The players in the NBA have become some of the wealthiest athletes in the entire world. Very few sports offer players hundreds of millions in guaranteed money over the course of a couple of years, but the NBA happily does that. NBA contracts may seem gaudy and overpriced right now, but that is bound to get worse through the years.
There are many players in the league right now that see the shift in earning potential in the NBA over the years. LeBron entered the league in 2003 when the salary cap for an entire team was $43.8 million annually, $4 million less than what Russell Westbrook is earning in the final year of his contract in 2022.
Over the course of their careers, quite a few NBA players have generated nearly half a billion dollars. The 5 highest career earners through 2027 are Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, and Bradley Beal.
Top 5 NBA Career Earnings through 2027
🤑 Kevin Durant $498.7 million
🤑 Steph Curry $470.1 million
🤑 Damian Lillard $449.1 million
🤑 LeBron James $431.9 million
🤑 Bradley Beal $428.9 million pic.twitter.com/eMMLJMg2wF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 26, 2022
Out of these players, LeBron is the only one who could become a free agent in the next offseason to further extend his career earnings. James also has been playing since the time contracts were much smaller. He also hasn’t been eligible to receive the contracts that Curry, Beal, and Lillard have because of his decisions to leave teams in free agency.
This list may look entirely different after 2027, with players like Luka Doncic and Ja Morant projected to make scale-breaking contracts in the upcoming few years. Doncic’s first contract extension was worth $207 million, so his next contract, if he keeps this level of play up, could be enough to already surpass the numbers that these legends of the game have earned.
Considering the vast amounts of money in the sport now, it makes sense why players are so much more empowered to make their own decisions. They have a small window to succeed and make money for their family, so they must make the most of it while they’re still playing.
