Basketball Reference estimates that the average player pay for the 2019-20 NBA season will be around $7 million. The median wage, or the average compensation for all NBA players, is $2.96 million. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is the highest-paid NBA player this season, earning $40.2 million. He finished second in the MVP race last year after leading his team to a league-best 72 wins.
The vast majority of basketball players work part time while they pursue their dream of becoming millionaires. Only about 10% play more than 100 games per season. And only about 1 in 5,000 people can even get on an NBA roster!
In addition to being one of the most popular sports in the world, basketball is also one of the least lucrative. That's because there are so few good jobs out there for athletes after they retire. Most play in Europe where wages are low and employment protection laws are weak.
Here are the salaries of some famous basketball players:
$7 million - Average salary of an NBA player
$5.5 million - Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs
$4.5 million - DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings
$3.9 million - Paul George of the Indiana Pacers
NBA players will receive an average salary of $7,916,644 in 2020–21, according to Basketball Reference, making them the best paid sportsmen. Because NBA rosters have fewer players than baseball and football teams, clubs may spend more resources to player recruitment. This allows them to secure better deals for their stars.
The next highest paid are NFL quarterbacks who make $924,025 on average, followed by MLB pitchers at $823,600 and NHL goalies at $800,000.
Wrestlers earn an average of $760,000, while American basketball players and tennis players earn an average of $700,000 and $620,000 respectively.
Athletes in other sports also see large bonuses but not to the same extent as others. For example, soccer players receive an average bonus of $110,000 while cricket players earn $10,000.
In addition to receiving big paychecks, athletes can make huge amounts of money through endorsement deals. In 2019, NBA players received an average of $11.5 million per team in advertising revenue, which is higher than any other professional sport.
However, not all athletes become millionaires. Some remain struggling performers who cannot command a high price tag or find another way to raise funds for their teams.
For the upcoming season, which begins on Tuesday and runs through June 2020, the average NBA player salary is $7.7 million. According to Basketball Reference, this is an increase over the previous season's average salary of nearly $6.4 million.
The highest-paid player is LeBron James, who made a record $35 million over the two seasons ending last year. The lowest-paid player is Joe Johnson, who made $5.4 million last season.
A total of 209 players will be paid between $1 million and $10 million per year. These are referred to as "max contracts". The other 49 players will be paid between $500,000 and $999,999 per year; these are called "midlevel deals".
The average salary for all players on a team's roster is called the "team salary". The maximum possible team salary is $197.8 million, based on the 2019-20 season salaries. The Brooklyn Nets have the highest team salary at $153.3 million. The Los Angeles Clippers have the lowest team salary at $2.5 million.
It should be noted that the numbers used here are average salaries. Some players will earn more than this number and others will earn less.
Annual NBA salary in 2019/20 In 2019, the average yearly compensation in the NBA was $8.32 million US dollars per player, with total wages approaching $3.67 billion US dollars.
The highest paid players can earn up to 45 percent of the team's revenue, which is calculated based on sales ($893 million), broadcast rights ($24 million), league operations ($80-100 million) and other sources such as merchandise sales and tourism ($150 million). The lowest paid players receive a share of two percent of revenues, which is estimated at $25 million.
In addition to their salaries, some players are given endorsement deals or contracts with shoe companies. Other players create their own brands and sell their products through online stores or at retail locations such as sports shops. Still others make appearances during the off season, acting as coaches or instructors at camps or clinics where they will be paid hourly rates.
Average annual income of a basketball player: $7 million
Highest paid basketball players: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony
Lowest paid basketball players: Bench players and rookies, who can earn as little as $500,000 annually
The NBA leads by a considerable margin in average player wages, as indicated by Statista's list, which also shows average 2019-2020 player salaries for the MLB, NFL, NHL, and MLS: The average salary in the NBA is $8.32 million. The average salary in Major League Baseball is $4.03 million. The average pay in the NFL is $3.26 million. And the average salary in the National Hockey League is $1.48 million.
In fact, sports leagues often cite basketball players as the reason why baseball, football, and ice hockey are even possible profits centers rather than just hobbies for rich men. The NBA alone made $9 billion last year. In 2019, the league's top 12 players earned a total of $290 million; the bottom four made less than $20 million.
In 2020, the top three teams have guaranteed contracts worth $167 million, $161 million, and $151 million respectively. The other three teams will be allowed to match any offer they receive from another club. If any team decides not to match an offer, that player would become a free agent. In other words, there is no guarantee where you will end up if you aren't lucky enough to get a contract from one of the eight teams that has decided your price is too high.
Football (soccer) players are usually not as well paid as their American basketball and baseball counterparts but it is estimated that a game between two average teams can bring in about $150,000.
The average player pay in the sports sector by league in 2019/20. The NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player salary in the world, with each player earning a magnificent 8.32 million US dollars each year. Other big leagues such as MLB and NFL also have high salaries for their players.
In second place we have the NHL with an average player salary of 3.95 million US dollars. Third place goes to the MLS with an average player salary of 2.6 million US dollars. And lastly, the AFL has an average player salary of 1.5 million dollars.
Of all the men's professional sports leagues, the NBA has the highest total revenue of $9.99 billion US dollars. Second is the NFL with $9.86 billion US dollars, and third is the MLB with $7.25 billion US dollars.
The women's professional basketball league, the WNBA, has one tenth of the athletes in the NBA but receives half as much money, with an average salary of $75,000. Second place goes to the soccer league FIFA with $140 million US dollars, and third is the tennis league ATP with $60 million US dollars.
NFL is by far the most popular sport in America, with both men and women willing to pay to watch their favorite players on television.
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