- George Mikan became the first player to earn $15,000
- Damian Lillard will make over $60,000,000 in the 2026-27 season
- These NBA players have made history, financially
It’s no secret that professional basketball players earn some of the highest salaries in the world. But have you ever wondered how the salaries of NBA players have evolved over time?
- George Mikan First To Earn +$15,000 (1949)
- Wilt Chamberlain First To Earn +$100,000 (1966)
- Moses Malone & Bill Walton First To Earn +$1,000,000 (1980)
- Larry Bird First To Earn +$5,000,000 (1992)
- Magic Johnson First To Earn +$10,000,000 (1995)
- Patrick Ewing First To Earn +$15,000,000 (1996)
- Michael Jordan First To Earn +$20,000,000 (1997)
- Stephen Curry First To Earn +$40,000,000 (2020)
- Damian Lillard – First To Earn +$60,000,000 (2027)
From humble beginnings to multi-million dollar contracts, the rise of NBA player salaries has been nothing short of astounding. These are the first players in NBA history to earn a certain plateau of money, starting from $15,000 and up to $60,000,000.
George Mikan First To Earn +$15,000 (1949)
George Mikan, the original “Mr. Basketball” became the first true star in the NBA. Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to five titles, four in the NBA and one in the Basketball Association of America (BAA).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHcpuSRQ2vc
The BAA’s records have merged into the NBA, but another league, the National Basketball League (NBL), does not have its records counted in the NBA. If it did, Mikan would have seven championships to his name.
Still, Mikan had massive success in the league. This includes on the financial end, as well. In 1949, Mikan became the first player in NBA history to earn $15,000 per season.
The money Mikan made seems small compared to what players make today. This is true to a degree, but $15,000 back in 1949 equates to $193,503.78.
Not a bad amount of money to play basketball. Especially in 1949, but Mikan deserved it for his incredible play.
Wilt Chamberlain First To Earn +$100,000 (1966)
What’s there to say about Wilt Chamberlain that hasn’t already been said? Wilt owns more records than anyone else in the history of the NBA.
This includes the most points scored in a game at 100 and the highest points per game average for a season, 50.4. Wilt achieved this in the 1961-62 season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHiUVl4V6p8
Another record Wilt achieved before any player was becoming the first player in league history to make $100,000 in a season. The Big Dipper achieved this in the 1965-66 season.
The unfortunate thing for Wilt during his NBA career was playing at the same time as Bill Russell. The Boston Celtics legend won 11 titles during his career, while Wilt managed to win just two.
In the playoffs, Wilt matched up against Russell in eight playoff series, with Russell winning seven of them. No matter how great was, he always seemed to fall to second place behind the great Boston Celtics center.
The same would come when it came to their salary. After Wilt made history by becoming the first player to earn $100,000 in a season, Russell topped him the very next day.
Russell demanded $100,001, which is just $1 more than what Wilt would make. Boston obliged, and Wilt, once again, fell to second place behind the great Bill Russell.
Moses Malone & Bill Walton First To Earn +$1,000,000 (1980)
The first players to make $1 million in the NBA were Moses Malone and Bill Walton. These two giants would earn their millions in the 1979-80 season.
Moses Malone was one of the best rebounders the game of basketball has ever seen. The Chairman of the Boards, as Malone was known, led the NBA in rebounding six times.
Malone also won three MVPs, a Finals MVP, and an NBA championship. There’s no reason to doubt why Malone would be paid $1 million, he truly earned it.
The other player to hit $1 million first, in the same season as Malone, was Bill Walton. Many people might scratch their heads at why Walton would be paid so much, but it really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Before injuries slowed him down, Walton was among the best players in the league. He won the 1978 MVP and led the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA title in grand fashion.
Walton averaged 19.0 rebounds, 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 blocks per game in the 1977 NBA Finals vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. This includes 8 blocks in the Game 6 clincher.
Walton was deserving of the money he was paid, and he’d play a pivotal role off the bench for the Boston Celtics in 1986. This led to Walton winning the second championship of his career.
Larry Bird First To Earn +$5,000,000 (1992)
The success of the NBA in the 1980s is largely thanks to two players: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The latter mentioned would become the first player in league history to earn $5 million or more in a season.
It was the 1991-92 season when Bird made $7,070,000. At this time, Bird was no longer the player he was, thanks to a deliberating back injury he suffered in the offseason of 1985.
Still, what Bird did, not only for the NBA but for the Boston Celtics, was priceless. Bird led the Celtics to three NBA titles during the 1980s while swimming three MVPs himself.
The 1985-86 Boston Celtics are often referred to as the greatest team in NBA history, and they were, of course, led by Larry Bird. There’s no wonder why the Celtics wanted to honor Bird with a massive contract right before he retired.
Magic Johnson First To Earn +$10,000,000 (1995)
Since Larry Bird became the first player to earn $5 million in a season, it was fitting that his rival, Magic Johnson, would be the first to make $10 million in a season. Magic achieved this in the 1994-95 season.
What made Magic’s achievement even more remarkable was the fact he was retired. The reason Magic was still being paid was because he was attempting a comeback in 1992, and Lakers owner Jerry Buss offered him a new contract up until the 1994-95 season.
Magic ended up not playing in the 1991-92 season, which voided his new contract with the Lakers. Jerry Buss didn’t agree with this and decided to pay Magic each year of what his contract would’ve been.
In the 1994-95 season, Magic earned $14,660,000, making him the first player to hit the $10 million mark. Magic would return in the 1995-96 season for 32 games before retiring from the NBA for good.
Patrick Ewing First To Earn +$15,000,000 (1996)
A year after Magic Johnson became the first player to earn at least $10 million in a season, the New York Knicks star center made history. Ewing earned over $15 million in the season, as he was paid $18,724,000.
Ewing was a staple to the Knicks success in the 1990s. Even though Ewing would not lead New York to a championship, he was the biggest reason why the Knicks stayed competitive during that time.
Ewing led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals but ultimately lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. Still, Ewing made basketball fun again in The Big Apple, which was worthy of his hefty pay.
Michael Jordan First To Earn +$20,000,000 (1997)
If you thought the GOAT Michael Jordan wouldn’t appear on this list, then you’d sadly be mistaken. No player in NBA history was more exciting to watch than Jordan.
Jordan’s style of play early in his career was breathtaking to see. His ability to attack the hoop and finish with either a monster slam dunk or an aerobatic finish brought fans into NBA arenas.
After being underpaid for his entire career, the Chicago Bulls rightfully made Jordan the first player to be paid at least $20 million in a season, which was the 1996-97 season.
In fact, Jordan was also the first player to get paid more than $30 million per season, as MJ made $30,140,000 in the 1996-97 season. This new contract came after Jordan led the Bulls to a then-NBA record 72-win season.
Michael Jordan is known as the GOAT, thanks to his incredible play. His championship wins are definitely enough to earn the type of payday MJ received.
Stephen Curry First To Earn +$40,000,000 (2020)
Stephen Curry changed the way the game of basketball is played. He made shooting a high-volume of three’s routine in the league. This was especially true after the 2015-16 season when Curry nailed a record 402 three-pointers in a season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwbC1EemF4
Two seasons later, Curry signed a then-record 5-year contract worth $201 million. This led to Curry making $40,231,758 in the 2019-20 season. Curry became the first player in league history to earn at least $40 million in a season.
After making the Golden State Warriors relevant for the first time since the mid-1970s. I’d say Curry is certainly worth the price to keep him on the Warriors.
Damian Lillard – First To Earn +$60,000,000 (2027)
Damian Lillard was the talk of this past NBA offseason. With his trade request out of Portland, many couldn’t believe the star guard actually wanted to leave the Trail Blazers.
Lillard famously said he only wanted to be traded to the Miami Heat. So, fans were shocked when Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lillard has a career average of 25.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds on 3.1 three-pointers made per game. With these types of numbers, it’s no wonder the Bucks wanted to trade for him.
This is also why, in the 2026-27 season, Lillard will become the first player in NBA history to eclipse $60 million in a season. Lillard will make $63,228,828 in 2026-27, and it’s likely players’ salaries will continue to rise to record numbers.
The NBA is a booming business, earning 10 billion in revenue in the 2021-2022 season. As long as the league continues to make money, its players will continue to earn massive contracts. At the end of the day, the NBA players are what makes the league money, so their hefty paychecks are well deserved.
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