The days when most NBA stars played for the same team throughout their careers are so over. With players often signing short-term contracts or long-term deals that include an opt-out clause, the culture has become one of total player empowerment: The stars have a say in where, with whom, and for how much money they would like to play.
compiled a list of the highest-paid NBA players using Nov. 8, 2022 data from. Interestingly, the top of the list is dominated by three California teams with the Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers each placing two stars in the top 10. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are the only teams with three players in the top 25.
If you're wondering how the highest-earning players in the NBA stack up financially against their major-sport counterparts, #1 Stephen Curry's $48.1 million is similar to the NFL's #1 earner, quarterback Aaron Rodgers () and the MLB's #1 earner, pitcher Max Scherzer). NBA's riches reach a bit deeper, though, as the NFL's 25th-highest salary is $24 million and the MLB's is $25 million compared to the NBA's $33.7 million (Jrue Holiday). Bottom line: Teach your son to shoot hoops!
#25. Jrue Holiday
- Team: Milwaukee Bucks
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $33,665,040
Holiday proved his worth to the Bucks just weeks after signing a in 2021 by contributing heavily to their second-ever NBA title—the. The veteran point guard for the before joining the Bucks in 2020 managed to score 27 points in Game 5 of the. Through the of the 2022-23 season, he has led the team in assists (7.9 per game) and trailed only superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in points ().
#22. Kristaps Porzingis (tie)
- Team: Washington Wizards
- Position: Power forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $33,833,400
This Latvian wizard signed a contract with the Mavericks in 2019, but his to the Wizards seemed to put some extra spring in his huge () step as he averaged for his new team the rest of the season. Often injured but impressive when he's healthy, the center has been nearly that impactful () over the first 14 games of the 2022-23 season.
#22. Devin Booker (tie)
- Team: Phoenix Suns
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $33,833,400
Since Phoenix drafted him in 2015, Booker has improved almost every year, averaging a per game in 2021-22 and holding steady at 26.5 per game in the of 2022-23. That's of any of his teammates. The team rewarded the 6-foot-5 guard with a four-year, in July 2022—which he deserved after becoming only the seventh player to score 40 points in back-to-back games in a (2021) NBA Finals.
#22. Karl-Anthony Towns (tie)
- Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
- Position: Center
- 2022-23 Salary: $33,833,400
Towns earned honours on the strength of per game for the Timberwolves in 2015-16—and he's averaged better than every season since. In the first 15 games of the 2022-23 season, his was tied with Anthony Edwards for the team lead, and his rebound numbers fell off (to 9) only because new teammate and fellow seven-footer Ruby Gobert has taken over that role. His contract extension in June 2022 ensures that Minnesota fans can keep watching him throughout his prime years.
#20. Ben Simmons (tie)
- Team: Brooklyn Nets
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $35,448,672
Ben Simmons' career began with a cascade of superlatives: in the 2016 NBA Draft, honours, and three. Then came his grievances against the 76ers, which had agreed to a contract extension in 2019, and a that prompted a in February 2022 to the Nets. Limited by injuries, he has played for them so far.
#20. Pascal Siakam (tie)
- Team: Toronto Raptors
- Position: Power forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $35,448,672
Pascal Siakam's (tied with Kyle Lowry) in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals made fans sit up and pay attention to the lad from Cameroon. Fans continue to be rapt. The star has averaged better than in each season since signing a contract extension in 2019. He remains a valuable asset to the Raptors, averaging in the first 16 games of the 2022-23 season.
#19. Kyrie Irving
- Team: Brooklyn Nets
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $36,934,550
Kyrie Irving's and vaccine have driven coaches and fans a little crazy, but he remains one of the game's best shooters—and remains with the Nets even with the recent departure of James Harden and. The (along with then-Cavs teammate LeBron) began the final year of a four-year, $141 million contract with the Nets in 2022-23. He is still playing his best basketball, averaging in the vicinity of over the last three seasons—and in the of the 2022-23 season.
#16. Trae Young (tie)
- Team: Atlanta Hawks
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,096,500
After establishing himself as a star—averaging per game as a rookie in 2018-19 and 25 to 30 points and 9 to 10 assists per game in every season since—the Hawks gave Trae Young a lucrative contract extension in 2021. After just four seasons, he is already a and helped the Hawks advance in the 2022 playoffs with a stunning in April. In the first 14 games of the 2022-23 season, the 6-foot-1 point guard averaged per game.
#16. Zach LaVine (tie)
- Team: Chicago Bulls
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,096,500
Zach LaVine is no Michael Jordan, but he is carrying on the MJ tradition as a solid scorer and flashy dunker for the Bulls. He's also a and a. Rewarded for his consistent scoring with a in July 2022, he averaged over the first 15 games in 2022-23.
#16. Luka Doncic (tie)
- Team: Dallas Mavericks
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,096,500
Each year has been a stepping stone to greatness for Slovenian Luka Doncic: in 2018-19, (at age 20), in 2020, and in 2022. His all-around stellar play earned him the richest rookie contract extension in NBA history:. He responded with his, averaging per game to lead the NBA for the first 14 games of the 2022-23 season, and his 7.8 assists ranked eighth.
#15. Tobias Harris
- Team: Philadelphia 76ers
- Position: Small forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,633,050
The 76ers are Tobias Harris' and the team he's been with the longest (four-plus seasons). Given a in 2019, the Sixers are hoping he can join forces with James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey to lead them deep into the playoffs, though his through 14 games trails that trio. The Sixers desperately want to shed their habit of playing well in the regular season but.
#14. Jimmy Butler
- Team: Miami Heat
- Position: Small forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,653,300
Jimmy Butler averaged a solid over the first 15 games of the 2022-23 season. The Heat handed him a contract extension in 2021 for all that versatility. He's also golden when it matters most, with in the postseason.
#13. Khris Middleton
- Team: Milwaukee Bucks
- Position: Small forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,948,276
Khris Middleton isn't the kind of player who grabs a lot of headlines, but that's fine with the Bucks because they have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday for that. But a contract signed in 2019 kept Middleton part of the Bucks' triumvirate, a wise investment for the team that would win the 2021 NBA title. He's averaged for three straight seasons and had an average of in the 2021-22 season.
#12. Anthony Davis
- Team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Position: Center
- 2022-23 Salary: $37,980,720
New Orleans received three players and three first-round picks from the Lakers for Anthony Davis in a, and they're still waiting to see if he's worth the they gave him in 2020. His scoring and rebounding have compared to his seven years with the Pelicans, but he got off to a solid start in the first 12 games of 2022-23 by averaging, both better than his career averages. Whether his synergy with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook will turn the season around after the Lakers' dismal 3-10 start remains to be seen.
#11. Rudy Gobert
- Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
- Position: Center
- 2022-23 Salary: $38,172,414
Gobert spent nine years using his 7-foot-1 height to snag rebounds for the Jazz and led the league in 2021-22 with a—and he hasn't missed a beat (or many rebounds) since debuting for the Timberwolves. Minnesota picked up the he signed with the Jazz in 2020, and days after Minnesota's October 2022 opener, he paired in a win over the Lakers. Gobert may be best known as the first NBA player to contract COVID after in a press conference, for which he apologized.
#10. Klay Thompson
- Team: Golden State Warriors
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $40,600,080
Stephen Curry, who tops this list, maybe the better-known "Splash Brother," but his longtime teammate has a splashier comeback story. When Klay Thompson signed a in 2019 to stay with the Warriors, they knew his would likely sideline him for a full season but, combined with a, cost him two seasons. The good news: He helped lead them to the 2022 NBA title and has avoided injuries since then, though his through 15 games in 2022-23 suggests he's still searching for his shot.
#7. Damian Lillard (tie)
- Team: Portland Trail Blazers
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $42,492,492
Damian Lillard has continued to dazzle for the Trail Blazers even though the team hasn't been able to surround him with enough talent to reach the NBA Finals yet. Over the first 15 games of his 11th season for Portland in 2022-23, he averaged a solid, both better than his career average. In July 2022, he signed a jaw-dropping that was tagged onto the end of his gig. He's consistently drained more three-pointers in attempts from than Stephen Curry and had in 2020.
#7. Kawhi Leonard (tie)
- Team: Los Angeles Clippers
- Position: Small forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $42,492,492
A kept Kawhi Leonard out of in 2022-23, but his return is eagerly awaited. The Clippers miss his scoring prowess— before he signed a—and then he after ACL surgery. The (Spurs, Raptors) is hoping, with Paul George's help, to lead the Clippers to the Finals, where he could tie LeBron as the only other player to win.
#7. Giannis Antetokounmpo (tie)
- Team: Milwaukee Bucks
- Position: Power forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $42,492,492
Antetokounmpo is as hard to stop as his name is to pronounce. The "Greek Freak" was the NBA's in 2020, meriting a—the heftiest in NBA history. He then earned every penny by leading the Bucks to their, the 2020-21. He had his best scoring season () during that season and notched his 30th career triple-double (26 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) in his eighth game of the 2022-23 season.
#6. Paul George
- Team: Los Angeles Clippers
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $42,492,568
If a player named John Ringo joined the Clippers, he and Paul George would surely be called the Beatles Brothers. As it is, George and Kawhi Leonard are the Dynamic Duo. Both are solid on both offense and defense. George's signed in 2020 has proven to be a bargain as he led the Clippers to their in franchise history in 2021, and his averages of early in the 2022-23 season show he hasn't lost much of his mojo.
#5. Bradley Beal
- Team: Washington Wizards
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $43,279,250
Bradley Beal ranked in the top 10 in both per game early in the 2022-23 season, justifying the Wizards' gamble on him in July 2022. That contract should make him one of the game's few superstars to play for only one team since he'll be 34 by the time the gig is up. Beal's—averaging a career-high 31.3 points with a 48.5% shooting percentage and one against the 76ers—convinced the Wizards that Beal is one magician they can't afford to lose.
#4. Kevin Durant
- Team: Brooklyn Nets
- Position: Small forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $44,124,845
Kevin Durant was part of the Nets' grand but ultimately failed experiment in putting three superstars on the team—along with Kyrie Irving and James Harden—but he and Irving are still Nets. He remains a force at 34 as the. A contract extension in 2021 put the and (for the Warriors) fourth on this list—while his averages of early in 2022-23 led the team.
#3. LeBron James
- Team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Position: Small forward
- 2022-23 Salary: $44,474,988
Because basketball stars are considered to be past their prime after 30, it would seem that a player who shouldn't rank so high on this list. But "King James" is a man as ageless and critical to a team's success as fellow "senior" Tom Brady in the NFL. While the Lakers struggled early in the 2022-23 season, you can't blame LeBron, who in points (24.9) and assists (6.9) through Game 13, justifying his contract extension.
#2. Russell Westbrook
- Team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $47,063,478
Russell Westbrook is Mr. Versatile, as his are the most in the history of the NBA. Teammate LeBron, in comparison, is a distant fifth with 105 among active players. Whatever criticism he might deserve over his exuberant, mistake-prone style of play (he's), the 34-year-old remains a force when he's healthy, justifying the decision by the Lakers to honor the final year of his executed by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He got off to a slow 2022-23 start, though his is solid.
#1. Stephen Curry
- Team: Golden State Warriors
- Position: Point guard
- 2022-23 Salary: $48,070,014
While other active players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have enjoyed similarly decorated careers, Stephen Curry truly changed the game. His magic from beyond the arc is literally game-changing and legendary, but he's also the glue holding the Warriors together as they claimed. At 34, the continues to justify his, signed in 2021. His early-season 2022-23 average was ranked second in the NBA.
