NBA Finals 2019: How Much Will The NBA Champion Earn In The Finals?

Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors — Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors runs down the floor in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images

This year’s NBA Finals will be historic whichever way one looks at it. For one, two-time defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, are the odds-on favorite to score a three-peat, a feat last achieved by the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.

If the underdog Toronto Raptors bannered by the NBA’s best two-way player, Kawhi “the Klaw” Leonard wins, history will be made thrice. Should they seize the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Raptors will become the first non-American team to attain this feat. An NBA title will also be the first for the Toronto Raptors, which was founded 24 years ago. This is also the Raptors’ first trip to the Finals.

But the NBA champion this year stands to make a lot more money than the loser.

Every year, the NBA puts together a “player’s pool” that’s divided among the teams that make it to the Playoffs and Finals. The pool last year comes to $20 million, according to multiple sports sources.

Based on calculations by people in the know, the 2018 NBA champs had $3,320,527 to divide among themselves. For a 15-man playing roster, this means each player will get to take home $221,268, calculates SBNation.

It’s a good bonus but pales in comparison to the salaries of some top stars such as Warrior superguard Steph Curry, who earned $34.6 million for the 2017-2018 season, or Kevin Durant, who made a cool $25 million in the same season. Right now, Curry is the highest-paid player in the NBA.

The NBA, however, ranks only second after Major League Baseball in how much it rewards its champions.

In 2018, the average player on the champion Houston Astros took home more than $438,000 for winning the World Series, which is a record-breaking amount that might not be broken this year.

For teams, the big thing is the big boost a Playoff and Finals berth gives to their team.

It’s been estimated a team making it to the Playoffs will see a 24% boost in merchandise sales. If a team gets to the conference semi-finals, the revenue spike zooms to 129%. A conference finals spot triggers a 148% jump in sales.