The average NBA player salary in 2026 is approximately $11.9 million per year — significantly higher than MLB ($5.1M) and more than triple the NFL ($3.1M). The 2025-26 NBA salary cap is $154.6 million per team, and the league minimum salary for a first-year player is $1,157,153 — already higher than the MLB and NFL minimums combined. Stephen Curry leads all NBA players at $59.6 million for the 2025-26 season, with Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić tied at $55.2 million each.
By 2026-27, Curry’s salary jumps to $62.6 million, and at least 16 players will earn more than $50 million annually. The reason NBA salaries are so high comes down to two factors: smaller rosters (just 15 active spots per team) and a much larger share of league revenue distributed to players. Here’s the full breakdown of NBA salaries by position for 2026, the top earner at each spot, and how NBA contracts compare to MLB and NFL deals structurally.
NBA player salaries 2026 complete breakdown
Average pay by position, top earners, supermax contracts, and how the NBA pays players more per head than any other major sport.
Average NBA salary by position (2025-26)
Position averages across all 30 NBA teams. Modern positional fluidity means top earners cluster around versatile bigs.
Rank
Position
Avg salary
Roster spots
Why this position pays this much
1
Center (C)
$13.8M
2-3 per team
Jokić, Embiid, KAT, AD push average up.
2
Power Forward (PF)
$12.8M
2-3 per team
Giannis, Tatum, AD play this spot. Premium position.
3
Point Guard (PG)
$12.4M
2-3 per team
Curry, Doncic, Cunningham, Fox at top.
4
Small Forward (SF)
$12.2M
2-3 per team
LeBron, Durant, Butler, Brown, Kawhi.
5
Shooting Guard (SG)
$10.9M
2-3 per team
Booker, Mitchell, Brown, Beal at top tier.
Top earner at each position (2025-26)
The highest-paid NBA player at each position by 2025-26 base salary. Source: Spotrac, ESPN.
Position
Player (Team)
2025-26 salary
Contract notes
Point Guard
Stephen Curry (GSW)
$59.6M
$62.6M extension begins 2026-27.
Center
Joel Embiid (PHI)
$55.2M
Supermax extension signed 2023.
Center (tied)
Nikola Jokić (DEN)
$55.2M
$290M extension eligible in 2026 offseason.
Power Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)
$54.1M
3-year, $175.4M extension Oct 2023.
Power Forward (tied)
Jayson Tatum (BOS)
$54.1M
First $300M+ contract in NBA history.
Small Forward
Kevin Durant (HOU)
$54.7M
Latest extension after trade to Houston.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker (PHX)
$53.1M
Top shooting guard salary in 2026.
Combo Guard
Luka Dončić (LAL)
$54.1M
Plays multiple positions. Trade to Lakers 2025.
Top 15 highest paid NBA players (2025-26)
Base salary, not including endorsements or playoff bonuses
Rank
Player
Pos
Team
2025-26 salary
Notes
1
Stephen Curry
PG
Warriors
$59.6M
1-year, $62.6M extension 2026-27.
2
Joel Embiid
C
76ers
$55.2M
Supermax extension 2023.
3
Nikola Jokić
C
Nuggets
$55.2M
3x MVP. $290M extension eligible 2026.
4
Kevin Durant
SF
Rockets
$54.7M
Traded to Houston in 2025.
5
Anthony Davis
PF/C
Mavericks
$54.1M
Traded for Doncic in 2025.
6
Karl-Anthony Towns
C
Knicks
$54.1M
Supermax extension.
7
Giannis Antetokounmpo
PF
Bucks
$54.1M
2x MVP. $175.4M extension.
8
Luka Dončić
PG
Lakers
$54.1M
Traded to Lakers in 2025 shocker.
9
Jimmy Butler III
SF
Warriors
$54.1M
Traded to GSW from Miami 2025.
10
Jayson Tatum
PF
Celtics
$54.1M
First $300M+ contract in NBA history.
11
Bradley Beal
SG
Clippers
$53.7M
Traded to LAC in 2025.
12
Devin Booker
SG
Suns
$53.1M
Supermax extension.
13
Jaylen Brown
SG/SF
Celtics
$53.1M
$285M supermax 2023.
14
LeBron James
SF/PF
Lakers
$52.6M
23rd NBA season. All-time scoring leader.
15
Paul George
SF
76ers
$51.7M
4-year max signed 2024.
NBA contract structures explained
The NBA’s complex max contract tiers determine who can earn what
Contract type
Years exp
Max % of cap
How it works
Supermax
7+ years
35%
Must win MVP, DPOY, or All-NBA in last season.
Veteran Max
10+ years
35%
Veterans automatically qualify.
Standard Max
7-9 years
30%
Standard max contract tier.
Rookie Max
0-6 years
25%
First post-rookie max. Cunningham, Banchero tier.
Mid-Level Exception
Any
~$13M
Cap exception for over-cap teams.
Rookie Scale Contract
0-3 years
Scale
Set scale based on draft position. #1 pick ~$13M.
Veteran Minimum
Any
$1.16M+
League floor. Increases with years of service.
NBA vs MLB vs NFL salary comparison
Why the NBA pays the most per player among major American sports
Average salary
$11.9M
$5.1M
$3.1M
NBA highest due to smallest rosters.
Minimum salary
$1.16M
$780K
$795K
NBA min is 47% higher than MLB/NFL.
Salary cap
$154.6M
None
$301.2M
NBA has soft cap with exceptions.
Roster size
15
26
53
Smallest rosters drive highest salaries.
Top contract value
$314M
$765M
$330M
MLB top (Soto) dwarfs other leagues.
Contracts guaranteed?
Fully
Fully
Partially
Only NFL has cut-without-pay.
Avg career length
4.5 yrs
5.6 yrs
3.3 yrs
NBA middle of pack. Stars play 15+ years.
The takeaway
The average NBA player salary in 2026 is $11.9 million — higher than MLB ($5.1M) and NFL ($3.1M) combined. The reason isn’t that the NBA has more money; it’s that the NBA splits revenue across just 15 roster spots per team compared to MLB’s 26 and NFL’s 53. Stephen Curry tops the league at $59.6M for 2025-26 and will jump to $62.6M next season. Centers (Jokić, Embiid, KAT, AD) and power forwards (Giannis, Tatum) actually average the highest pay because supermax contracts have flowed to MVP-caliber bigs. The NBA’s combination of fully guaranteed contracts, smaller rosters, and the largest revenue-per-player ratio makes it the best-paying league per player in American sports. Even the NBA minimum salary ($1.16M) is higher than the average pay in many MLB or NFL roles.
Sources: Spotrac, ESPN, Basketball-Reference, NBA CBA. Salaries verified through April 2026. Position averages estimated from positional spending data.
What actually drives NBA salaries in 2026
The NBA’s higher per-player pay isn’t because the league is wealthier than MLB or the NFL — it’s because the money is split among fewer players. An NBA team carries 15 active roster spots compared to MLB’s 26 and NFL’s 53. When you divide league revenue across fewer players, individual salaries rise dramatically.
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement also guarantees players approximately 51% of basketball-related income, with the salary cap set as a percentage of league revenue. So when the NBA signed massive new media rights deals in 2024 (worth a combined $76 billion over 11 years with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon), the salary cap jumped roughly 10% year-over-year, lifting every player’s market value.
The supermax contract is the highest tier of NBA pay. Established in 2017, the “supermax” or “Designated Veteran Player Extension” allows certain veterans to sign extensions worth up to 35% of the salary cap — but only if they meet specific criteria like winning MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or making All-NBA First Team in the previous season. Stephen Curry’s supermax.
Nikola Jokić’s supermax. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supermax. These contracts represent the upper ceiling of NBA earnings. Below that, standard max contracts pay 25-30% of the cap based on years of service. A first-time max contract for a player in years 0-6 (like Cade Cunningham in 2025) earns 25% of the cap, while a veteran max for 10+ year players pays 35%.
NBA positions have become increasingly fluid, which makes position-by-position salary breakdowns more complicated than baseball or football. Modern stars like Luka Dončić (technically a guard but plays like a forward), Nikola Jokić (a center who passes like a point guard), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (officially a forward but plays all five positions) blur traditional categories. ESPN and Basketball-Reference list players by their primary position, but in practice, the highest-paid NBA players are increasingly versatile combo players. The “positionless basketball” trend that started with the 2017 Warriors has fundamentally changed how teams build rosters and pay players.
NBA careers are short compared to baseball, but longer than the NFL. The average NBA career length is 4.5 years, compared to 5.6 in MLB and just 3.3 in the NFL. That length, combined with fully guaranteed contracts (unlike the NFL), makes the NBA the most reliable place to build long-term wealth as a professional athlete.
A first-round draft pick on a rookie scale contract is guaranteed roughly $20 million over 4 years just by being drafted — money that’s untouchable even if the player washes out. Compare that to NFL second-rounders who can be cut without payment, or MLB minor leaguers earning under $40K per year before reaching the majors.
For continuously updated NBA salary data with team-by-team payroll breakdowns and contract structures, Spotrac’s NBA Salary Rankings is the most comprehensive source. For historical NBA contract data, cap analysis, and the complete career earnings of every player who’s ever played, Basketball-Reference’s NBA Player Contracts is the gold standard reference.
The honest reality on NBA salaries in 2026: even the league minimum at $1.16 million is more than three times the median US household income. The bottom of NBA pay is what middle-class Americans would consider generational wealth. At the same time, the gap between superstars and role players keeps widening. Curry at $62.6 million in 2026-27 will earn 54 times the league minimum.
Compare that to MLB where the top earner (Soto at $61.875M) earns 79x the minimum, and the NBA actually has a tighter top-to-bottom range than baseball. The NBA distributes its enormous revenue more evenly across players than any other major American sport — which is why an NBA bench player still earns a small fortune compared to athletes in other leagues.
— Drew, Legion Report
