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TheNBAsHighest-PaidPlayers2023.pdf
He's No. 1: LeBron James is basketball's top earner for the tenth straight season. HARRY
HOW/GETTY
Oct 20, 2023, 06:30am EDT
LeBron James and Stephen Curry are both set to haul in at least $100 million this season—
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and the league’s skyrocketing salary cap means more superstars could soon follow.
BY BRETT KNIGHT, FORBES STAFF
hroughout a whirlwind NBA offseason, with Bradley Beal,
Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday among the
big names on the move, Stephen Curry remained rooted
in Golden State. But the Warriors guard will still be charting new
territory—financially, anyway.
As he enters the second season of a four-year, $215 million
contract he signed in 2021, the 35-year-old Curry is due to collect
$51.9 million on the court in 2023-24, becoming the first player to
crack the $50 million salary threshold. Factor in his off-court
income—including endorsements, licensing, appearances and
memorabilia—and the four-time NBA champion will haul in an
estimated $101.9 million (before taxes and agents’ fees), landing
behind only Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on Forbes’
2023 list of basketball’s highest-paid players.
Thanks to an estimated $70 million off the court, King James
holds on to his earnings crown for the tenth straight season, with
an estimated $117.6 million. He and Curry are the only two active
NBA players, and among just 15 athletes across all sports, to have
reached nine figures in a single year.
Combined, the NBA’s ten highest-paid players are set to earn an
estimated $746 million, roughly flat from last year’s record $751
million.
The 2023 total includes $291 million off the court (taking the
average between the two players tied at No. 10 in this year’s
earnings ranking, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George and
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic). While that figure represents
a 12% drop from 2022’s record $330 million—mostly because
Russell Westbrook, who posted $35 million off the court last year,
fell out of the top ten—the NBA’s lucrative sneaker deals and
ample endorsement opportunities ensure that no other
professional league can come close with its marketing muscle. The
business endeavors of the ten highest-paid players in the NFL
($69 million), MLB ($48 million) and the NHL ($13 million)
constitute a small fraction of what the NBA’s top ten take home.
The top ten in international soccer also come up shy, at $236
million.
Still, even as future Hall of Famers like James and Curry expand
the definition of off-court income—profiting from venture
investments and building media empires, in addition to their
traditional sponsorships—today’s NBA players are making their
biggest gains with their playing contracts. The league’s salary cap
is up to $136 million this season, more than double the roughly
$59 million of a decade ago, and although the NBA’s new
collective bargaining agreement imposes stiffer luxury-tax
penalties to rein in big spenders, the tax level now exceeds $165
million, up from about $72 million in 2013-14. That surge has
given teams more money to throw around and driven up the price
of the league’s biggest contracts, with James, Jokic, Beal and Joel
Embiid due to join Curry in topping $50 million on the court next
year and eight other players set to reach that stratosphere the
following season.
Expect those ranks to swell even further in the years ahead as the
NBA signs new national media deals, beginning with the 2025-26
season, that could double the average of $2.66 billion a year the
league currently gets from ABC, ESPN and Turner Broadcasting.
Lillard is slated to become the first basketball player to clear $60
million on the court in 2026-27—but it won’t be long before
another contract shatters that mark like a backboard.
Here are the highest-paid NBA players for 2023.
THE HIGHEST-PAID NBA PLAYERS 2023
LeBron James AGE: 38 | POSITION: FORWARD | TEAM: LOS ANGELES LAKERS | ON-COURT: $47.6 MILLION •
OFF-COURT: $70 MILLION
#1. $117.6 million
James has topped Forbes’ annual earnings leaderboard
since another Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant, edged him out in 2013-
14. No player in NBA history has earned more on the court than
the $432 million that James has piled up across 20 pro seasons,
according to Spotrac; assuming he finishes out his current
contract by picking up his option for next season, James will
WALLY SKALIJ/LOS ANGELES TIMES
FORBES BUSINESS SPORTSMONEY
surpass $530 million in 2025. Off the court, he remains the largest
shareholder in the SpringHill Company, the TV and movie
production outfit that helped him become the first active athlete
on Forbes’ billionaire list, and he was a producer on Shooting
Stars, a film released on Peacock in June based on his high school
basketball career. And James, who for years has trumpeted his
love of “Taco Tuesdays” on social media, joined a Taco Bell
marketing campaign in May seeking to strip that phrase of its
trademarked status. On Forbes’ 2023 list of the world’s highest-
paid athletes, only Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo made
more from their business endeavors.
Stephen Curry AGE: 35 | POSITION: GUARD | TEAM: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS | ON-COURT: $51.9 MILLION
• OFF-COURT: $50 MILLION
#2. $101.9 million
Like LeBron James, Curry has a booming media business
with Unanimous, which delivered a documentary about him for
Apple TV+ in July and has a documentary forthcoming on the late
rapper Mac Dre. He also launched a bourbon called Gentleman’s
Cut this year and is publishing a graphic novel series about sports
superheroes in partnership with Penguin Workshop while staying
EZRA SHAW/GETTY
busy as an investor, acquiring stakes late last year in VR platform
Golf+ and Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s company TMRW
Sports. And in terms of traditional endorsements, Curry signed a
new deal with Under Armour in March that will extend into his
retirement years and came with $75 million in stock, according to
an SEC filing, vesting in equal installments in 2029 and 2034.
Kevin Durant AGE: 35 | POSITION: FORWARD | TEAM: PHOENIX SUNS | ON-COURT: $46.4 MILLION • OFF-
COURT: $45 MILLION
#3. $91.4 million
Durant’s sprawling Boardroom media company launched
a new division in September called Boardroom Advisory, aiming to
work with both athletes and brands in venture and private equity
investing, sports ownership, business strategy and content
creation. Durant invests himself through his firm 35V, recently
picking up stakes in a Major League Pickleball team, digital
QUINN HARRIS/GETTY
creator business Goldenset Collective and media asset manager
ScorePlay. The 35-year-old Durant, who is entering his first full
season with the Phoenix Suns after a February trade, also agreed
to a lifetime partnership with Nike in April and had his likeness
appear in Call of Duty video games in May.
Giannis Antetokounmpo AGE: 28 | POSITION: FORWARD | TEAM: MILWAUKEE BUCKS | ON-COURT: $45.6 MILLION •
OFF-COURT: $40 MILLION
#4. $85.6 million
In June, Antetokounmpo and three of his brothers formed
a company called Ante Inc. to oversee their investments and
businesses, which include the AntetokounBros shops and a stake
in Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC that they added in March.
And in February, Antetokounmpo partnered with Calamos
Investments to launch a sustainability-focused exchange-traded
STACY REVERE/GETTY
fund. “From 2020 to 2023, people think I’ve taken a large jump on
the basketball court, but I think I’ve taken 10x jump off the court,”
the two-time league MVP told the New York Times in August.
Damian Lillard AGE: 33 | POSITION: GUARD | TEAM: MILWAUKEE BUCKS | ON-COURT: $45.6 MILLION • OFF-
COURT: $18 MILLION
#5. $63.6 million
Coming off perhaps the best season of his career, which
saw him selected for the all-NBA third team even though he
played in just 58 games, Lillard is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s new
running mate in Milwaukee after 11 years in Portland. Off the
court, he endorses brands including Adidas, Bose and Modelo, and
he made his first startup investment last fall with Kicks Crew, an
MORRY GASH/AP
e-commerce platform for sneakers. Lillard also moonlights as a
rapper under the stage name Dame D.O.L.L.A. and released his
fifth studio album in August.
Klay Thompson AGE: 33 | POSITION: GUARD | TEAM: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS | ON-COURT: $43.2 MILLION
• OFF-COURT: $18 MILLION
#6. $61.2 million
After missing two full seasons with injuries and appearing
in just 32 games in his return in 2021-22, Thompson played in 69
last season, averaging 33 minutes a contest. He will be counted on
to play a similarly large role in a contract year for a Warriors team
that believes it can win a championship after trading for Chris
Paul in July. Off the court, Thompson has 11 long-term
TODD KIRKLAND/GETTY
partnerships, including Chinese shoe brand Anta, healthcare
network Kaiser Permanente and watchmaker Tissot, and he
played alongside his Golden State teammate Steph Curry against
NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in June’s edition of
The Match, the made-for-TV golf event.
Joel Embiid AGE: 29 | POSITION: CENTER | TEAM: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS | ON-COURT: $47.6 MILLION •
OFF-COURT: $10 MILLION
#7 (tie). $57.6 million
Embiid is the league’s reigning MVP, and regardless of what
happens this season with the 76ers as James Harden tries to force
his way out of Philadelphia, the 29-year-old center stands a good
chance of picking up some more hardware next summer after he
recently committed to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
In June, Embiid launched a production studio called Miniature
TIM NWACHUKWU/GETTY
Géant in partnership with LeBron James’ SpringHill Company,
and he invested last October in Mitchell & Ness, a division of
Fanatics, the sports apparel behemoth run by his close friend
Michael Rubin. A member of the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 class,
Embiid said he was trying “to go from rich to wealthy.”
James Harden AGE: 34 | POSITION: GUARD | TEAM: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS | ON-COURT: $35.6 MILLION •
OFF-COURT: $22 MILLION
#7 (tie). $57.6 million
Since picking up his player option for the 2023-24 season in
June, Harden has been agitating for a trade out of Philadelphia,
going as far as calling 76ers president of basketball operations
Daryl Morey a liar in an August rant that drew him a $100,000
fine from the NBA. Wherever he ends up, the ten-time All-Star will
stay busy with an off-court portfolio that has tilted toward equity
RICH SCHULTZ/GETTY
deals over traditional endorsements in recent years. The wine
label he launched last year, J-Harden, now sells a prosecco, a
Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend and is available in Canada,
China, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, in addition to the
United States. In August, as Harden watched on a live stream on
Chinese social media, 10,000 bottles sold out in a matter of
seconds.
Jimmy Butler AGE: 34 | POSITION: FORWARD | TEAM: MIAMI HEAT | ON-COURT: $45.2 MILLION • OFF-
COURT: $10 MILLION
#9. $55.2 million
Butler’s Miami Heat didn’t end up trading for Damian
Lillard this summer, but fresh off a run to the NBA finals, they
could surprise again this season. The 34-year-old forward is the
founder of BigFace, which sells 8.8-ounce bags of whole bean
MATIAS J. OCNER/MIAMI HERALD/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
coffee for $30 or more, and in May, Jimmy Buckets filed a
trademark application for “Himmy Buckets” to be used on apparel
and beverages. Butler also recently told Rolling Stone that he had
recorded dozens of country songs over the last several years.
“There’s definitely going to be an album,” he said. “I just don’t
know when. The date I want to do it always gets pushed back
because this other job that I have, playing basketball, kind of
overshadows everything.”
Paul George AGE: 33 | POSITION: FORWARD | TEAM: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS | ON-COURT: $45.6 MILLION
• OFF-COURT: $9 MILLION
#10 (tie). $54.6 million
George had a season end prematurely again with a leg
injury in March, but the Clippers are hoping they can put it all
together in their fifth year with the eight-time All-Star on the
roster alongside Kawhi Leonard. After the season, George will
have to decide whether to opt in for 2024-25 for $48.8 million or
enter free agency instead. Off the court, he launched a podcast in
JAE C. HONG/AP
March, and he has recently added partnerships with therapy app
BetterHelp and four startups in the gaming space: Global Poker,
esports platform One Up, controller maker SCUF and blockchain
game Rumble Kong League.
Nikola Jokic AGE: 28 | POSITION: CENTER | TEAM: DENVER NUGGETS | ON-COURT: $47.6 MILLION • OFF-
COURT: $7 MILLION
#10 (tie). $54.6 million
Jokic missed out on a third straight MVP Award last
season, finishing as the runner-up in the voting to Joel Embiid,
but he got a pretty good consolation prize in leading the Nuggets
to their first NBA championship. He and Embiid now make their
AARON ONTIVEROZ/THE DENVER POST
debuts in the basketball earnings top ten in lockstep, giving
Giannis Antetokounmpo some under-30 company after the Greek
Freak spent two straight years as the only 20-something in the
ranking. Jokic is selective with his endorsements, but he has a
huge opportunity to capitalize on his run of success: His agents at
Excel Sports Management are negotiating a lucrative new shoe
deal after his contract with Nike recently expired.
The Forbes ranking of the NBA’s highest-paid players reflects on-
court earnings for the 2023-24 season, including base salaries
and bonuses. Incentives that are based on 2023-24 individual or
team performance are not included. The off-court earnings
estimates are determined through conversations with industry
insiders and reflect annual cash from endorsements, licensing,
appearances and memorabilia, as well as cash returns from any
businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest.
Investment income such as interest payments or dividends is not
included, but Forbes does account for payouts from equity stakes
athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct for taxes or agents’
fees.
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Bre� Knight
As a senior editor at Forbes, I report on the business of sports and edit
coverage in Forbes.com's SportsMoney section. I previously served as an
assistant managing editor, overseeing... Read More
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