The NBA is one of the most player-friendly leagues in the world, providing almost every athlete in the league guaranteed contracts that NBA teams have no choice but to fulfill. As a result, many stars over the years have signed nine-figure deals before getting hit with a major injury or a series of injuries that render them unavailable.
HoopsHype put together a list of the players who have made the most money per game in NBA history, with the top 10 full of modern stars like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and more.
1. Ben Simmons: $446,791 per game
2. Joel Embiid: $437,598 per game
3. Zion Williamson: $425,415 per game
4. John Wall: $404,358 per game
5. Kristaps Porzingis: $371,645 per game
6. Lonzo Ball: $365,382 per game
7. Markelle Fultz: $351,004 per game
8. Jonathan Isaac: $343,430 per game
9. Bradley Beal: $338,229 per game
10. Anthony Davis: $337,062 per game
Simmons leading this list isn’t a surprise, having made over $163.5 million in his career while having played 366 NBA games since being drafted in 2016. His former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid is close behind, having made $215.2 million since being drafted in 2014 but playing just 492 games.
Embiid is probably one of the few players who still deserves every dollar he’s made because of his MVP status, but this shows how he’s managed to reach that level despite consistent injuries over his career.
Zion Williamson was expected to be an MVP-level talent and is paid like one, making $78.2 million since being drafted No. 1 in 2019 by the New Orleans Pelicans. Unfortunately, his injury struggles have been consistent and he’s managed to play just 184 games since being drafted.
John Wall was one of the very first recipients of a supermax contract in the NBA, making $276.5 million over his career. While the guard has been out of the league for the last two seasons, he played 684 games over his career.
To round out the top five, we have newly-crowned NBA Champion Kristaps Porzingis, who’s made $176.9 million over his career while playing 476 games. Lonzo Ball, who’s missed two and a half straight years of basketball, has made $92.07 million over his career and played just 252 games.
A surprisingly low inclusion on the list has to be Anthony Davis at No. 10. There are entire jokes about Davis for the amount of time he’s missed, especially in his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. But he’s made $268.3 million over his career and played 796 games, edging out the likes of Kawhi Leonard from the top 10.
Leonard would have been a name many assumed would be a part of this but he ranks at No. 11 with $334,450 per game. More superstars who missed the cut are Kyrie Irving at No. 12 ($333,104 per game), Kevin Durant at No. 13 ($329,764 per game), and Stephen Curry at No. 14 ($324,429 per game).
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