Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the conclusion once again to one of our series. Over the last month-plus, we have released the rankings of the highest-paid players per position in NBA history. We began with the highest-paid point guards of all time, then brought to you the tier list of the highest-paid shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards. Now, with only one position left, it is time to reveal the highest-paid NBA centers of all time to bring this series to a close.
The following 25 NBA centers have all made between $125 million and $280 million in career earnings. Some may continue to add to their totals in the future while others are long retired and are locked in at their current spot on these four tiers. Regardless of where they fall, they have made themselves and their families generational wealth through hard work and sacrifice on the basketball court.
These are the highest-paid NBA centers of all-time ranked by tiers.
Tier 4 – $125 Million-$149 Million
Alonzo Mourning – $147,456,180
Andre Drummond – $145,098,705
Joakim Noah – $142,929,510
Serge Ibaka – $141,250,191
Jonas Valanciunas – $135,756,944
Al Jefferson – $133,787,578
Nene Hilario – $132,803,777
Derrick Favors – $130,897,737
Marcus Camby – $127,490,422
Dikembe Mutombo – $127,394,521
Zydrunas Ilgauskas – $125,346,156
The first tier of wealthy centers in NBA history will highlight the 11 players who made between $125 million and $149 million in their careers. Former two-time Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion Alonzo Mourning leads this tier with $147.45 million made in his career. Mourning earned the bulk of his money with the Miami Heat from 1998 through 2003, when he made between $11 million and $20 million annually. Mourning would win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards during this time in 1999 and 2000 averaging 21.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game.
Andre Drummond is next on this tier with his career earnings of $145.1 million. Drummond has been in the NBA for 12 seasons from 2013 to the present day having played for six different teams. Drummond is a four-time rebounding champion who earned over $22 million annually between 2017 and 2021 with the Pistons and Cavaliers. Currently, he is playing under a $3.4 million player option with the Chicago Bulls in 2023-24.
Joakim Noah is another defensive center who made $142.9 million in his career. Noah played 13 seasons in the NBA from 2008 through 2020 with the Bulls, Knicks, Grizzlies, and Clippers. Noah was a two-time All-Star and the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year for the Bulls. From $2012 through 2019, Noah made at least $12 million annually including an overpaid contract from the New York Knicks that was yet another expensive mistake leading to their Finals drought since 1999.
Another one of the great yet underrated defensive presences of the last 20 years is Serge Ibaka. During his 14-year career from 2010 through 2023, Ibaka made $141.3 million with five different teams. From 2014 through 2016, Ibaka made $12.25 million annually with the Oklahoma City Thunder. His salary ballooned to over $20 million from 2018 through 2020 with the Raptors whom he rewarded with an NBA championship run in 2019.
Jonas Valanciunas has been one of the most underrated big men in the NBA over the last few seasons. While many fans have not appreciated him, the ones making his contracts have with career earnings of $135.7 million to date. Since 2017, Valanciunas has made at least $14 million annually with the Raptors and Pelicans. Currently, he is under contract with New Orleans through 2023-24 for $15.44 million this season.
Al Jefferson is almost a forgotten NBA legend at this point. Jefferson played 14 seasons in the NBA from 2005 through 2018 with one All-NBA Team selection to his name. He earned $133.8 million in his career which he spent with five different teams including the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. Jefferson made $11 million minimum annually from 2009 through 2016 and reached a maximum of $15 million with the Jazz in 2013.
Nene Hilario is another underrated center who stacked his money over a 17-year NBA career. Nene earned $132.8 million during his career with the Nuggets, Wizards, and Rockets. Every season from 2010 through 2016, Nene was worth at least $10 million for his defensive presence and physical toughness that every team needs from their man in the middle.
Derrick Favors was the third overall pick by the Nets during the 2010 NBA draft. Favors would go on to have a decent 12-year career from 2011 through 2022 with the Jazz, Nets, Pelicans, and Thunder. He made $130.9 million during his career, making $11 million minimum every season from 2015 through 2020. He would also be paid $10.2 million in 2022-23 by the Houston Rockets even though he never stepped foot on the court for them in a competitive manner.
Marcus Camby is another defensive big man to sit on Tier 4 after his 17 seasons of NBA service. Camby made $127.5 million in his professional career but would not see his first season of over $10 million until the 2008-09 season, his 13th in the NBA. Camby earned $23 million toward the end of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2010 and 2011 as well as $5 million he was owed after retirement by the Toronto Raptors.
Dikembe Mutombo is the gold standard of defensive NBA big men with a record four Defensive Player of the Year awards in his 18-year career. Mutombo made $127.4 million in total in his career, making at least $10 million every season from 1999 through 2005 with the Hawks, 76ers, and Nets. Over 18 seasons, Mutombo would be an eight-time All-Star and finish second in NBA history with 3,289 career blocked shots.
The final member of Tier 4 is none other than Zydrunas Ilgauskas who made $125.3 million in his 13-year career. Despite early career foot injuries that cost him two full seasons, Ilgauskas rallied to become a formidable NBA center in the 2000s. The two-time All-Star would play 12 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers whom he helped reach their first NBA Finals in 2007. Ilgauskas made at least $10 million every season from 2001 through 2010 except for 2006 and 2007 when he earned $9 million annually.
Tier 3 – $150 Million-$199 Million
Nikola Jokic – $198,124,795
Brook Lopez – $197,049,673
Tyson Chandler – $187,576,101
Karl-Anthony Towns – $182,267,423
Marc Gasol – $181,665,456
DeAndre Jordan – $174,286,584
Nikola Vucevic – $172,857,158
Jermaine O’Neal – $167,579,153
Steven Adams – $157,744,832
The next tier of players is Tier 3 which highlights the nine NBA centers who have made between $150 million and $199 Million in their NBA careers. Two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion Nikola Jokic leads this tier having made $198.1 million so far in his nine-year career. Jokic has made at least $24 million every season since 2019 and $30 million annually since 2022. Currently, he is under contract with the Denver Nuggets through 2027-28 which will see him paid over $45 million every season and have a player option in 2027-28 worth $62.8 million.
Brook Lopez is next on Tier 3 having made $197.1 million over the last 15 seasons in the NBA. Lopez has been an All-Star once and won an NBA championship in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks. Lopez has made over $13 million every season since 2013 with the Nets, Lakers, and Bucks. He is signed with Milwaukee over the next two seasons earning $25 million in 2023-24 and $23 million in 2024-25.
Tyson Chandler may be a shock for some to see on Tier 3 but his contributions to the game for 19 seasons cannot be understated. He was enormous in 2011 for the Mavericks during their championship run and followed that up with Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 for the Knicks. Between 2008 and 2019, he made at least $10 million annually with the Hornets, Mavericks, Knicks, and Suns.
Karl-Anthony Towns is known for signing one of the largest contracts in NBA history just a few seasons ago with the Minnesota Timberwolves. That deal has made him $182.3 million over the last eight seasons with plenty of more time to make his way up this list. Towns has made at least $27 million every season since 2020 with Minnesota and is signed with the team through 2027-28. He will begin to make $50 million annually in 2025-26 and has a player option worth $61.1 million for 2027-28.
Marc Gasol is a former NBA center and Defensive Player of the Year who made $181.6 million in his career from 2009 through 2021. Gasol was a three-time All-Star who earned between $12 million and $19.7 million annually from 2012 through 2016. Gasol then earned over $20 million from 2017 through 2020 before retiring in 2022 with the Grizzlies once again.
DeAndre Jordan has seen the benefit of inflation in the NBA over the last decade perhaps more than any big man there is. Jordan is a former two-time rebounding champion and one-time All-Star who made $174.3 million in his 15-plus year career. Jordan has earned at least $10 million in nine of his 15 seasons and over $20 million in three seasons from 2017 through 2019. Currently, Jordan is under contract for 2023-24 with the Nuggets for $2 million after being a part of their championship squad in 2023.
Nikola Vucevic has made the most of his 13-year NBA career with the 76ers, Magic, and Bulls. He has made $172.8 million in that time with much more to come before it is all said and done. With two All-Star selections under his belt, Vucevic has made at least $11 million every season since 2016 and at least $20 million every year since 2020. Currently, Vucevic is under contract with the Bulls through 2025-26 making $18.5 million this season and over $20 million in each of the next two seasons.
Jermaine O’Neal does not get enough credit for his play during the 2000s for the Indiana Pacers. The 18-year veteran was a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA team selection and earned $167.5 million in his NBA career with the Trail Blazers, Pacers, Heat, Celtics, Suns, and Warriors. From 2004 through 2010, O’Neal was worth anywhere from $13 million to $23 million annually which he earned with his relentless two-way game.
The final member of Tier 3 is current Memphis Grizzlies big man Steven Adams. Known as one of the last enforcers in the NBA these days, Adams has made $157.4 million in earnings over the last 10 seasons. Adams made between $22 million and $29 million annually from 2018 through 2021 and just over $17 million in each of his last two seasons in Memphis. In 2023-24 and 2024-25, he is set to make $12.6 million each season with the Grizzlies as well.
Tier 2 – $200 Million-$249 Million
Dwight Howard – $245,142,483
Rudy Gobert – $217,207,582
Joel Embiid – $214,429,387
In Tier 2, we enter into a different tax bracket and the three centers who earned between $200 million and $249 million in their NBA careers. Dwight Howard sits atop this tier with the $245.1 million made in his 18-year NBA career. The former three-time Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion made at least #13 million annually every season from 2009 through 2019 which included $20 million or more every season from 2014 through 2018 as well.
Rudy Gobert is considered by many to be one of the most overpaid players of the last 20 seasons. Having made $217.2 million during his career, Gobert has certainly earned it with three Defensive Player of the Year awards which may turn into a fourth in 2023-24. Gobert has made a minimum of $21 million annually since 2018 with the Jazz and over $30 million in 2022 and 2023. He is also set to make over $40 million in 2024 and 2025 with a player option for $46.65 million in 2025-26.
The reigning MVP and two-time scoring champion Joel Embiid brings Tier 2 to a close with the $214.4 million he has made since his NBA debut in 2016-17. After missing his first two seasons with foot injuries, Embiid has been the franchise cornerstone for the 76ers for the last eight seasons. Embiid has made at least $25 million every year since 2019 and at least $30 million since 2022. He is one of nine players set to make over $50 million in 2024-25 and has a player option worth $59 million in 2026-27.
Tier 1 – $250 Million+
Shaquille O’Neal – $280,344,668
Al Horford – $275,636,768
Up to this point, there have been only two centers that have made over $250 million in their careers. Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant force on the court during the 2000s with the Lakers, winning three straight championships and Finals MVP awards from 2000 through 2002. O’Neal knew how to handle his business, making $10 million or more every season from 1997 through 2010. During those 14 years, O’Neal would also have nine seasons in a row from 2002 through 2010 in which he made at least $20 million.
The final NBA center to earn over $250 million in his career may have you scratching your head a bit. Al Horford has been an extremely valuable presence for every team he has played for but $275.6 million is a lot of money for someone who has never led their team to an NBA title. Regardless, Horford has been a walking ATM, earning at least $12 million every season since 2012 and at least $26 million every season since 2017. Horford’s contract is a bit more friendly moving forward as he is set to make $10 million this season with the Celtics and $9.5 million in 2024-25.
