Average NBA Salary in 2025: How Much Do NBA Players Make?

When we talk about the average salary in sports, we mean the typical base income a player earns from their contract with the team. This number doesn’t include extra money from sponsorships, merchandise, personal brand deals, or playing in other leagues. In basketball, the average salary gives us a good idea of how much a professional player is expected to earn just by being on an active roster.

For the NBA and WNBA, these averages show a huge difference in player earnings. NBA players earn millions, while WNBA players take home a fraction of that amount. Understanding the average salary in both leagues helps explain not only how the business side of basketball works but also how gender, market size, and revenue-sharing affect player compensation.

What is the Average NBA Salary 2025?

As of the 2025 season, the average NBA salary is approximately $11.91 million per year. This figure may change depending on the changes made by NBA. This figure is calculated by dividing the total payroll of all NBA teams by the number of players on active rosters. It includes a wide range of salaries, from rookies on minimum-scale deals to superstars making over $50 million annually. Players earning close to the average tend to be mid-level veterans or younger players on extended contracts.

For example, established names like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are in the $54 million+ range, while experienced contributors might sit closer to the $10–12 million mark. This average salary reflects only base pay and does not include off-court earnings such as endorsements or appearance fees. Still, it gives a clear view of how lucrative an NBA contract can be. With continued increases in the league’s revenue, the average NBA salary has seen consistent growth over the past decade. The average NBA player salary 2025 reflects the league’s strong financial growth, with many mid-tier players earning multimillion-dollar contracts.

How Much Do NBA Players Make?

NBA player salaries vary widely based on experience, draft status, and individual performance. The league operates under a soft salary cap system, which for the 2025 season is set at approximately $140.6 million per team. Within this system, players can earn the league minimum, around $1.15 million, or up to a maximum contract worth roughly $55–59 million per year for seasoned veterans. Teams have the flexibility to exceed the cap using exceptions like the mid-level or Bird rights, though exceeding it by too many results in luxury tax penalties.

Veteran players can negotiate higher salaries, especially if they’ve made All-NBA teams or won awards. Max contracts typically go to elite players with proven impact. Most mid-career players earn between $10 million and $20 million, depending on their role. Overall, NBA players enjoy some of the most generous contracts in professional sports, with both stars and supporting players earning substantial incomes under the current collective bargaining agreement.

How Much Do NBA Rookies Make?

NBA rookies earn salaries based on a structured scale that corresponds to their draft position. This system ensures fairness and consistency across all first-round picks. In 2025, the No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg, will earn approximately $13.83 million in his first year, with his four-year rookie contract totaling around $62.73 million. The first two years of these contracts are fully guaranteed, while years three and four are team options. While rookie salaries vary based on draft position, they often start well below the average NBA salary, which reflects what seasoned players earn.

While rookies follow a fixed pay scale, their earnings often start well below the average NBA player salary in their first year. Salaries decrease with each draft position, players picked 2nd and 3rd are expected to earn about $12.37 million and $11.11 million, respectively. By the 10th pick, rookie salaries drop to roughly $6 million. Second-round picks usually do not follow the rookie scale and often sign for the league minimum, sometimes with only partial guarantees. This tiered system helps teams manage payroll while giving top prospects substantial earnings early in their careers, based on their draft value and potential impact.

How NBA Salaries Have Changed Over the Years

NBA salaries have consistently increased because of business metrics, the international growth of the game, large media deals, and frankly, a lot of lucky breaks. While NBA players in the past made a smaller proportion of the league's total revenue, the current CBA allows the players around 49–51% of that revenue (BRI = Basketball-Related Income). Over the decades, the average NBA player salary has seen a massive increase, reflecting the league’s booming popularity and revenue growth.

Although those percentages are slightly lower than the 57% of the 2000s, the overall revenue pool is much larger now. For instance, the growing media rights revenues have pushed the NBA salary cap up, so average salaries increased alongside this. A player who made $5 million a decade ago might make $12–15 million today for a comparable role. But by allowing players to share in more of the revenues, the NBA also allowed minimum salaries and mid-level exception values to grow. Essentially, the NBA has a financial model that allows for steady growth of income, making it arguably the best sports league in the world for player income.

NBA Salary Cap and Player Contracts

The NBA uses a soft salary cap system, allowing teams to exceed the cap through specific exceptions. For the 2025 season, the cap is set at $154.647 million, with a team salary floor of about $126.5 million and luxury tax thresholds applying to teams that overspend. With the salary cap increasing annually, so does the average NBA salary, reflecting the league’s growing revenue and TV deals.

Each NBA team can carry 15 players on the active roster and utilize additional slots for two-way contracts. Players earn different types of contracts, such as minimum, mid-level, or max contracts, depending on their experience and achievements. Veterans with over 10 years of service can sign contracts worth up to 35% of the team’s salary cap, while less experienced players qualify for 25% or 30%. Other contract types include designated veteran extensions, rookie-scale deals, and player/team options. Teams use contract structuring strategically to build competitive rosters while managing financial flexibility. This system maintains parity in the league while allowing elite players to command top-tier salaries.

Average NBA Salary vs Average WNBA Salary

The gap between average salaries in the WNBA and NBA remains wide. In 2025, the average WNBA salary is approximately $102,249, while the average NBA salary is around $11.91 million. This means NBA players earn over 100 times more on average than their WNBA counterparts. WNBA players operate under a smaller team salary cap, about $1.5 million per team, and receive roughly 20–25% of league revenue, compared to the 50% revenue share that NBA players enjoy.

The WNBA’s highest-paid players, such as Jackie Young, earn around $249,000, while rookies like Caitlin Clark make about $78,000 in their first year. Meanwhile, top NBA stars such as Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make over $55 million annually. This stark contrast highlights the disparity in revenue, media exposure, and investment between the leagues. However, the WNBA’s rising popularity and new media deals could help close the pay gap in the coming years.

How Much Top and New Players Are Earning

NBA player salaries range significantly based on experience, star power, and contract structure. In 2025, top players like Stephen Curry earn around $59.6 million, with other stars such as Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Kevin Durant earning between $55 million and $54 million annually. These players are usually on max or supermax contracts, which are designed for veterans who’ve met certain performance benchmarks.

On the other hand, new players, especially first-round draft picks, earn between $6 million and $14 million in their rookie season, depending on their draft position. The previous year's No. 1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher, earned $12.56 million in his first year under the rookie scale. Players earning close to the league average of $11.91 million are typically mid-level veterans or young stars on the rise.

Beyond their base salaries, many players also earn millions more through bonuses, incentives, endorsements, and other commercial ventures, which further boost their total annual income.

Can NBA Players Earn More?

Yes, NBA players have the potential to earn much more than their base salary. As the league's popularity grows globally and new media deals roll in, overall revenue increases, and with it, player earnings. NBA players currently receive about 50% of basketball-related income, but with rising revenues, some are pushing for a greater share in future agreements.

Compared to the WNBA, where players get only 20–25% of revenue, NBA stars enjoy a far more favorable financial structure. With an anticipated $7 billion media rights deal in the works, both the salary cap and individual player salaries are expected to rise over the next few years. Players also continue to advocate for better post-career benefits, healthcare, and more contract flexibility. Stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry have voiced support for player empowerment and financial growth, setting a tone for future negotiations. As the NBA grows, so too will player influence and earning power.

Other Ways NBA Players Make Money

In addition to all the money they make from their contracts, NBA players have many pathways to additional income. Endorsements make up a large share of income and players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant earn tens of millions of dollars from endorsements and other deals with companies like Nike, Under Armour, and other global brands. Players receive bonuses based on performance and have the opportunity to win prize money from tournaments like the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Players make money through their off-the-court ventures as business owners, real estate investors, or content creators. Some players own media companies, start-ups, and clothing lines. Lesser-known players may be signing summer league contracts, player deals for international play or different events that pay an appearance fee. Players are also generating money from their social media presence through sponsorships with other companies as digital media becomes a common money-maker for players. This additional income, especially for players earning less than the league average, can go a long way in terms of building wealth outside of their playing contract and long-term financial safety in the long run.

What Could Change in the Future?

Looking ahead, economic dynamics in the NBA are poised for transformative change. In the next collective bargaining agreement, we can expect players to advocate for an increased percentage of league revenue as NBA media rights deals are nearing $7 billion/year, there is a potential to reimagine salary caps, benefits, and all financial expectations. Players may also advocate for players' guaranteed money, new contract opportunities, innovative insurance, and benefits for pension and health programs. Additionally, the league could consider new opportunities for compensation for work players do off the court to grow the NBA brand, like creating digital assets and traveling on NBA-assigned global outreach opportunities.

The growing fan base and developing international markets for the NBA can potentially offer new revenue sources, including revenue from streaming opportunities, virtual content, and other innovative ways of offering unique access to experiences. WNBA initiatives regarding pay equity could create change in the area of potential compensation, as both leagues must rethink the current pay realities if truly equitable compensation is at stake. Culturally, payments that are related to the salary ranges create an illusion of equivalency when considering the scope of contributions from players.