The highest earning player in the NBA in 2021/22 is Steph Curry with almost $46M. The average NBA player earns much less but still gets a yearly salary of $8.5M. But not every NBA player is automatically a multi-millionaire!
In this article you’ll find out how much the lowest-paid players make.
Lowest Salary in the NBA in 2021/22
The lowest salary in the NBA in 2021/22 is $53,176 for a 10-day contract or $925,258 for a full-year contract.
Minimum Salaries are regulated by the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and depend on the years of experience by the respective NBA player.
Rookies make the least money while more veteran players have a higher minimum salary.
Table 1: NBA Minimum Salary in 21/22 by Years of Experience
| Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0 | $925,258 |
| 1 | $1,489,065 |
| 2 | $1,669,178 |
| 3 | $1,729,217 |
| 4 | $1,789,256 |
| 5 | $1,939,350 |
| 6 | $2,089,448 |
| 7 | $2,239,544 |
| 8 | $2,389,641 |
| 9 | $2,401,537 |
| 10+ | $2,641,691 |
A rookie player that was signed to a minimum contract will earn $925,258. Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers is probably the highest profile player on a contract like that.
There are quite a few well-known players at the end of their careers trying to chase a ring on a 10+ years minimum contract. For example Blake Griffin with the Brooklyn Nets, Trevor Ariza with the Lakers, Andre Igoudala with the Warriors or Rajon Rondo with the Cleveland Cavaliers fit this description.
10-day contracts in the NBA in 2021/22
NBA teams have the possibility to sign a player to a 10-day contract if they have a lot of players that are injured or otherwise not able to dress up.
In the 2021/22 season, more 10-days contract than ever before were signed because a lot of players were sidelined in health&safety protocols due to Covid infections.
For 10-days contracts players receive at minimum the prorated portion of the yearly minimum salary. The 2021/22 season is 174 days long, so a player on a 10-day contract earns 10/174 of the yearly salary.
Table 2: NBA Minimum 10-Day Salary in 21/22 by Years of Experience
| Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0 | $53,176 |
| 1 | $85,578 |
| 2 | $95,930 |
| 3 | $99,380 |
| 4 | $102,831 |
| 5 | $111,457 |
| 6 | $120,083 |
| 7 | $128,709 |
| 8 | $137,336 |
| 9 | $138,019 |
| 10+ | $151,821 |
The lowest-paid NBA player in 2021/22 made $53,176 for a 10-day contract. Examples are Moses Wright for the Los Angeles Clippers, M.J. Walker for the Phoenix Suns or Jon Teske with the Memphis Grizzlies who were all signed to fill rosters on 10-day Covid hardship contracts.
