boston Celtics
Tim Duncan$20,598,704San Antonio Spurs
Tracy McGrady$20,370,437Houston Rockets
Ray Allen$18,388,430Boston Celtics

2007–2008

Player [21]SalaryTeam
Kevin Garnett$23,751,934Boston Celtics
Shaquille O'Neal$21,000,000Phoenix Suns
Jason Kidd$19,728,000New Jersey Nets
Jermaine O'Neal$19,728,000Indiana Pacers
Kobe Bryant$19,490,625Los Angeles Lakers
Tim Duncan$19,014,188San Antonio Spurs
Allen Iverson$19,012,500Denver Nuggets
Stephon Marbury$19,012,500New York Knicks
Tracy McGrady$18,257,750Houston Rockets
Baron Davis$16,440,000Golden State Warriors

1990s

1998–1999

See also

References

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  2. "NBA Salary Cap History". insidehoops.com.
  3. "NBA Salary Cap Explained". about.com.
  4. "Mid Level Exception". sportscity.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  5. "Bi-annual Exception". sportscity.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  6. Badenhausen, Kurt (2010-11-04). "The NBA's Highest-Paid Players". Forbes.
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  8. "2019/20 NBA Salary Rankings". Retrieved 2019-07-14.
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  10. "2017/18 NBA Player Salaries". Retrieved 2018-09-09.
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  13. "NBA Player Salaries - 2014-2015". ESPN. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
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  28. "NBA Player Salaries - 2000-2001". ESPN (go.com). Retrieved 2014-02-01.
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  33. "NBA Player Salaries - 1995-1996". Eskimo.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
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