The 53rd season of the National Basketball Association started with a lockout but ended with the rise of the San Antonio Spurs. The season did not start until February 5, 1999. All of the teams played a 50-game regular season schedule. The playoffs remained the same and saw the Spurs rise to win their first championship in franchise history. By the end of the year, when looking at the salary, the regular season MVP (Karl Malone) and Finals MVP (Tim Duncan) were not among the top-10 highest-paid players.
- 10. Scottie Pippen – $11,000,000
- 9. Dikembe Mutombo – $11,218,000
- 8. Derrick Coleman – $12,267,000
- 7. Hakeem Olajuwon – $12,943,000
- 6. Juwan Howard – $13,125,000
- 5. Alonzo Mourning – $13,130,000
- 4. Kevin Garnett – $14,000,000
- 3. David Robinson – $14,841,000
- 2. Shaquille O’Neal – $15,000,000
- 1. Patrick Ewing – $18,500,000
- Next
- The Highest-Paid Players In The 1989-90 NBA Season: Michael Jordan Was 6th With Only $2.5M
- The Highest-Paid Players In The 1990-91 NBA Season: Patrick Ewing Earned The Most, Michael Jordan Was Just 8th With $2.5 Million
- The Highest-Paid Players In The 1992-93 NBA Season: David Robinson Beat Michael Jordan By $1.7 Million
- The Highest-Paid Players In The 1995-96 NBA Season: Michael Jordan Was 32nd With Only $3.85 Million
- The Highest-Paid Players In The 1997-98 NBA Season: Michael Jordan’s Salary Was Worth More Than The Salary Cap
With Michael Jordan out of the league for the second time, it left the NBA wide open and the rest of the league’s salaries followed suit. As always, there were winners and losers when it came to franchises playing their players. Some players deserved their deals, while others received a bit more than they gave their franchises. Needless to say, the Spurs ended up just fine with their investment.
Here are the top-10 highest-paid players from the 1998-99 season.
10. Scottie Pippen – $11,000,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $19,996,447
It was the first time in his career that Pippen did not wear a Bulls uniform. When the Bulls captured the 1998 championship, Jordan retired, Dennis Rodman was let go, and Pippen decided it was time to move on as well. Pippen joined a talented Houston Rockets squad that did not live up to its full potential.
Pippen averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.0 steals. This would signal the start of a decline for Pippen in the league. He did not come up among the major statistical categories except for averaging the fifth-most minutes per game. With that said, Pippen’s season wasn’t a major disappointment. It would not desire a top-10 salary in the league.
9. Dikembe Mutombo – $11,218,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $20,392,741
Mutombo’s third season with the Atlanta Hawks lived up to expectations. His 12.2 rebounds per game won the rebounding title. He nearly won the block’s title as well. His 2.94 blocks per game were fourth in the league. He came up just short of third place, but Theo Ratliff just beat him with 3.0 blocks.
Offensively, Mutombo averaged 10.8 points and shot 51.2% from the field. Given that rebounding and shot-blocking were his strong suits, this lived up to expectations. We see similar skills in today’s league and those players are awarded contracts near $20 million.
8. Derrick Coleman – $12,267,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $22,299,741
This was not the same All-Star Derrick Coleman that played for the Nets. This was also not the same Derrick Coleman that could contribute 17 points and nine rebounds a night as he did with the 76ers. Coleman was overpaid by the Charlotte Hornets. In the previous season, he averaged 17.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks for the 76ers. Then, the Hornets splurged and got production that did not match his previous seasons.
Coleman did not come up in any of the top 10 for the major statistics. He averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. While these are respectable numbers for a starter, a top-8 player in the league for salary is a stretch. Remember, Karl Malone won an MVP Award and was paid less despite having production greater than this.
7. Hakeem Olajuwon – $12,943,000
2022-23 Equivalent: 23,528,547
Olajuwon was older for the Rockets, but he was still playing like an All-Star. For this salary, Olajuwon was getting paid the backend of his contract a hefty amount. With that said, he helped the Rockets win two championships and was four years removed from winning his second Finals MVP Award. Even if Olajuwon had a bad season, it would have been a pill that the Rockets organization would have been okay with swallowing.
The Rockets had Pippen alongside Olajuwon on the roster, but that didn’t stop Olajuwon from getting his shots. He averaged 18.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. It would be the last season that Olajuwon averaged at least 2.0 blocks. His blocks total was third-best in the league, while his 51.4% shooting was also third. His efficiency rating of 22.96 was eighth in the league.
6. Juwan Howard – $13,125,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $23,859,398
This was the fifth season that Howard was in the league for the Wizards. His previous seasons saw him average around 18 points and eight rebounds. That was just about what he did for this season as well. Howard averaged 18.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. While Howard got a bag of money, the Wizards didn’t go anywhere.
The Wizards finished the season 18-32 and went through two different coaches. The team was last in the division. Howard’s numbers prove that he picked up some loaded stats for being on a bad team. The Wizards were nearly paying for a top-5 player in the league, but the team had nothing to show for it.
5. Alonzo Mourning – $13,130,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $23,868,487
The best defensive player in the league lived up to his contract. Mourning averaged 20.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game. Mourning saw his name on numerous leaderboards. That included his 11.0 rebounds ranking fourth and his 3.9 blocks winning the block’s title. Offensively, his 51.1% shooting was fourth, and he was just off of Olajuwon’s total by 0.35% to rank in the top 3.
Mourning’s efficiency was among the best. His 24.41 rating was fifth in the league. Two players ahead of him, Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd are not factored in these top-10 salaries. Lastly, Mourning was among the best in free throws made and attempts. All in all, the Heat got their money’s worth for this season.
4. Kevin Garnett – $14,000,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $25,450,024
Let’s put this into perspective. Among the top-10 leading scorers, only two players from this list are on it. One of those players is ahead of Garnett, while Garnett is the other. Allen Iverson, the league’s leading scorer, Karl Malone, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Tim Duncan, Gary Payton, Stephon Marbury, Antonio McDyess, and Grant Hill all scored more points than Garnett but did not make the top 10 in salaries.
Garnett’s 20.8 points per game were 10th in the scoring race. His 10.4 rebounds were seventh, while his 24.40 rating in efficiency was sixth. Garnett was among the top in field goals made and field goals attempted because he was the Timberwolves’ main source of offense. Now, we are not shaming Garnett for being in the top 4 for salary. He earned those dollars for his production, but it showed that some other players could have made a case for receiving over the equivalent of $25 million.
3. David Robinson – $14,841,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $26,978,843
The Spurs might have been led by Duncan, but Robinson was there first. The duo of Robinson and Duncan would have been tough to beat in this modern-day league. Robinson averaged 15.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks. This was not the same player that won the MVP Award a few years back, but the Spurs didn’t need him to be that player.
All the team needed was someone to place a complementary role to Duncan and it couldn’t have gotten better than Robinson. His rebounds and blocks were eighth in the league. His 50.9% shooting from the field was fifth. The Spurs had a player that could rebound, defend, and convert at a high rate. It ultimately ended in a champion, and you can’t ask for much more if you are running a franchise.
2. Shaquille O’Neal – $15,000,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $27,267,883
Alongside Garnett, O’Neal is the only other player in the top 10 for salaries that ranked in the top 10 for scoring. O’Neal just missed out on the scoring title. Allen Iverson’s 26.75 points per game just beat out the 26.31 points per game provided by O’Neal. This would be a preview for what was to come in the future as O’Neal would win the MVP Award next season, along with three straight championships and Finals MVP Awards.
According to the numbers, O’Neal was the most efficient player on the court. His 26.94 efficiency rating was higher than MVP Malone’s rating of 25.51. O’Neal also led the league in field goal percentage with 57.6%. His 10.41 made field goals per game also led the league, as did his 10.16 free throw attempts. While O’Neal didn’t lead the league in made free throws by any means, his 10.7 rebounds were sixth. The Lakers didn’t win a title this year, but they invested in a top-tier player that would eventually get the team over the hump.
1. Patrick Ewing – $18,500,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $33,630,389
This season featured the first season that Ewing did not average 20 points and 10 rebounds. He averaged 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. Because he played 38 games, his numbers did not qualify for the overall statistics. The highest-paid player in the league did not lead the Knicks to a high ranking in the regular season. The Knicks finished 27-23 and were the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
With that said, the Knicks became the first eight-seed to make the NBA Finals. This team remains the only eighth seed to make the NBA Finals as of last year. The team took on the San Antonio Spurs but was defeated in five games. To make the NBA Finals seems to validate this contract, but the regular season doesn’t help the case. This feels like a combination of luck and the team getting hot at the right time. Then again, sometimes that is all it takes in the playoffs.
