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The 20 Richest NBA Players of All-Time

The NBA is one of the major sports leagues of the world. By revenue it’s the third largest, slotting in between Major League Baseball and the top-level cricket league in India, the Indian Premier League.

The NBA has some of the most iconic sports stars in the world over the last three decades, a sport whose most famous living player, Michael Jordan, was so good in his prime that his name remains synonymous with greatness twenty years after he last set foot on the hardwood.

With fame and fortune greeting the top players in the sport, it’s no surprise that basketball has produced some wealthy men. Here are the 20 richest NBA players of all time.

20. Yao Ming Net Worth - $120 million

Yao Ming was the third player to be drafted to the NBA from China. Going to the Houston Rockets in 2002, Ming became an instant sensation in his rookie year, garnering praise and immediate commercial success with his easygoing charisma and unselfish style on the hardwood.

Retiring in 2011 due to fractures in his foot and ankle, Yao Ming is now an executive and president of the Chinese Basketball Association and is worth $120 million.

19. Dwayne Wade Net Worth - $120 million

Drafted out of Marquette University, Wade immediately made his mark in the sport as one of the elite shooting guards of the sport when he was picked fifth overall by the Miami Heat in 2003.

Wade had a long and healthy career, retiring from the Heat after the 2018-19 season. Wade is a part owner of the Utah Jazz and his personal net worth is $120 million.

18. Carmelo Anthony Net Worth - $120 million

Anthony was an NBA player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers. A small forward/power forward who last played in the 2021 season, he remains on active status with the NBA in the 2022 season but has not been signed by any team.

Anthony’s financial portfolio includes real estate and digital production, being involved in video games, film, and television. His charitable work includes disaster relief and activism for children’s basketball in inner cities, especially his native New York City.

Originally selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA draft, he is the 18th richest NBA player in the world.

17. Russell Westbrook Net Worth - $125 million

Russell Westbrook III is an active American basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the 2008 draft, he was the last first-rounder taken by the Sonics before they moved to Oklahoma and became the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2008-2009 season.

Westbrook has extensive investments in fashion and film. He is passionate about fashion and is a global face for brands such as Jordan and denim company True Religion, and is a spokesperson for Mountain Dew. Westbrook’s net worth is estimated at $125 million.

16. Tim Duncan Net Worth - $130 million

Retiring after 40, “the Big Fundamental” is one of the greatest power forwards of all time. Playing for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire career, Duncan’s list of career highlights and honors is outrageously long.

Duncan’s post-career Tim Duncan Foundation is a charity to raise general health awareness and fund youth education and sports across the United States.

In business, he is a car modifier, operating Blackjack Speed Shop, a customization ship in San Antonio, located near the Spurs practice facility. Duncan’s net worth is estimated at $130 million.

15. Gary Payton Net Worth - $130 million

Gary “The Glove” Payton is a retired point guard, considered among the greatest of all time at that position. Spending 13 years with the Seattle SuperSonics, Payton holds franchise records in multiple statistics.

He is an NBA champion with the Miami Heat in 2006 and his number 20 was retired by his alma mater, Oregon State University. Unusually, Payton completed his university education before declaring for the draft.

Payton was one of the few players in basketball history who could effectively defend legend Michael Jordan, holding Jordan to an average of 27.3 PPG in the 1996 Finals against the Sonics, well below his career average.

Payton is currently working to bring basketball back to Seattle, as he wishes to have his number retired there rather than by the OKC Thunder. Payton’s net worth of $130 million is mostly earned from his basketball career.

14. Dwight Howard Net Worth - $140 million

Dwight Howard is an active professional basketball player who currently plays in the Taiwanese T1 league after spending 17 years in the NBA. Howard’s net worth of $140 million is mostly earned from his basketball career and endorsements.

13. Dirk Nowitzki Net Worth - $140 million

One of a growing number of European players in the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki is a special advisor to the Dallas Mavericks after retiring from the sport in 2019. Notwitzki ended his career with his record-setting 14th addition to the NBA All-Star Game.

A power forward with an aggressive drive and a high release point, Nowitzki was difficult to block during his playing days. Nowitzki will likely join the Mavericks as a team executive in the future, bringing his basketball acumen to the front office in an official role.

His net worth of $140 million is the 13th highest all time of any NBA player.

12. James Harden Net Worth - $145 million

Los Angeles-born, Harden is known as one of the best individual players in the NBA today, dominant at his position of shooting guard. At Age 33, he is at the tail end of his prime but likely to have elite output for several more seasons.

Harden’s net worth of $145 million is mostly built through his basketball career and his sports endorsement deals including a $200 million, 13-year deal with Adidas.

He is a part-owner of Houston’s professional men’s and women’s soccer teams, the Dynamo of the MLS and the Dash of the NWSL. He now considers Houston his home. Harden is the youngest of three children, and his bushy beard is his personal trademark, which he’s marketed on candy and t-shirts.

11. Kevin Durant Net Worth - $170 million

An active player for the Brooklyn Nets who started his career with the Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant is an aggressive scorer, one of only two players to win four scoring titles in five years.

Early in his career his playing style was extremely iso-heavy, which made him more vulnerable to picks and takeaways, but he learned to be more of a team player as he got older.

Off the court, Durant is invested in Oklahoma City real estate, restaurants, and endorsed by a variety of interests from clothing and video games to appliances. Known as the Durant is an active philanthropist and YouTuber.

He is a minority owner of the MLS side Philadelphia Union and has made occasional acting appearances. Kevin Durant’s net worth is estimated at $170 million.

10. Grant Hill Net Worth - $180 million

A former basketball player turned executive, Hill played in the NBA from 1994 to 2013, earning accolades from the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.

His playing career led to a successful career in business, broadcasting, sponsorship, and endorsements, earning him a net worth of $180 million.

9. Kevin Garnett Net Worth - $190 million

One of the greatest players to don a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform, Garnett also had a successful career with the Boston Celtics. The 7’1” power forward led the once-derided Timberwolves to relevance and won accolades for his long, healthy playing career. Garnett’s total net worth is estimated at $190 million.

8. Hakeem Olajuwon Net Worth - $200 million

Hakeem Olajuwon is a retired former NBA center from Nigeria, and the wealthiest basketball player from outside of the United States. He is a member of the NBA and FIBA Hall of Fame.

He is a real estate entrepreneur in Houston, where he makes his home half the year, and his growth since his career has been cased in part on his willingness to pay for his real estate in cash, as his Muslim faith prohibits paying or charging interest.

Despite this, Olajuwon’s wealth has grown every year since the end of his career and his investments in real estate have continued to appreciate in Houston. His net worth is estimated at $200 million, making him the 8th richest NBA player in the world.

7. David Robinson Net Worth - $200 million

David “the Admiral” Robinson is the only player in NBA history with two championship rings and an Annapolis ring. Drafted by the San Antonio Spurs out of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987, the Spurs waited two years for Robinson to serve in the US Navy.

After his playing career, Robinson formed Admiral Capital Group. He also formed the nonprofit Admiral Center to assist other athletes in their philanthropic activities. David Robinson’s net worth is estimated at $200 million.

6. Kobe Bryant Net Worth - $350 million

The late Kobe Bryant is the only deceased player to make this list. Bryant joined the Lakers in 1996 out of high school. He made one of the most dynamic combinations in the game alongside his towering teammate, Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant died January 26, 2020 in Calabasas, CA as his helicopter struck the ground after entering a fogbank.

Bryant’s net worth at the time of his death was $350 million.

5. Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth - $400 million

Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal is one of the most beloved and feared players in NBA history. His hulking physicality and powerful play made him nearly impossible to stop on offense and a force on defense.

After his basketball career, O’Neal has been a franchising juggernaut. He owns thousands of businesses in over a dozen states. His net worth is estimated at $400 million.

3. Magic Johnson Net Worth - $600 million

Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr. was one of the greatest point guards in the history of professional basketball. His HIV diagnosis in 1991 prematurely ended a 13-year career.

He came back in 1996 to play one more season with the L.A. Lakers, retiring from basketball to become a businessman. Johnson was one of the first black sports executives.

His portfolio of sports teams includes the Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Sparks. Johnson is the third wealthiest NBA player with a net worth estimated at $600 million.

2. Junior Bridgeman - $600 million

An important supporting role player from 1975 to 1987, Bridgeman was always overshadowed by the greats of his day. Off the court, he was learning the restaurant business.

After his playing career, he purchased franchises in the Chili’s and Wendy’s restaurant chains. Junior Bridgeman sold his stake in those two restaurants in 2016 and became a media executive, purchasing the magazines Ebony and Jet from bankruptcy in 2019. He is worth $600 million.

2. Lebron James Net Worth - $1 Billion

“King James” is the yardstick by which all active basketball players are measured. Aggressive on the court and unabashed about pursuing the best deals wherever they might take him, James started playing for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

Expanding his portfolio into acting and business, James is worth approximately $1 Billion.

1. Michael Jordan Net Worth - $1.5 billion

Michael Jordan is nearly universally acclaimed as the greatest basketball player, perhaps the greatest athlete, of all time. His career statistics were a mind-bending array of greatness, including the first double-threepeat in basketball history.

The 1991-1993 and 1996-1998 Chicago Bulls were probably the greatest basketball teams in history, and Jordan led the attack.

Since his retirement from basketball, Michael Jordan has become an executive. First with the Washington Wizards, then the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bobcats were renamed the Hornets under his tenure. Jordan also owns 23XI Racing, a stock car racing team driven by Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace. Jordan’s net worth of $1.5 billion is the highest of any professional basketball.

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Maria McCutchen

Written by Maria McCutchen

Maria McCutchen is an author and freelance writer living in Chattanooga, TN. She is the published author of her memoir, “It’s all in Your Head,” and a children’s book. She has been writing for over 15 years; writing articles, whitepapers, product write-ups and more for multiple online media sites, blogs, company websites and individuals. She is also an advocate for brain malformations, including Chiari Malformation, and works closely with the non-profit organization, The Chiari Project, writing for their quarterly newsletters.

Read more posts by Maria McCutchen

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