According to DraftExpress.com, the league's 20 highest-paid players all have contracts worth more than $15 million per year. To draw a quick comparison, according to the most recent data from the Labor Department's Occupational Employment Statistics, the average salary in the U.S. is $44,410 ($21.35/hour), meaning it would take the average person more than 558 years to earn the annual salary of the league's highest-paid player, Kobe Bryant.
Here's a countdown of the NBA's winning salaries:
20. Chris Paul
Team: New Orleans HornetsSalary: $15,202,590
19. Deron Williams
Team: New Jersey NetsSalary: $15,202,590
18. Dwight Howard
Team: Orlando MagicSalary: $15,779,912
17. Elton Brand
Team: Philadelphia 76ersSalary: $15,959,099
16. Joe Johnson
Team: Atlanta HawksSalary: $16,324,500
15. Amare Stoudemire
Team: New York KnicksSalary: $16,486,611
14. Kenyon Martin
Team: Denver NuggetsSalary: $16,545,454
13. Carmelo Anthony
Team: New York KnicksSalary: $17,149,243
12. Dirk Nowitzki
Team: Dallas MavericksSalary: $17,278,618
11. Zach Randolph
Team: Memphis GrizzliesSalary: $17,333,333
10. Vince Carter
Team: Phoenix SunsSalary: $17,522,375
9. Yao Ming
Team: Houston RocketsSalary: $17,686,100
8. Gilbert Arenas
Team: Orlando MagicSalary: $17,730,694
7. Andrei Kirilenko
Team: Utah JazzSalary: $17,823,000
6. Pau Gasol
Team: Los Angeles LakersSalary: $17,823,000
5. Michael Redd
Team: Milwaukee BucksSalary: $18,300,000
4. Tim Duncan
Team: San Antonio SpursSalary: $18,700,000
3. Kevin Garnett
Team: Boston CelticsSalary: $18,866,934
2. Rashard Lewis
Team: Washington WizardsSalary: $19,573,711
1. Kobe Bryant
Team: Los Angeles LakersSalary: $24,806,250
| Yes | |
|---|---|
| No | |
| Depends on the player |
By Kaitlin Madden,
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