7 Richest NBA Players Of All Time: LeBron James Is Just Top 4

Since the founding of the NBA in 1946, the premier men’s professional basketball league has witnessed the birth of many legendary basketball icons. But among all the competitors who have fought in the league, which player is the richest?

The NBA has seen an explosive return to its competitive matches amid the coronavirus pandemic and after being forced to shut down due to restrictions. This was most notably seen in the league’s revenue for the 2019 to 2020 season, which dropped by 15% from the previous season to $8.3 billion, as per Forbes.

Coming into the NBA Finals, the 73-game playoffs televised on ABC/ESPN/TNT averaged 3.7 million viewers. Statistics showed a drop of 9% from the pre-pandemic 2019 playoffs but a massive 37% increase from last year’s three million viewers.

Many notable players have graced the halls of the NBA, including Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But which professional athlete is considered the richest NBA player of all time? Celebrity Net Worth listed the top 50 richest NBA players of all time, and here is a list that shows the top seven in the history of the league.

#7 Grant Hill

Grant Hill is a retired NBA player who has played 20 seasons in the league and amassed a net worth of $250 million. Based on contract earnings alone, the basketball star earned more than $140 million throughout his career, as per Spotrac. After his retirement from the professional scene, he turned to hosting and was featured on NBA TV’s “NBA Inside Stuff'' and also worked as a sportscaster for CBS.

#6 Vinnie Johnson

The Seattle SuperSonics chose Vinnie Johnson with the seventh overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. After being traded to the Detroit Pistons in 1981, he went on to win two championships with his team. Despite ending his career in 1992, Johnson has an estimated net worth of $400 million, according to a separate Celebrity Net Worth report.

#5 Shaquille O’Neal

Known as one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA, Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal has won four championships throughout his career. The 7’1” center player has an estimated net worth of $400 million. He has also dabbled in the movie industry and appeared in films, such as “Scary Movie 4,” “The House Bunny,” “Blended” and “Uncle Drew.”

#4 LeBron James

LeBron “King James” James has earned more than $380 million throughout his career on contract earnings alone. This has greatly contributed to his massive net worth of $500 million. James also earned the NBA’s highest career-scoring average in October 2020 with a 34.9 points per game record, as per Forbes.

#3 Magic Johnson

During the 1979 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers chose Magic Johnson for the first overall pick. For the next 31 seasons, he played as the Lakers’ point guard. He was awarded the NBA Championship and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award during his rookie season.

After his retirement, he also became the president of basketball operations for the Lakers for a time. He has amassed a massive $600 million net worth through the years and also created the Magic Johnson Foundation in an effort to combat HIV worldwide.

#2 Junior Bridgeman

On top of being a retired professional basketball player, Junior Bridgeman is also a successful fast food entrepreneur with a net worth of $600 million. His career in the NBA was considered to be moderately successful, having a peak salary of $350,000. Bridgeman used his finances to invest in fast food franchises, primarily Wendy’s food chain. His business endeavors have made him one of the richest athletes in history.

#1 Michael Jordan

The individual who holds the title of the richest NBA player of all time is none other than the legendary Michael Jordan. The basketball superstar has a lucrative net worth of $2.2 billion, dwarfing the rest of his colleagues. Jordan was the first NBA player to earn more than $30 million in salary in a single year, which was in the 1996-1997 season where he was paid $30.14 million.

Jordan is considered the richest NBA player of all time despite only making $93.7 million throughout his entire basketball career. The majority of his massive fortune comes from various endorsement deals and business ventures. The superstar earned at least $60 million a year from brand royalties with Nike/Jordan. He first became a billionaire due to his ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets NBA team.