Top Earning NBA Player by Draft Pick

Michael Ginnitti
Michael Ginnitti, Managing Editor & NFL/MLB ExpertJune 21, 2023
© USA TODAY Sports

With the 2023 NBA Draft just a few hours away, we’ll dive into the top earning NBA player from each first round draft slot in league history (for a minute).

RELATED: Top Earning NBA Players by Draft Pick

#1 Overall

LeBron James, $431,859,107, 2003

Drafted in 2003 LeBron has been one of the (very) rare examples of living up to the #1 hype and then some. He'll bag another $46.9M this upcoming season, with a $50.6M player option awaiting next summer, putting him in the running to surpass $500M on the court.

#2 Overall

Kevin Durant, $350,297,591, 2007

The second pick behind Greg Oden in 2007, Durant has now signed 7 contracts in the NBA. His current deal in Phoenix holds another $150M to be earning, putting him just under $500M in total.

#3 Overall

James Harden, $301,660,574, 2009

Harden went to OKC behind Blake Griffin & Hasheem Thabeet in 2009 and is currently an unrestricted free agent at age 33. There's a world where he locks in another $210M with another max contract this summer.

#4 Overall

Chris Paul, $359,109,419, 2005

The three players drafted ahead of Chris Paul in 2005 (Andrew Bogut, Marvin Williams, Deron Williams) combined to earn $398M in their careers. Paul is now guaranteed $25M in 2023-24, though his contract status is very much up in the air with the recent trade to Washington.

#5 Overall

Kevin Love, $265,818,402, 2008

Love just finished his 4th contract in the league, spanning 15 seasons with 3 organizations. He was selected 5th in 2008 behind Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, & Russell Westbrook.

#6 Overall

Damian Lillard, $233,708,358, 2012

Dame has earned over $233M in just 11 NBA seasons (drafted in 2012), averaging over $21M per year thus far. He's guaranteed another $216.2M through 2026-27 - no matter where he's playing from here out.

#7 Overall

Stephen Curry, $302,806,362, 2009

Steph was selected 4 picks behind James Harden in 2009, but has now (barely) surpassed him in career earnings (despite an extremely team friendly rookie extension back in 2013 (4 years, $44M). Curry's current deal will carry him over the $470M earned mark after 2025-26.

#8 Overall

Rudy Gay, $174,781,320, 2006

It's been a tough go from the #8 spot historically speaking, but so was the entire 2006 draft to be perfectly fair. Gay's $174M is the 4th most earned out of that draft class, behind only Kyle Lowry (#24, $245M), LaMarcus Aldridge (#2 overall, $213M), & Paul Millsap (#47 overall, $192M).

#9 Overall

Gordon Hayward, $236,884,749, 2010

Hayward is entering a contract year in Charlotte, set to finish out his 4th NBA deal in 2023-24. He'll increase his career earnings north of $268M, and should soar past $300M with a new deal next summer.

#10 Overall

Paul George, $259,692,078, 2010

The 8x All Star, 6x All-NBA #10 pick in the 2010 draft was selected immediately after Gordon Hayward, and holds future salaries of $45.6M & a $48.7M player option on his current contract.

#11 Overall

Klay Thompson, $222,944,784, 2011

Thompson enters a contract year in 2023-24, set to earn a fully guaranteed $43.2M in Golden Sate, raising his career earnings north of $266M.

#12 Overall

Steven Adams, $145,144,832, 2013

Adams was the 4th center drafted in 2013 (Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel), but he's nearly out-earned them all combinen to date. He holds another $25.2M fully guaranteed through the 2024-25 season.

#13 Overall

Devin Booker, $130,516,653, 2015

Don't be deceived by the $130M next to Booker's name right now. There's another $260M fully guaranteed coming down the pipeline, putting him inline to hold this top spot at #13 overall for years to come.

#14 Overall

Marcus Morris Sr., $89,249,640, 2011

Enjoy seeing Marcus Morris here for a minute, because the $104M fully guaranteed (and plenty more to come) on Bam Adebayo's deal will takeover the top spot this time next year.

#15 Overall

Kawhi Leonard, $230,926,127, 2011

It's been 4 seasons since Leonard helped the Raptors snag an unlikely title, and he's earned over $146M since then. His current deal in LA holds a $45.6M salary for the upcoming season, and a $48.7M player option thereafter, putting him on pace for $325M earned on the court.

#16 Overall

Nikola Vucevic, $154,338,639, 2011

Vucevic just completed his 3rd NBA contract, pulling his earnings north of $150M on the court. The 32 year old will be seeking another multi-year guarantee on the open market this summer.

#17 Overall

Jrue Holiday, $219,128,885, 2009

As it currently stands, Jrue Holiday is set to earn $291M through the 2024-25 season. He just posted near career numbers at 32 years old, making it perfectly plausible to believe he can be a $300M player when it's all said and done.

#18 Overall

Eric Bledsoe, $128,052,507, 2010

A solid 12 year career was dampened by a buyout/stretch of his final contract by Portland, but he's a $130M+ player no matter what.

#19 Overall

Tobias Harris, $209,233,355, 2011

There's been plenty said about the amount of money Tobias Harris has been earning over the past 4 seasons, but he'll be a $250M player at 31 years old. There's plenty of room for more in this career.

#20 Overall

Evan Fournier, $126,527,226, 2012

Fournier is (likely) finishing out his 3rd contract in 2023-24, with $18.8M still to be earned as a role player for the Knicks. The 30-year-old can probably latch on as a depth piece for a few more seasons, carrying him north of $150M when it's all said and done.

#21 Overall

Rajon Rondo, $115,777,250, 2006

Rondo's 16 year career included 9 contracts, culminating with a 5 year, $55M rookie scale extension from the Celtics back in 2009.

#22 Overall

Courtney Lee, $74,196,509, 2008

The second-lowest earning draft pick in the first round, Lee sits atop the #22 list despite a max salary of just $11.9M in his 12 year career. Jarrett Allen is coming for this spot quickly.

#23 Overall

Tayshaun Prince, $80,448,048, 2002

Prince only eclipsed the $10M+ mark in annual cash earned twice in his 14 seasons, but he might hold this spot for a few more seasons regardless.

#24 Overall

Kyle Lowry, $245,366,160, 2006

Easily the top earning player picked outside of the Top 10, Lowry is set to finish out his 6th NBA contract in 2023-24. He'll tack on another $29.6M (fully guaranteed), bringing his career total north of $275M.

#25 Overall

Nicolas Batum, $187,412,357, 2008

Batum was bought out of a contract 3 years ago, and has since locked in almost $32M, a remarkable turnaround. He'll wind up a $200M+ earning player when it's said and done.

#26 Overall

George Hill, $112,353,436, 2008

Hill completed his 5th NBA contract this season, but has only eclipsed the $10M mark twice in 15 seasons.

#27 Overall

Rudy Gobert, $176,207,582, 2013

Gobert may never do historic things on the court, but amassing $300M out of the #27 draft slot puts him in extremely rare air. He's guaranteed $131.4M through 2025-26, when he'll be 33 years old.

#28 Overall

Tony Parker, $165,843,436, 2001

The tail end of Parker's career benefited from the boost in NBA salaries that has taken things to unforeseeable levels of late. It'll take another decent contract for Jordan Poole to have Parker supplanted out of this spot soon.

#29 Overall

Cory Joseph, $71,183,160, 2011

The #29 pick holds the lowest earning player on this list, but Derrick White & Dejounte Murray are coming for this spot soon (barely).

#30 Overall

Jimmy Butler, $218,065,231, 2011

By the time the 2025-26 season is completed, the #30 overall pick will have one of the top earning players in the history of the game attached to it. Butler has salaries of $45.1M, $48.8M, & $52.4M ahead of him still, locking in over $364M for his career.



RELATED: Top Earning NBA Players by Draft Pick


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