Ranking 10 NBA Mascot Salary With The Most Pay

When it comes to NBA games, the fans are rushed with thoughts of half-court three-pointers, buzzer beaters, fans shouting for their teams, and flashy plays on the court. However, more than all of these performances from players, the team mascots perform from the sidelines throughout the game. They make sure that the audience does not get bored during the breaks and bring larger-than-life characters to life with their personal humor and traits. In addition to these entertainment packages, they are also versed in gymnastic skills, combining it with basketball.

Off the court, mascots are the brand ambassadors who make community appearances and attend charity events. Eventually, it helps fans to build a long lasting fanbase rather than just a cheering puppet on the court. However, the remuneration that these mascots get for their physically demanding jobs stays behind the curtains, and today, we will be exploring this aspect of the NBA mascots by ranking the top 10 highest paid NBA mascots.

Top 10 Highest-Paid NBA Mascots

The best NBA mascots do not just entertain the audience in any way possible. Rather, they also add a little bit of spark with their basketball skills, including acrobatic jumps through the trampoline to make dunks. These mascots even try to copy an alley-oop for their fans on the court during the game breaks. Over the years, some of them have created a legacy and made their place among the hearts of fans. That's why these mascots deserve to be on the list of the top 10 highest paid NBA mascots as per Basket News data:

#10 Rumble the Bison – Oklahoma City Thunder ($75,000)

Annual Salary: $75,000

The Oklahoma City Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison came to realization in the year 2009. Since then, he has been serving the NBA franchise as its biggest supporter from the sidelines. The mascot's trademark is banging a bass drum at the start of each game to hype the home crowds. In his debut season as a mascot, he even earned the Mascot of the Year award.

Rumble often appears at community events throughout the Oklahoma City region and distributes t-shirts along with other stuff to the OKC fans in the audience.

#9 Lucky the Leprechaun – Boston Celtics ( $80,000)

Annual Salary: $80,000

Lucky the Leprechaun is one of the most historical mascots in NBA history and has been supporting his franchise since the 1950s. His iconic style is a bowler hat and shillelagh, which was designed by Red Auerbach’s brother Zang in the 1950s. Lucky is mischievous on the court with a little display of whim during the game breaks. If he is not doing the mentioned activities, he can be seen dunking through the buckets after jumping on a trampoline.

He is believed to be the good luck charm for the Boston Celtics, and that's why he receives a salary of about $80,000 per year in the league for his services in NBA games along with local events and charities.

#8 G-Man – Washington Wizards ($85,000)

Annual Salary: $85,000

G-Man is the official mascot for the Washington Wizards and performs alongside another Wizards mascot, G-Wiz. The Wizards mascot represents a brawny figure in blue who specializes in delivering high-flying dunks on the court during breaks and stays in the superhero personality throughout the game. That's why he earns about $80,000 annually as the franchise mascot.

He is one of the most energized mascots in the league and keeps the morale up for the Washington Wizards fans for the whole game. Considering he also operates on social media to maintain a strong presence, his salary figure is justified in the NBA's premise.

#7 Champ – Dallas Mavericks ($90,000)

Annual Salary: $90,000

Champ is the anthropomorphic blue horse with a white mane and tail that serves as the sidekick for the Dallas Mavericks' main mascot, Mavs Man. The sidekick mascot is more about the energetic dance moves and made his debut for the franchise during the 20002-03 season. Since then, he has been famous as an amicable mascot who loves to chit-chat with the fans.

With an estimated salary of about $90,000, Champ stands as the seventh highest-paid NBA mascot. Apart from his in-court activities, Champ is also keen on performing in Dallas schools for entertainment.

#6 Clutch the Rocket Bear – Houston Rockets ($95,000)

Annual Salary: $95,000

Clutch bear comes in with the avatar of a fuzzy bear with a mischievous grin. The Houston Rockets mascot has been entertaining the franchise fans since 1995. The activities that have worked out so far with this mascot are his comic timing, clever props, and a whole different level of crowd interaction. That's why Clutch has stayed in the game for a long time and has won multiple NBA Mascot of the Year titles.

He has been part of the Houston Rockets for more than the last 28 years, continuing the legacy of the NBA franchise. If he is not at the franchise' Toyota Center entertaining the fans, he can be seen at the community or charity events in Houston.

#5 Hugo the Hornet – Charlotte Hornets ($100,000)

Annual Salary: $100,000

Hugo the hornet of the Charlotte Hornets occupies the fifth spot on the list due to its salary of $40,000 more than the average NBA mascot's salary. The Hornets mascot is assumed to be cute by the fans but holds a presence as the most acrobatic mascot in the NBA. As per the NBA.com data, he is a four-time winner of the NBA Mascot Slam Dunk Championship and a two-time winner of the NBA Best Mascot Award.

This award is presented to the mascots by the NBA Inside Stuff. Hugo the Hornet is more about promoting the foundation of society, like education and reading, during the events in the Charlotte community.

#4 Go the Gorilla – Phoenix Suns ($200,000)

Annual Salary: $200,000

Go the Gorilla is one of the most unconventional mascots in the NBA. It not only entertains the audience on the court but also maintains a digital presence to make a market for itself. That's why he is also part of the Mascot Hall of Fame and earns about three times the average annual NBA mascot salary.

His flipping dunks before the end of the fourth quarter and slapstick humor stand out as the highlight of his entertaining activities on the court. For serving the local community of Phoenix, Go also appears in the charity projects that are looked over by the Phoenix Suns.

#3 Benny the Bull -Chicago Bulls ($400,000)

Annual Salary: $400,000

Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls has been around the league for the longest time. He has been representing the Chicago Bulls franchise on the court with his acrobatic moves during the games. In 2013, Benny was even named Forbes' most popular mascot. In terms of entertainment, there is no one who equals the Chicago Bulls mascot.

His on-court activities include dunking tricks, aerobatic flips, spilling large bags of popcorn, and descending from the rafters at the United Center. Like other top mascots in the NBA, Benny also attends community events in Chicago. That's why he is a part of the Mascot Hall of Fame.

#2 Harry the Hawk – Atlanta Hawks ($600,000)

Annual Salary: $600,000

Rocky the Mountain Lion and Harry the Hawk of the Atlanta Hawks are not much different from each other. However, Harry the Hawk carries a certain level of charisma and style on the court. Harry has a way of making his presence noticeable on the court by dancing the most elite moves in the art to gain attention.

Later on, he spices it up by getting involved with the people who appear on the kiss cams, giving a pure dose of entertainment to the audience. He is also part of the Atlanta Hawks community events in the local area to connect to the fanbase on the grass-root level.

#1 Rocky the Mountain Lion – Denver Nuggets ( $625,000)

Annual Salary: $625,000

The Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, stands out as the best mascot in the NBA so far. That's why he has been awarded handsomely and is expected to receive $625,000 as his annual salary from the 2023 NBA Champions, hence why he is standing at the top when it comes to the NBA mascot's salary. Fans love the Nuggets mascot making flips from different heights and even grooving to the songs without missing a single beat.

What works differently for Rocky's mascot is that it is also involved with Denver's local community. Therefore, it appears in local games like school events and marks his presence at the highest level, like the NBA All-Star game. The Denver Nuggets mascot is one of the seven NBA mascots to be inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.