The shooting guard position has been home to some of the greatest players in NBA history. Much like the point guard position, shooting guards have also had their fair share of big earners in their NBA careers. Thanks to their propensity to be elite scorers and at times, the best overall players on the court, the best of the best at the shooting guard position are also among the highest-paid players in NBA history.
Today, we will break down the 25 highest-paid shooting guards in NBA history and rank them by tiers according to their total career earnings. From the sub-$100 million All-Stars to the $300 million-plus MVPs, this list of shooting guards never came up short in their wallets or their production on the basketball court.
These are the highest-paid shooting guards in NBA history ranked by tiers.
Tier 5 – $100 Million-$149 Million
Evan Fournier – $145,384,369
Tim Hardaway Jr. – $138,406,221
Manu Ginobili – $129,539,615
Jamal Crawford – $124,283,187
J.J. Redick – $118,395,008
Allan Houston – $117,556,300
Richard Hamilton – $114,666,043
Reggie Miller – $103,864,768
Michael Redd – $101,991,325
Mike Miller – $100,776,913
We start things off with Tier 5 and the 10 NBA shooting guards who made between $100 million and $150 million in their NBA careers. Surprisingly enough, Evan Fournier is the leader of this tier at $145.4 million and counting. Fournier has spent 11 seasons in the NBA with the Nuggets, Magic, and Knicks averaging 14.0 points per game during his career. The 2023-24 season will be his highest-earning season in his career, making $18.85 million for the Knicks. He has yet to see a minute of action in four games this season and due to his large contract, has been difficult to move off of for New York.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is another non-All-Star so far in his career to appear on Tier 5 having made $138.4 million over the last 10-plus seasons. Hardaway Jr. currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks, where he has been since 2019 after six seasons split between the Hawks and Knicks. Hardaway Jr. is averaging 14.0 points per game for his career and peaked as an 18.1 points per game scorer in 2019. Hardaway Jr. has made more than $16 million per season every year since 2018 and is due $34 million over the next two seasons in Dallas.
Manu Ginobili is far and away the most accomplished member of Tier 5 having made $129.5 million in his 16-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. The former Sixth Man of the Year and two-time All-Star played with the Spurs from 2003 through 2018, helping them win four NBA championships in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. His highest-paid seasons came from 2010 through 2013 when he made over $10.7 million annually.
Jamal Crawford is another longtime NBA veteran who had a lucrative career as one of the best bench players in NBA history. Crawford made $124.3 million over 20 seasons with nine different teams from 2001 through 2020. Crawford earned the distinction as one of the best bench players in NBA history by winning three Sixth Man of the Year awards in 2010, 2014, and 2016. His highest-earning season came on the heels of his third award in 2017 with the Clippers when he made $13.25 million.
J.J. Redick is known as one of the greatest three-point and free throw shooters in NBA history. Being fortunate enough to play in an era where that was celebrated and highly rewarded allowed him to make $118.4 million in 15 seasons in the NBA with six different teams. Redick was a sniper for the Clippers and Sixers from 2014-2020, averaging over 15.0 points per game every season while earning a career-high $23 million in 2018 with Philadelphia.
Allan Houston is one of the many players in NBA history that the Knicks overpaid on their $3.0 billion spending spree since their last Finals appearance in 1999. Houston was also a talented scorer and shooter from the perimeter who made two All-Star Teams in his career. Houston played 12 seasons from 1994 through 2005 with the Pistons and Knicks averaging 20.0 points per game or better in 2002 and 2003. Injuries cut his career short but not before receiving one of the worst contracts in NBA history from the Knicks which made him one of the highest-paid shooting guards annually and paid him well into retirement.
Richard Hamilton is one of three players in Tier 5 to ever win an NBA championship. Hamilton was at his best with the Detroit Pistons from 2003 to 2011 with three All-Star selections and an NBA title in 2004. Between 2008 and 2012, Hamilton made the most money of his career, making anywhere from $10.0 to $12.5 million each season.
Reggie Miller is one of the most clutch performers in NBA history. The Indiana Pacers star made $103.9 million in his 18-year career with the Pacers from 1988 through 2005. Miller was never able to lead his team to an NBA championship but thanks to his clutch gene, three-point prowess, and soul-crushing performances, he was paid handsomely including several seasons making over $10 million scattered throughout his career.
Michael Redd is easily one of the most underrated NBA players from the 2000s. He spent nearly his entire career with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2001-2011 averaging 20.0 points per game. Although he was underpaid during his younger years with the team, he began to make $12 million in the 2006 season and exceeded that amount annually through 2011 when he made $18.3 million. Redd would become a one-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA Team selection in 2004 making just $3 million.
The final member of Tier 5 is yet another three-point specialist who cashed in at the right time. Mike Miller played 17 seasons from 2001 through 2017 and made $100.8 million during that time. Miller was a savant from beyond the three-point line and would be a large part of two championship runs for the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. Miller averaged just 10.6 points per game for his career, peaking at 18.5 points per game in 2007.
Tier 4 – $150 Million-$199 Million
Dwyane Wade – $196,388,473
Ray Allen – $182,404,830
Eric Gordon – $179,769,741
Vince Carter – $171,885,974
Devin Booker – $166,532,853
Zach LaVine – $163,589,268
Tracy McGrady – $162,425,370
Allen Iverson – $154,770,668
Tier 4 will include the eight NBA shooting guards in NBA history who made between $150 million and $199 million in their NBA careers. Dwyane Wade is the King of this tier with $196.4 million made in 16 seasons with the Heat, Cavaliers, and Bulls. Wade is a former three-time NBA champion and Finals MVP who made 13 All-Star games and eight All-NBA Teams in his career. Despite his incredible standing in NBA history, Wade made just over $20 million in a season twice toward the end of his career in 2016 and 2017.
Ray Allen is next on Tier 4 with $182 million made throughout 18 seasons in the NBA with the Bucks, SuperSonics, Celtics, and Heat. Allen won two NBA championships in his career as well as earned 10 All-Star selections and two All-NBA Teams. Allen’s highest-earning stop in his career would be with the Celtics in 2008 and 2010 when he made over $18 million per season on the heels of their 2008 championship run. Allen would retire as the NBA’s three-point field goals leader until his record was broken in 2021-22 by Stephen Curry.
Eric Gordon is an outlier on Tier 4 who must have been armed with an NBA superagent of some sort. Gordon is in his 16th season in 2023-24 spending time with the Pelicans, Rockets, Clippers, and Suns. In 2017, Gordon earned the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award with the Rockets averaging 16.2 points per game. From 2013 through 2023, Gordon earned a minimum of $12.4 million annually but signed with the Suns this summer for the veteran’s minimum of $3.2 million.
If you are a fan of 2000s basketball, then you know Vince Carter was an absolute superstar during that time. With his freak athleticism and raw power, Carter became one of the NBA’s biggest stars and main attractions despite never really being in contention for anything that resembled an NBA title. Carter earned $171.8 million over the course of 22 seasons in the NBA with his highest-earning season coming in 2011 with the Suns at $17.3 million.
Devin Booker’s ascension to being one of the NBA’s top shooting guards and overall players has been amazing to watch. Over the last four seasons, Booker has made over $27 million annually which has paid off with multiple All-Star selections and a trip to the NBA Finals in 2021 for the Phoenix Suns. Booker will undoubtedly skyrocket up this list by the end of his next contract which is due to pay him $49.7 million in 2024-25 and $61.6 million by 2027-28.
Zach LaVine is in the same boat as Booker having become an electrifying ALl-Star in the NBA over the last 10 seasons with the Timberwolves and Bulls. LaVine is a two-time All-Star who has averaged 23.0 or more points per game since 2019 but has come with some injury concerns. LaVine is due to make $40 million in 2023-24 and is signed through 2025-25 with a player option in 2026-27 worth $49 million.
When it comes to skill and pure talent, Tracy McGrady is one of the only players on this list truly worth $300 million. McGrady took the NBA by storm during the 200s with the Raptors, Rockets, and Magic with multiple scoring titles, All-Star appearances, and clutch performances that will never be forgotten. McGrady would earn $162.4 million over 15 seasons in the NBA but it could have been a lot more if injuries didn’t derail it.
The final member of Tier 4 is one of the most influential players in NBA history. Allen Iverson changed the game with his style off the court and his mentality as a 6’0’’ elite scorer on the court. Although Iverson made more money off shoe and brand deals, he still pulled in $154.7 million in his 14 years as an NBA player. The 2001 MVP and four-time scoring champ made $10 million or more every season from 2001 through 2009 which topped out at $20.8 million in 2009.
Tier 3 – $200 Million-$249 Million
DeMar DeRozan – $230,005,770
CJ McCollum – $215,393,598
Joe Johnson – $215,168,975
Just three NBA shooting guards make up Tier 3 making between $200 million and $249 million in their NBA careers. DeMar DeRozan is the leader of Tier 3 having made $230 million in a 15-year career with the Raptors, Spurs, and Bulls. DeRozan has been a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA Team selection during this time, averaging 21.0 points per game during his career. DeRozan has made over $26.5 million every season since 2017 with the Raptors and is set to make $28.6 million in 2023-24. DeRozan will be a free agent at the end of this season and it will be interesting to see who signs the 34-year-old, and for how much to propel him perhaps into Tier 2 by the end of his career.
CJ McCollum is playing in his 11th NBA season in 2023-24. McCollum broke into the NBA with the Trail Blazers in 2013 and has become an underrated star since that time. Despite never being named an All-Star, McCollum has certainly been paid like one, making over $23 million every season since 2018. McCollum is currently under contract with the New Orleans Pelicans through 2025-26 and is set to make over $30.6 million annually through the end of that deal.
Joe Johnson is one of the best clutch scorers in NBA history. He ranks in the top five in career buzzer-beaters in 18 seasons of play from 2002-2028 and again in 2022. Johnson was a seven-time All-Star as well who averaged over 21.0 points per game at his peak. Johnson made over $12 million every season from 2006 through 2016 and over $20 million from 2014 through 2016 with the Brooklyn Nets.
Tier 2 – $250 Million-$299 Million
Bradley Beal – $267,875,552
Klay Thompson – $266,164,224
The two shooting guards who made up Tier 2 on our list are both actively still playing at a high level and are set to join Tier 1 in the coming seasons. Bradley Beal has made $267.9 million in his career with the Wizards and now Suns from 2013 through the present day. Beal secured one of the best, or worst, contracts in NBA history when he signed a five-year, $251 million deal in 2022 with Washington that included a no-trade clause. Beal is set to be one of nine players to make over $50 million in 2024-25 and has a player option worth $57.1 million for 2026-27.
Klay Thompson is one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history and one-half of one of the greatest backcourts in NBA history. Over the last 13 seasons, Thompson has helped the Warriors win four NBA titles and has made $266.2 million during that run. Now, in 2023-24, Thompson is making $43.2 million in the final season of his deal with the team with no signs of an extension in sight. This summer, depending on the money offered, we could see Klay Thompson become a free agent for the first time in his career.
Tier 1 – $300 Million+
James Harden – 338,529,540
Kobe Bryant – $323,312,307
In NBA history, there have been only two shooting guards to make over $300 million from NBA contracts. After seven seasons, James Harden has dethroned Kobe Bryant as the highest-paid shooting guard ever with $338.5 million made since 2010. Harden has been an MVP, three-time scoring champ, two-time assists champ, and 10-time All-Star in his career. He has made over $25 million every season since 2017 and made over $40 million per season in 2022 and 2023. Harden is currently playing on a $35.6 million player option for the Clippers in 2023-24 after being dealt from the Sixers earlier this week.
Kobe Bryant’s long run as the highest-paid shooting guard in NBA history comes to an end after seven seasons atop the list. From 1996 through 2016, Bryant became a global NBA icon and one of the greatest players ever with five NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, and an MVP in 2008. Over the course of his 20-year career with the Lakers, Bryant made $323.3 million with eight seasons making over $21 million per season.
The final member of Tier 1 is current Clippers shooting guard Paul George.
