Australia has never needed an NBA passport stamp to earn respect, but it has absolutely earned a place at the sport’s financial table with 34 total players coming from there to the league, including Melbourne’s own, Kyrie Irving. During All-Star weekend, Luka Doncic was asked about the toughest Australian player he has faced, and he didn’t reach for a legend or an Olympic name. He went straight to a former teammate, Josh Green, and said it with a smile.
- 15. Andrew Gaze – $810,000
- 14. Cameron Bairstow – $1,352,395
- 13. Chris Anstey – $2,812,820
- 12. Jock Landale – $18,591,770
- 11. Josh Green – $39,959,007
- 10. Josh Giddey – $52,214,807
- 9. Aron Baynes – $37,739,510
- 8. Matthew Dellavedova – $45,086,384
- 7. Luc Longley – $42,784,900
- 6. Dante Exum – $54,061,946
- 5. Patty Mills – $85,559,433
- 4. Joe Ingles – $86,263,062
- 3. Andrew Bogut – $117,226,213
- 2. Ben Simmons – $203,356,689
- 1. Kyrie Irving – $347,701,173
That quick answer works as a clean snapshot of what the past decade has looked like for Australian hoops in the NBA. From foundational No. 1 picks and long-term starters to playoff role players who cash in on two-way versatility, Australians have carved out multiple lanes to serious career earnings.
This list tracks the 15 highest-paid Australian players in NBA history, using total salary earned as the measuring stick. It is a money-and-impact timeline, showing why Australia’s NBA footprint keeps getting bigger with each contract cycle.
15. Andrew Gaze – $810,000
Andrew Gaze’s NBA money is modest compared to the names that follow, but his place in Australian basketball history is massive. He logged only 26 NBA games, splitting time between the Bullets (1993-94) and Spurs (1998-99), and his NBA production reflects that role: 1.7 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. His best NBA salary season came in 2000, when he made $460,000, and his total NBA career earnings land at $810,000.
The bigger picture is that the NBA was never the main stage for him. Gaze was the face of the Melbourne Tigers for two decades, a Boomers cornerstone across multiple Olympic cycles, and one of the defining scorers the country has produced.
14. Cameron Bairstow – $1,352,395
Cameron Bairstow was drafted 49th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Bulls after a four-year college run at New Mexico, where he played his way into second-round range as a physical, frontcourt scorer and rebounder. In the NBA, he was mostly a depth piece. He spent two seasons with the Bulls (2014-15 and 2015-16), appeared in 36 total games, and made just three starts. The role was limited minutes, short stints, and a lot of nights as an end-of-bench big behind more established rotation options.
On the floor, the numbers match the usage. Bairstow finished his NBA career at 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game, the profile of a player who never got a real runway but still managed to hang around a roster for multiple seasons. Financially, that window still mattered: his total NBA earnings came to $1,352,395, and his peak salary season was 2016 at $845,059.
After his NBA stint ended, he played in the G League and then built a steadier career back in the NBL and overseas, with extended runs in Australia before his playing career wrapped in 2022.
13. Chris Anstey – $2,812,820
Chris Anstey was a legitimate NBA first-round story before most people had even adjusted to the idea of Australians going that high. He was the 18th pick in the 1997 draft, selected by the Trail Blazers and then moved to the Mavericks via a draft-night deal, which set up the start of his NBA run.
His NBA career was short, but not empty. He played three seasons, spent time with the Mavericks and then the Bulls, and finished with career averages of 5.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 155 games. The money reflects the era and the length of the stint: $2,812,820 total in NBA earnings.
12. Jock Landale – $18,591,770
Jock Landale’s NBA path has never been linear, but the through-line is pretty simple: he keeps forcing teams to treat him like more than a placeholder. He went undrafted in 2018, bounced through the Spurs and Suns before landing a four-year, $32.0 million deal with the Rockets in 2023, and his total NBA earnings sit at $18,591,770 so far, with him signing for the Grizzlies last offseason.
Across his NBA career, Landale has averaged 6.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, which is solid production for a big man whose early league identity was “energy backup.”
The peak salary piece is straightforward: his top NBA salary seasons are the $8.0 million years from that Houston contract structure. And the latest chapter is exactly what he can bring.
After the trade deadline, Landale immediately popped in his Hawks debut (from the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal), dropping 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in a 121-119 win over the Jazz.
11. Josh Green – $39,959,007
Josh Green entered the league as the 18th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and has steadily built the kind of résumé that gets wings paid in the modern NBA: defensive versatility, transition speed, and low-maintenance offense. He spent his first four seasons with the Mavericks before being moved in July 2024 as part of a six-team trade, landing with the Hornets in a deal that signaled Charlotte’s intent to add functional two-way pieces around its core.
Green’s career averages sit at 6.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, numbers that undersell his value because much of his role is structural rather than featured. Financially, he has already earned $39,959,007 in the NBA, with his peak salary scheduled for 2025-26 at $13,666,667. At this stage, he profiles as a stable rotation wing on a contract that reflects trust in his defense and the incremental improvement he has shown as a complementary shooter and cutter.
10. Josh Giddey – $52,214,807
Josh Giddey was selected sixth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and immediately established himself as a high-level playmaker with uncommon size for a lead guard. After three seasons with the Thunder, he was traded to the Bulls in June 2024 in exchange for Alex Caruso, a clear bet by the Bulls on Giddey’s on-ball creation as a long-term organizing piece.
Over his first five NBA seasons, he has averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game, production that places him in a narrow company for young guards in terms of all-around volume.
The earnings have accelerated quickly. Giddey’s career NBA earnings are listed at $52,214,807, and the defining moment financially is the Bulls’ commitment to him on a four-year, $100.0 million contract last summer, which formalizes his status as a foundational investment. Even before the deal reaches its highest seasons, he is set to earn $22,321,429 in 2025-26, a figure that aligns with the expectation that he will function as a primary creator rather than a secondary connector.
9. Aron Baynes – $37,739,510
Aron Baynes did not arrive in the NBA through the usual draft-and-development pipeline. He spent multiple years in Europe after college, then earned his NBA entry when the Spurs signed him in January 2013.
From there, he became the kind of big team’s trust in real minutes: a physical screener, a reliable rebounder, and a low-ego role player who could survive playoff possessions. Over nine NBA seasons with the Spurs, Pistons, Celtics, Suns, and Raptors, Baynes averaged 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
His career earnings total sit at $37,739,510, and his highest single-season salary came in 2020-21 at $7,000,000 with the Raptors. After his NBA run, Baynes returned to Australia with the Brisbane Bullets, and he officially announced his retirement in October 2024.
8. Matthew Dellavedova – $45,086,384
Matthew Dellavedova is one of the cleanest examples of undrafted value turning into a real NBA career. He went undrafted in 2013, signed with the Cavaliers, and carved out minutes the hard way: point-of-attack defense, ball security, and a willingness to play a role that often gets punished physically.
Across nine NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, Bucks, and Kings, he averaged 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, and his peak years were tied to Cleveland’s Finals runs, where his defensive pressure and composure translated on the biggest stage with the 2016 title.
Dellavedova’s NBA career earnings are listed at $45,086,384, and his peak salary season was 2017-18 at $9,607,500. After his NBA tenure, he returned to Australia to continue his professional career in the NBL, signing with Melbourne United in 2021.
7. Luc Longley – $42,784,900
Luc Longley is the original Australian NBA financial landmark, because he was the first to truly enter the league as a premium draft asset. He was selected seventh overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, then became the Bulls’ starting center during their second three-peat, winning championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
His game was not built around volume scoring, but he was a stabilizer: size, screens, interior passing, and the ability to hold up in a system that required discipline more than flair. Over 567 NBA games, Longley averaged 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Longley’s NBA career earnings are listed at $42,784,900, and his best salary year was 2003 at $6,900,000, a number that reflects how highly teams still valued dependable size in that era. He retired in the early 2000s, but his place on this list still matters because it shows how early Australia’s NBA footprint moved from novelty to real leverage.
6. Dante Exum – $54,061,946
Dante Exum entered the league with real expectations, going fifth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and landing with the Jazz as a long-term backcourt bet. His NBA career has been defined by flashes of high-end athleticism and repeated interruptions, but he has still compiled a meaningful run across multiple stops, including Utah, Cleveland, and Dallas.
Exum’s career averages are 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, which captures the reality of his role: a guard who has often been asked to stabilize second units rather than drive primary offense.
Financially, the biggest swing came with the Jazz contract he signed after his rookie deal, a three-year, $31 million deal in 2018, that carried a $9.6 million annual salary, which effectively served as his peak number in the NBA.
His career earnings through 2025 are listed at $54,061,946. ESPN reported in November 2025 that Exum needed another right knee procedure and would miss the entire 2025-26 season, being traded to the Wizards in the Anthony Davis deal and instantly waived.
5. Patty Mills – $85,559,433
Patty Mills is the archetype for how a specialist guard can turn a second-round entry point into a long, lucrative NBA career. He was drafted 55th in 2009, but his real NBA identity was forged with the Spurs, where his pace, off-ball shooting, and professionalism made him a playoff staple and a championship contributor in 2014.
Mills’ career production is steady and clean: 8.7 points per game and 2.2 assists across 921 regular-season games, which is exactly the type of reliability teams pay for when they want a veteran guard who won’t compromise structure.
Mills’ career earnings are listed at $85,559,433. His peak salary season came in 2020-21 at $13,285,714, the top year in the Spurs contract that reflected how valuable his spacing and speed were in that era’s guard market.
Mills has not been on a roster this season. He finished 2024-25 with the Clippers after being traded there from the Jazz in February 2025, and he entered 2025-26 as an unrestricted free agent. He is still unsigned in Australia, and there’s even noise that he’s exploring EuroLeague options rather than locking into an NBA bench role.
4. Joe Ingles – $86,263,062
Joe Ingles did not enter the NBA with draft capital or a developmental runway. He went undrafted, signed with the Clippers in September 2014, was waived days before opening night, and then the Jazz claimed him off waivers on October 27, 2014.
That waiver claim is the real starting point of his NBA career. Utah gave him structure, minutes, and eventually security, and Ingles turned it into one of the longest and most profitable Australian careers in league history.
Across his NBA career, Ingles has averaged 8.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, a stat line that fits what he has always been: a connector who keeps an offense organized, punishes closeouts, and makes the correct pass more often than the flashy one.
Financially, he has earned $86,263,062 in the NBA, and his best salary year was 2018-19, when he made $13,045,455 with the Jazz. As of the current cycle, he is with the Timberwolves on a one-year, veteran minimum deal for the 2025-26 season, functioning more as a veteran stabilizer than a nightly rotation staple.
3. Andrew Bogut – $117,226,213
Andrew Bogut was the first Australian to go No. 1 overall, selected by the Bucks in the 2005 NBA Draft, and he justified the investment with a prime built on rim protection, elite screening, and underrated passing feel for a true center.
Across 14 NBA seasons, he produced career averages of 9.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, and his best years came with the Warriors, becoming a champion in 2015.
Financially, Bogut’s NBA career earnings are listed at $117,226,213, and his peak salary year came in 2013-14 with the Warriors at $14.0 million, right in the heart of that era where starting-caliber bigs still commanded major cap space.
2. Ben Simmons – $203,356,689
Ben Simmons is the clearest example of Australian star power translating into true max-contract money. He went No. 1 overall in 2016, won Rookie of the Year, made multiple All-Star teams, and at his best, he was a rare roster-solving piece: a 6-foot-10 playmaker who could defend across positions and bend a game without scoring 25.
Over his career, he has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, production that explains why teams kept paying for the idea of the full version even as availability became the defining issue.
Simmons’ NBA career earnings are listed at $203,356,689, and his peak salary year was the final season of his five-year 76ers rookie-max deal, when he was being paid $40.3 million. After a Nets buyout, he signed with the Clippers in February 2025, but he has not announced retirement, and his current status is best described as unresolved: still technically in the player pool, but with the league now treating his next step as a health and role question more than a talent question.
1. Kyrie Irving – $347,701,173
Kyrie Irving tops this list because his NBA career has consistently lived in the max-salary ecosystem. He was born in Melbourne, became the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, and has produced star-level offense across the Cavaliers, Celtics, Nets, and Mavericks contexts without needing a specific system to function.
Over 779 regular-season games, Irving has averaged 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, a baseline that explains why his contract history never drifted under superstar territory.
The earnings reflect that sustained leverage. Irving has made $347,701,173 in career NBA earnings, the clear No. 1 figure among Australian-born players.
His current Mavericks deal is a three-year, $118.5 million contract, and the scheduled top annual salary on the books is $42,416,562 in 2027-28. That structure shows Irving’s lead is not only about what he has already earned, but also how long he has remained priced at the league’s highest tier.
His current context is entirely health-driven. On February 18, 2026, the Mavericks confirmed Irving will miss the entire 2025-26 season as he continues recovery from March 2025 knee surgery to repair a torn left ACL, with the organization pointing to a 2026-27 return timeline.
Before the injury ended his 2024-25 season early, he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 50 games, which is a key detail: the production level that created these paydays was still intact right up to the tear.
