The importance of the point guard position in the NBA can never be understated. Point guards are often the engine that makes a team go on both sides of the ball as the first lines of defense on defense and the leader of the entire offense on the other side. Due to how important they continue to be over time, point guards also continue to be some of the highest-paid in the history of the league with four point guards ranking in the top 10 and seven point guards ranking in the top 20.
Today, we will rank these 25 highest-paid point guards in NBA history by tiers based on their career earnings. Some of these names may surprise you based on how they are viewed on an all-time scale but it’s important to remember how much more NBA players make in today’s league compared to even 20 years ago. I mean, just take a look at the highest-paid point guards in the NBA from 1986 to now, the difference is staggering. Now, it’s time to see which point guards used their abilities to their advantage in contract negotiations over the years and became the highest-paid players at their position.
These are the highest-paid NBA point guards of all time ranked by tiers.
Tier 5 – $100 Million-$149 Million
Baron Davis – $147,692,983
Steve Nash – $146,936,620
Reggie Jackson – $144,275,194
D’Angelo Russell – $140,343,478
Ricky Rubio – $126,032,567
Ben Simmons – $125,125,137
George Hill – $112,353,436
Jamal Murray – $102,636,309
The tiers of the NBA’s highest-paid point guards ever start with the player who accumulated anywhere from $100 million to $149 million in career earnings. The leader of this group is Baron Davis who played 13 seasons from 2000-2012. He made the bulk of his money from 2004-2013 with the Hornets, Clippers, Warriors, and Cavaliers making anywhere from $10 million to $16.4 million annually. Davis would go on to become a two-time All-Star, a one-time All-NBA Team selection, and a two-time steals champ in his career.
It is pretty incredible that two-time MVP Steve Nash ranks so low on this list but then again, Magic Johnson didn’t even make the cut. Nash played 18 seasons in the NBA from 1997 through 2014 with the Suns, Mavericks, and Lakers. Nash would be an eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA Team selection, and a five-time assists champ along with back-to-back MVP awards in 2006 and 2007. Nash’s highest-earning seasons would come from 2007-2012 with Phoenix when he made $10 million-$13 million annually.
Reggie Jackson being on this list is one of the more outrageous things you will see. Jackson has been decent during his 12-year career averaging 12.8 points and 4.2 assists per game for his career but to be the 20th-highest-paid point guard ever is incredible. Jackson made the bulk of his earnings with the Pistons from 2015-2020 earning $14 million to $17.3 million annually. During this time, Jackson averaged 16.2 points and 5.6 assists per game as their starting point guard.
D’Angelo Russell has had an up-and-down NBA career that began in Los Angeles with the Lakers in 2016-16. Eight years and three teams later, Russell is back in L.A. earning $36 million over the next two seasons with the Lakers. In between Lakers stints, Russell made big money with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2020 through 2022. During that time, Russell earned anywhere from $28 million to $30 million annually and another $31.4 million in 2022-23. Russell was an All-Star once in 2019 with the Nets and has no other accolades to his name.
Ricky Rubio is a 12-year veteran of the NBA who is most well-known for being one of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ picks before Stephen Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft. Rubio was never an elite talent when it came to spring but his playmaking and passing were something to watch. Between 2016 and 2022 with the Timberwolves, Jazz, Suns, and Pacers, Rubio made over $110 million averaging 11.6 points, 7.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Unanimously, Ben Simmons has to be one of the most overpaid players in recent memory. This isn’t to say that the $125 million man wasn’t on a trajectory to earn that type of money because he was but has fallen off a cliff in remarkable fashion. The three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Simmons has only played in 100 games since the start of the 2020-21 season with the 76ers and Nets. During that time, he made $99 million over three seasons while completely deteriorating production-wise. He is set to make $37.9 million in 2023-24 as well, making him extremely overpaid for this season until he proves otherwise.
Finding George Hill in the top 25 highest-paid point guards in NBA history is another shocking revelation on this list. Hill has never been an All-Star or All-NBA Team member but has always secured his money over the last 15 seasons in the NBA. Hill made as much as $20 million in a season in 2018 with the Cavaliers as well as $19 million with the Bucks in 2019. Over the course of his career, Hill made $112.4 million averaging 10.4 points and 3.1 assists on 45.7% shooting.
The final member of Tier 5 is a point guard I expect to see shooting up these rankings in the next few seasons. Jamal Murray helped the Denver Nuggets capture their first NBA championship in 2023 despite not being named an All-Star or All-NBA Team selection as of yet. Murray has strung together a few great postseason runs in his career so far and has returned from knee injuries ready to continue building a potential dynasty in Denver with Nikola Jokic. Over the last three seasons with Denver, Murray has made just over $102 million and is owed $70 million over the next two seasons.
Tier 4 – $150 Million-$199 Million
Kemba Walker – $198,420,986
Jason Kidd – $187,675,468
Tony Parker – $168,282,460
Derrick Rose – $164,537,126
Gilbert Arenas – $163,061,257
Goran Dragic – $155,990,919
Deron Williams – $152,027,631
Stephon Marbury – $151,115,945
Tier 4 of the highest-paid point guards consists of eight players who accumulated between $150 million and $199 million in their NBA careers. It begins with Kemba Walker who made a whopping $198.4 million in his 12 seasons in the NBA from 2012 through 2023. Walker is a four-time All-Star and one of the greatest players in Charlotte Hornets’ history. Walker made over $32 million in 2019 and 2020 with the Celtics and had contracts with the Thunder in 2022 and 20223 worth over $25 million.
Jason Kidd was always one of the highest-paid point guards in the NBA during his career and his spot on this list reflects it. Kidd earned $187.6 million in earnings by becoming one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. Kidd would be named an All-Star 10 times, an All-NBA Team selection six times, and an All-Defensive Team selection nine times. Over the course of 19 seasons with the Suns, Mavericks, Nets, and Knicks, Kidd became the 11th highest-paid point guard in NBA history.
Tony Parker is third on Tier 4 with career earnings of $168.3 million. Parker spent the majority of 18 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs where he helped them win four NBA championships including in 2007 when he was named Finals MVP. Along with his championship pedigree, Parker earned his salary with six All-Star selections and four All-NBA Team selections averaging 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game.
Before Derrick Rose was considered one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history, his career path sent him on an all-time great trajectory in the early 2010s. Rose would capture the MVP award in 2011, becoming the youngest winner in NBA history which earned him some big dollars with the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, knee injuries derailed his career but Rose has managed to keep going, earning $164.5 million in 14 years of play with the Bulls, Knicks, Cavaliers, Pistons, and Grizzlies.
From 2005-2007, Gilbert Arenas was one of the most electrifying point guards in the NBA. He earned three straight All-Star and All-NBA Team selections averaging 27.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. It all went downhill after Arenas was handed one of the longest suspensions in NBA history after pulling a firearm on his teammate followed by years riddled with knee injuries. Despite the fall, the rise of Gilbert Arenas was enough to make him the 14th-highest-paid point guard in NBA history at $163.1 million.
Although never an elite and consistent threat, Goran Dragic played the point guard position to near-perfection at his peak. Dragic got his start in 2008-09 and has appeared with the Suns, Rockets, Heat, Nets, Bulls, and Bucks in that span through 2023. Dragic was an All-Star once back in 2018 with Miami and helped them reach the NBA Finals in 2020. He has averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 assists per game over the course of his career, making him $155.9 million in the process.
There was a time during the late 2000s and early 2010s in which Deron Williams was legitimately the best point guard in the NBA. With his mix of offensive skills and defensive pedigree, Williams made it a real conversation between himself and Chris Paul. Unfortunately, injuries would catch up with Williams after three All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections. He never returned to All-Star status before he retired in 2017 but still netted $152 million in his career.
The final player on this list is none other than Stephon Marbury. For most of his career, Marbury was seen in a negative light thanks to public contract disputes and odd behavior every once in a while. There was no denying how good he was on the court for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. Marbury became a consistent 20.0 points and 8.0 assists per game player for most of his career, especially with the Knicks who paid him handsomely the last five seasons of his career. In total, Marbury made $151.1 million in 13 seasons making him the 17th-highest-paid point guard in NBA history.
Tier 3 – $200 Million-$249 Million
Kyle Lowry – $245,475,379
Kyrie Irving – $236,774,149
Damian Lillard – $235,571,003
Jrue Holiday – $222,534,244
Tier 3 introduces us to the four point guards in NBA history who have made between $200 and $249 million in their careers, although their resumes are quite familiar. NBA champion and six-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry gets things started with the $245.5 million he has made in his career from 2007 through 2023. Lowry has averaged 14.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 1.5 steals over the last 17 seasons and has made at least $26.9 million every season since 2017-18 with the Raptors and Heat.
Kyrie Irving is one of the most skilled players in the history of the NBA. Despite the “controversies” that follow him, Irving has earned $236.7 million over the last 12 seasons in the NBA. Irving’s ridiculous offensive play highlighted by his elite handles has led to an NBA title in 2016, eight All-Star selections, three All-NBA team selections, and a three-year, $130 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason.
Damian Lillard is one of the greatest three-point shooting point guards in NBA history. Over the last 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard has put together a career worth of a selection to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2022. Lillard has made $235.5 million over 11 seasons, all with the Trail Blazers, averaging 25.2 points per game. He has made seven All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams in his career. In 2023-24, Lillard will be a part of the best duo in the NBA with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks while earning $45.6 million.
The final point guard on tier 3 is one of the best two-way point guards over the last decade in the NBA, Jrue Holiday. Along with being one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, Holiday has been an All-Star twice and helped the Bucks win an NBA championship in 2021. The $222.5 million he has earned over the last 14 seasons shows just how much he has meant to various organizations along the way. In 2023-24, he will open the year with the Celtics, set to make $36.8 million.
Tier 2 – $250 Million-$299 Million
John Wall – $276,580,866
Mike Conley – $252,221,596
Just two point guards in NBA history have made between $250 million and $299 million in their careers and make Tier 2 of our list. John Wall was one of the best point guards in the NBA during the 2010s making five straight All-Star appearances from 2014 through 2018 averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Wall’s two-way dominance earned him massive deals with the Wizards at the time that have totaled $276.6 million in his 13-year career.
Mike Conley has spent the better of his 16-year career as one of the more overpaid point guards ever. Conley’s defense and scoring made him one of the more prominent players on the Grizzlies during their 2010s runs as well as a key member of the Utah Jazz from 2020 through 2023. Conley has been an All-Star just once in his career averaging 14.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Despite the lack of accolades, he has made $252.2 million in his NBA career and is the fifth-highest-paid point guard in NBA history.
Tier 1 – $300+ Million
Chris Paul – $359,377,385
Russell Westbrook – $338,836,512
Stephen Curry – $305,929,066
Just three point guards in NBA history have eclipsed the $300 million mark in their careers and are among the 10 highest-paid players in NBA history. Chris Paul is the highest-paid point guard in NBA history, making just under $360 million over the course of 18 seasons. Paul has never been able to capture an NBA championship in his long and illustrious career but has netted his large salary with 12 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, nine All-Defensive Team selections, six steals titles, and five assists titles. In 2023-24, Paull will be with the Golden State Warriors, a former bitter rival, who will pay him $30.8 million this season and $30 million next season.
Russell Westbrook is the second-highest-paid point guard in NBA history and the fourth-highest-paid player of all time. Westbrook is a former MVP who averaged a triple-double over the course of an entire season four different times. In his 15-year career, Westbrook has made nine All-Star teams and nine All-NBA Teams with two scoring titles and three assists titles. In 2023-24, Westbrook signed for the veteran’s minimum with the Clippers, making $3.8 million.
After this season, Stephen Curry will overtake Westbrook’s spot at second on this list after becoming the first NBA player in history to make $50 million in a season. Although nine players will earn such a salary in 2024-25, Curry has earned the historic achievement with a decade of greatness for the Golden State Warriors. With four NBA titles, a Finals MVP, and two MVPs while becoming the greatest shooter in the world, Curry has been the highest-paid player in the NBA since 2018-19. His massive salary will only continue to grow until he is No. 1 on this list in just a few seasons.
