The players in the National Basketball League, like many other major league players, have always been paid nicely. These salaries can range from $623,646 for new players, to over $30 million for top tier players. Two of the highest paid players in the NBA are Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry with a total of $37.5 million in his salary and LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers earning over $35.7 million. But, do these salaries vary based off how players do in the playoffs? According to The Sport Journal, studies show that players are paid for points scored, rebounds, experience, assists, blocks, and fouls. This number only increases when seasons are extended during post-season games.
The NBA also has a salary cap that places a limit on the total amount that each team can spend on salaries for players. This cap is part of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between players and owners. Last seasons cap was about $99 million. The rookie minimum salary for the 2017-18 season was $815,615 and increase with each year of experience.
This link describes the possible cap for the 2019 season: https://www.si.com/nba/2018/09/17/nba-109-million-salary-cap-2019-20-season-118-million-cap-2020-21
According to Sbnation, the NBA has a $20 million players’ pool for the playoffs. The league decides how the players’ union gets divided up, it’s reported that last season the winning team in the NBA finals got about $2.6 million.
Aside from the huge amount of salaries they make from their teams, NBA players are also eligible to
receive endorsements from advertisers. LeBron James makes about $53 million this season, and Stephen Curry made $42 million.
The NBA proves to be just another example of how much professional athletes are paid. The amounts can be surprising, as even with one season they can be set for life. An athlete that is lucky enough to go to the post-season is just adding to their fortune.