Top 10 NBA historical total salaries: Durant surpassed James to top the list with 90 million in 2 years, George ranked 5th with 516 million

Before the regular season, many teams completed tens of millions of contract extensions. For this reason, the US media Boardroom released a list of the top 10 historical total salaries based on salary website SpotracNBA data. Among them, Durant's two-year 90 million contract extension surpassed James, and George ranked fifth with 516 million.

Tenth place: Tatum (469.4 million)

Tatum signed a history-making five-year, $315 million contract with the Celtics last summer, successfully qualifying for the list.

However, this contract will only take effect in the new season and will last for five years. In addition, Tatum suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury. Whether he can maintain the top ten in the future depends on his condition after recovery.

Ninth place: Alexander (469.5 million)

After defeating Jokic to win the MVP last season, and after winning the championship and FMVP, Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million early contract extension with the Thunder, making history with an average salary of more than $70 million.

This contract will last until 31 years, and he will be 33 years old by then. There is still hope of signing another big contract. If he does not suffer serious injuries, Alexander is expected to further improve his ranking in the future.

Eighth place: Lillard (482.9 million)

Lillard was originally going to become the first star with an annual income of more than 60 million US dollars in the new season, but injuries changed his trajectory and he was directly bought out by the Bucks.

Then he returned to his old club Trail Blazers with a three-year, 42 million contract. Regardless of salary, age and health, Lillard is bound to fall out of the top ten list in the future.

Seventh place: Embiid (509.3 million)

Last summer, Embiid signed a three-year, $193 million early contract extension, bringing his total career salary to more than $500 million. As a result, Embiid was reimbursed after playing only 14 games last season.

Fortunately, Embiid has significantly lost weight during the offseason, but judging from his career durability, it is very likely that Embiid will be squeezed out of the top ten in the future, and it will be difficult to get another big contract.

Sixth place: Brother Nongmei (511.2 million)

Brother Nongmei signed a three-year, US$186 million contract extension in 2023. There are currently three seasons left on the contract. As long as he can stay healthy and lead the Mavericks back to the championship in the new season, Brother Nongmei still hopes to get another fat contract to improve his ranking.

Fifth place: George (516.9 million)

George signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension with the 76ers last summer. As a result, George was reimbursed for the season in the first year of signing the contract, and his personal data plummeted.

His huge contract with Embiid and his poor health have made the 76ers, a team that aspires to compete for the championship, a laughing stock in the league. However, from a salary perspective, George is undoubtedly the winner in life.

Fourth place: Booker (520.2 million)

During the offseason, Booker renewed his contract with the Suns in advance for 145 million for 2 years and 145 million. In addition to the original 3-year contract, Booker's salary will reach 316 million US dollars in the next five years, which also brings the overall salary to more than 500 million US dollars.

This is Booker's reward for insisting on one man, one city. However, according to the current competitiveness of the Suns, Booker received a high salary while also sacrificing the opportunity to compete for the championship in his peak period.

Third place: Curry (532.7 million)

Due to injuries at the beginning of his career, Curry signed a "child labor contract" with extremely low average wages, which resulted in his failure to obtain a higher ranking.

Fortunately, Curry is an active representative of one man, one city, and the Warriors are willing to provide him with maximum salary contracts one after another. After signing a one-year, 62.6 million contract in the summer of 2024, Curry's contract will expire in the summer of 2027.

As long as Curry is still willing to play by then, based on his current status and influence, the Warriors will definitely provide him with a big contract. By then, Curry is expected to further improve his ranking and even hit the top spot.

Second place: James (581.3 million)

As the longest river in NBA history, James has occupied the top spot for a long time. Unfortunately, he failed to reach an early contract extension with the Lakers this summer, causing him to fall to second place.

Another factor that affects James' income is that he frequently signed short-term contracts during his peak period to control his next choice, resulting in his failure to maximize contract income. However, relying on this, James achieved the feat of winning three cities by one person, and the increase in off-court income far exceeded the contract loss.

First place: Durant (598.2 million)

By signing a two-year, 90 million early contract extension with the Rockets, Durant successfully surpassed James and became the first in NBA total salary history.

This also means that the 37-year-old Durant regards the Rockets as the last stop of his career and is willing to take a significant salary cut of US$30 million to help the new club compete for the championship in the next three years.