As the average player salary increased, so have salaries for top players. The highest-paid player in the NBA in 2002 was Kevin Garnett at $22.4 million, and today the player with the largest annual contract makes more than double that amount.<\/p>\n
See also: <\/strong>Fair fight? In the World Series, the Rangers ($251 million payroll) play the Diamondbacks ($119 million)<\/p>\n And the highest-paid players in the NBA today make more than $100 million annually when taking into account their off-court earnings. Here are the top 10 biggest earners in the NBA according to estimates from Forbes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jokic, 28, is a newly minted NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets and has won two Most Valuable Player Awards. The Serbian center has endorsements deals with Panini and Western Union <\/p>\n The Los Angeles Clippers forward has dealt with injuries the last few seasons, but is back to full health in 2023. George, 33, has endorsement deals with American Express <\/p>\n The 34-year old Butler led the Miami Heat to an NBA Finals appearance last season, and is one of the top off-court earners in the league. Butler is the founder of the Big Face coffee brand, which he famously sold from his hotel room during the NBA\u2019s \u201cbubble\u201d season in 2020 during the early part of the coronavirus pandemic for $20 a cup, and has endorsement deals with Chinese shoemaker Li-Ning, Anheuser-Bush InBev See also: <\/strong>Michael Jordan is now worth $3 billion. Here\u2019s what billionaire athletes have in common.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Philadelphia Sixers guard is currently in a contract dispute with his team, but that hasn\u2019t stopped him from being near the top of NBA earners. Harden, 34, has endorsement deals with Gopuff, Autograph, Panini, and has one of the richest shoe contracts in the NBA \u2014 his Adidas <\/p>\n Harden\u2019s teammate Joel Embiid is the reigning MVP of the league. Embiid, 29, recently exited his shoe contract with Under Armour Embiid also has endorsements with 2k Sports and Google.<\/p>\n See also:<\/strong>\u00a0Magic Johnson says not signing with Nike as a rookie cost him $5 billion: He \u2018didn\u2019t even know what\u2019 stocks were<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The five-time champion with the Golden State Warriors has an impressive endorsement portfolio. He has deals with the Chinese shoe brand Anta, healthcare network Kaiser Permanente and watchmaker Tissot and Dapper Labs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason after spending his entire career with the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard, 33, has endorsements with brands including Adidas, Bose and Modelo, and has nearly a half million monthly listeners on Spotify <\/p>\n The two-time NBA MVP for the Bucks is one of the top players in the league, and he is compensated well for it. Antetokounmpo, 28, has a signature shoe deal with Nike See also: <\/strong>Tom Brady wants to buy part of the Raiders, but NFL owners are blocking the deal<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Durant, 35, is hoping to lead the Phoenix Suns this season to the franchise\u2019s first title. Durant has signed $499 million worth of NBA contracts in his career and has a roughly $300 million endorsement deal with Nike. He also has deals with 2K Sports and Activision.<\/p>\n The Suns star is also known as a savvy investor. With his venture capital investment firm Thirty-Five Ventures, Durant has made impressive early investments in companies such as Coinbase <\/p>\n The 35-year-old Curry is viewed as one of the best basketball players of this generation and perhaps the best pure shooter of all time. Curry\u2019s 2023 earnings have hit 9-figures thanks to his NBA contract and endorsements with Callaway Golf, CarMax Curry also has a deal with Under Armour, and is the face of their basketball shoe brand. That deal is worth $215 million, per CNBC, and includes $75 million of equity in the apparel brand.<\/p>\n Curry\u2019s investment firm SC30 Inc. has put money into several successful startups, including at-home workout equipment company Tonal, as well as esports organization TSM.<\/p>\nTie-10. Nikola Jokic, $54.6 million<\/h2>\n
\n WU,
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\n and is famously known in NBA circles for owning racehorses.<\/p>\n\n
Tie-10. Paul George, $54.6 million<\/h2>\n
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\n AXP,
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\n 2K Sports, Gatorade, and is one of five players who have a signature shoe deal with Nike.<\/p>\n\n
9. Jimmy Butler, $55.2 million<\/h2>\n
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\n BUD,
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\n TAG Heuer and Google
\n GOOG,
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Tie-7. James Harden $57.6 million<\/h2>\n
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\n ADS,
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\n shoe contract is worth as much as $200 million over 13 years.<\/p>\n\n
Tie-7. Joel Embiid, $57.6 million<\/h2>\n
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\n UAA,
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\n and signed a deal with Skechers, a casual shoe brand that will now make performance basketball shoes, this season.<\/p>\n\n
6. Klay Thompson, $61.2 million<\/h2>\n
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5. Damian Lillard, $63.6 million<\/h2>\n
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\n SPOT,
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\n to his music under the rapper name Dame D.O.L.L.A.<\/p>\n\n
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, $85.6 million<\/h2>\n
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\n NKE,
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\n and endorses Epic Games, Google and JBL.<\/p>\n\n
3. Kevin Durant, $91.4 million<\/h2>\n
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\n COIN,
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\n \u00a0Acorns, Dapper Labs and the Uber-owned
\n UBER,
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\n \u00a0Postmates.<\/p>\n\n
2. Steph Curry, $101.9 million<\/h2>\n
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\n KMX,
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\n Google, Rakuten
\n 4755,
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\n and JPMorgan Chase
\n JPM,
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1. LeBron James, $117.6 million<\/h2>\n