The 18 highest-paid NBA players of all time

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The 18 highest-paid NBA players of all time
  • NBA contracts keep getting bigger and bigger.
  • There are 18 players whose earnings have topped $200 million and they are all still active.
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18. DeMar DeRozan — $201.7 million

18. DeMar DeRozan — $201.7 million
DeMar DeRozan.David Zalubowski/AP Images

Age: 33

Team: Chicago Bulls

Awards: 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA

Career stats: 20.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists

Current contract: 3 years, $82 million

One thing to know: Some NBA analysts mocked the Bulls for giving DeRozan an $82 million contract last summer, but he made it look like a good deal by averaging a career-high 27.9 points per game.

17. Gordon Hayward — $206.8 million

17. Gordon Hayward — $206.8 million
Gordon Hayward.Chris Szagola/AP Images

Age: 32

Team: Charlotte Hornets

Awards: 1x All-Star

Career stats: 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $120 million

One thing to know: Hayward is an impactful player when he plays, but staying healthy has been a problem — he's played more than 70 games just once in the last five seasons.

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16. LaMarcus Aldridge — $213.3 million

16. LaMarcus Aldridge — $213.3 million
LaMarcus Aldridge in 2022.Steven Senne/AP Images

Age: 37

Team: Free agent

Awards: 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA

Career stats: 19.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists

Current contract: n/a

One thing to know: Aldridge wasn't the flashiest player, but at his peak, he owned one of the most skillful low-post games and a buttery jumper that allowed him to average 20-plus points per game in seven seasons.

15. Kyle Lowry — $217 million

15. Kyle Lowry — $217 million
Kyle Lowry.Matt Slocum/AP Images

Age: 36

Team: Miami Heat

Awards: 6x All-Star, 1x All-NBA

Career stats: 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists

Current contract: 3 years, $85 million

One thing to know: Lowry is unique in that he didn't make his first All-Star team until his ninth season, when he was 28. He's been one of the NBA's best guards since.

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14. Paul George — $217.1 million

14. Paul George — $217.1 million
Paul George.Matt Slocum/AP Images

Age: 32

Team: LA Clippers

Awards: 7x All-Star, 6x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, Most Improved Player

Career stats: 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $176 million

One thing to know: George has long been one of the NBA's best two-way players but has struggled to stay healthy. He's played in just 58% of games the last three seasons.

13. Mike Conley — $227 million

13. Mike Conley — $227 million
Mike Conley.Charles Krupa/AP Images

Age: 34

Team: Utah Jazz

Awards: 1x All-Star, 1x All-Defensive

Career stats: 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists

Current contract: 3 years, $68 million

One thing to know: Conley may not have made many All-Star teams, but he's always been among the steadiest, two-way guards in the NBA and a fit on any team.

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12. John Wall — $229.1 million

12. John Wall — $229.1 million
John Wall.Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Age: 31

Team: LA Clippers

Awards: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA, 1x All-Defensive

Career stats: 19.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists

Current contract: 2 years, $13 million

One thing to know: The bulk of John Wall's earnings came from a 4-year, $171 million contract he signed in 2017. Because of injuries and a trade request, he played just 40 games on it.

11. Kevin Love — $235.2 million

11. Kevin Love — $235.2 million
Kevin Love.Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Images

Age: 33

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Awards: 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, Most Improved Player

Career stats: 17.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $120 million

One thing to know: Love is entering the final year of his contract. Might this be his last season in Cleveland?

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10. Al Horford — $239.1 million

10. Al Horford — $239.1 million
Al Horford in 2022.Jed Jacobsohn/AP Images

Age: 36

Team: Boston Celtics

Awards: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA, 1x All-Defensive

Career stats: 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $109 million

One thing to know: According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Horford has only $14.5 million of his $26.5 million salary guaranteed, but it becomes fully guaranteed if he wins the Finals. The Celtics are currently the betting favorites to win the championship.

9. Dwight Howard — $245.1 million

9. Dwight Howard — $245.1 million
Dwight Howard in 2022.Rick Scuteri/AP Images

Age: 36

Team: Free agent

Awards: 8x All-Star, 8x All-NBA, 3x Defensive Player of the Year, 5x All-Defensive

Career stats: 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists

Current contract: n/a

One thing to know: Howard ranks ninth in all-time earnings, but he has never signed a deal worth over $100 million, a sign of his longevity in the league.

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8. Stephen Curry — $254.7 million

8. Stephen Curry — $254.7 million
Stephen Curry.Steven Senne/AP Images

Age: 34

Team: Golden State Warriors

Awards: 2X MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 8x All-Star, 8x All-NBA

Career stats: 24.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $215 million

One thing to know: Curry was once underpaid, becoming MVP on a four-year, $44 million contract. Last summer, he became the first player to ever sign a second $200 million deal.

7. Blake Griffin — $255.7 million

7. Blake Griffin — $255.7 million
Blake Griffin in 2022.John Minchillo/AP Images

Age: 33

Team: Free agent

Awards: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA

Career stats: 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists

Current contract: n/a

One thing to know: Griffin is only three years removed from an All-NBA season. He has certainly lost a step since, and he fell out of favor with the Nets last year, but he might still have more to offer a contender in a limited role.

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6. Carmelo Anthony — $262.5 million

6. Carmelo Anthony — $262.5 million
Carmelo Anthony.Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Images

Age: 38

Team: Free agent

Awards: 10x All-Star, 8x All-NBA

Career stats: 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists

Current contract: n/a

One thing to know: Anthony is just 307 points away from passing Shaquille O'Neal for 10th all time in points.

5. James Harden — $268.6 million

5. James Harden — $268.6 million
James Harden.Carlos Osorio/AP Images

Age: 32

Team: Philadelphia 76ers

Awards: 1x MVP, 10x All-Star, 7x All-NBA, Sixth Man of the Year

Career stats: 24.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists

Current contract: 2 years, $68 million

One thing to know: Harden took a significant discount with the 76ers this off-season, perhaps the result of a down year in 2021-22. But it also helped the Sixers built a formidable squad that should compete for a championship next spring.

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4. Russell Westbrook — $288.5 million

4. Russell Westbrook — $288.5 million
Russell Westbrook.Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Images

Age: 33

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Awards: 1x MVP, 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA

Career stats: 22.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists

Current contract: 5 years, $206 million

One thing to know: Westbrook is in the final year of his contract, set to make $44 million this season. His play has declined, however, making his contract an albatross and all but impossible to trade.

3. Kevin Durant — $306.1 million

3. Kevin Durant — $306.1 million
Kevin Durant.John Minchillo/AP Images

Age: 33

Team: Brooklyn Nets

Awards: 1x MVP, 12x All-Star, 10x All-NBA

Career stats: 27.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $194 million

One thing to know: Durant's $194 million extension, which he signed last summer, kicks in this year, but he has requested a trade from the Nets.

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2. Chris Paul — $330.7 million

2. Chris Paul — $330.7 million
Chris Paul.Tony Gutierrez/AP Images

Age: 37

Team: Phoenix Suns

Awards: 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA

Career stats: 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists

Current contract: 4 years, $120 million

One thing to know: Paul, who took less than the maximum last summer to stay with Phoenix, hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, as he led the NBA in assists last year — his 17th in the league.

1. LeBron James — $387.3 million

1. LeBron James — $387.3 million
LeBron James.Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Age: 37

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Awards: 4x MVP, 4x Finals MVP, 18x All-Star, 18x All-NBA

Career stats: 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists

Current contract: 2 years, $85 million

One thing to know: James signed a two-year, $97 million extension with the Lakers this week, which will help push his career earnings over the half billion mark. And with the way James is still playing, it's not out of the question he signs another big deal after that.

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