Highest Paid NBA Coaches 2021: Bucks' Budenholzer, Suns' Williams Don't Make List

While NBA players are usually the ones who make headlines for their massive salaries, it's no secret that top coaches in the league also get paid millions each year to bring their experience and strategies to teams and lead players to victory.

The annual salary that an NBA coach can get usually depends on how much experience they have, according to SportingFree.

Those who have yet to prove their worth may receive up to $2 million annually, while coaches who have "intermediate" experience may get their salaries bumped up to $2.8 million. "Professional" coaches may get between $3 million to $5 million a year, while the top coaches in the NBA could earn somewhere between $7 million to $11 million, the outlet said.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer makes around $2 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Meanwhile, Monty Williams reportedly earns about $2.7 million a year as head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

However, they are not among the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Read on to find out which coaches in the league are getting the biggest salaries as of 2021, courtesy of Audacy.

5. Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors)

Nick Nurse signed a multi-year contract extension with the Toronto Raptors in September 2020. While the details of his contract were not revealed at the time, a lawsuit recently filed against Nurse claimed that the four-year extension he signed with the Raptors was worth $32 million and that he was getting paid $6 million to 8 million per season, USA Today reported.

Nurse helped lead the Raptors to the NBA championship and win its first title in 2019.

4. Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)

With an impressive net worth of $35 million, Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, is one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA right now. According to Audacy, he reportedly makes around $8 million a year.

Kerr signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Warriors in 2014, giving him an annual salary of $5 million. He agreed to a contract extension with the team in 2018, but the terms of his new deal were not released.

Unnamed sources told NBC Sports at the time that he may be earning as much as $10 million a year in his new contract, but Kerr suggested it was less than that, according to the outlet.

3. Doc Rivers (Philadelphia 76ers)

Former professional basketball player and now Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers has been coaching since 1999. He has an estimated net worth of $50 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

His contract with the 76ers is worth $40 million for a duration of five years, giving him an average annual salary of $8 million, according to Spotrac.

2. Steve Nash (Brooklyn Nets)

Former Hall of Famer Steve Nash was chosen to be the Brooklyn Nets head coach in 2020 to lead the team to a championship title. The former basketball player has an estimated net worth of $95 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Nash signed a four-year contract with the Nets that reportedly pays him an annual salary of $8.7 million, according to Audacy.

1. Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

The highest-paid NBA coach right now is Gregg Popovich, who has an estimated net worth of $40 million and has been the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs since 1996, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He reportedly receives an annual salary of $11 million.

The team’s investment is well worth the price as Popovich helped the Spurs win NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.