Before Anthony Davis closes the deal with the Pelicans to earn $145 million over five years, 23 contracts of $100 million or more had already been signed in the NBA. All were not necessarily well inspired.
Contracts over $100 million
Total and yearly average – $ millions
| Players | Team | Year | Total | Lenght | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Davis | N. Orleans |
2015 |
145 million |
5 years |
29m/yr |
| Kobe Bryant | LA Lakers |
2004 |
136 million |
7 years |
19,5m/yr |
| Jermaine O’Neal | Indiana |
2003 |
126,6 million |
7 years |
18,1m/yr |
| Kevin Garnett | Minnesota |
1999 |
126 million |
6 years |
21m/yr |
| Rashard Lewis | Orlando |
2007 |
126 million |
6 years |
21m/yr |
| Carmelo Anthony | New York |
2014 |
124,1 million |
5 years |
24,8m/yr |
| Joe Johnson | Atlanta |
2010 |
123,7 million |
6 years |
20,6m/yr |
| Chris Webber | Sacramento |
2001 |
122,7 million |
7 years |
17,5m/yr |
| Tim Duncan | San Antonio |
2003 |
122 million |
7 years |
17,4m/yr |
| Shaquille O’Neal | LA Lakers |
1996 |
120 million |
7 years |
17,1m/yr |
| Chris Bosh | Miami |
2014 |
118 million |
5 years |
23,6m/yr |
| Gilbert Arenas | Washington |
2008 |
111 million |
6 years |
18,5m/yr |
| Chris Bosh | Miami |
2010 |
109,8 million |
6 years |
18,3m/yr |
| LeBron James | Miami |
2010 |
109,8 million |
6 years |
18,3m/yr |
| Chris Paul | LA Clippers |
2013 |
107,3 million |
5 years |
21,5m/yr |
| Dwyane Wade | Miami |
2010 |
107,2 million |
6 years |
17,9m/yr |
| Shawn Kemp | Cleveland |
1997 |
107 million |
7 years |
15,3m/yr |
| Juwan Howard | Washington |
1996 |
105,4 million |
7 years |
15,1m/yr |
| Alonzo Mourning | Miami |
1996 |
105 million |
7 years |
15m/yr |
| Jason Kidd | New Jersey |
2003 |
103,6 million |
6 years |
17,3m/yr |
| Michael Finley | Dallas |
2001 |
102,3 million |
7 years |
14,6m/yr |
| Allan Houston | New York |
2001 |
100 million |
6 years |
16,7m/yr |
| Kevin Garnett | Minnesota |
2004 |
100 million |
5 years |
20m/yr |
| Shaquille O’Neal | Miami |
2005 |
100 million |
5 years |
20m/yr |
The initial contract will not even be among the thirty largest in the history of sports. Nevertheless, it will be the most impressive among the NBA. With a total of $145 million, he’ll surpass Kobe Bryant’s contract in 2004, of 9 million dollars, at a time when it was still possible to engage in six or seven years against today’s five years.
But with an average of 29 million per season, Pelicans forward/center remains below the 30 million that only the Lakers star and Michael Jordan had exceeded. Kobe Bryant made $30.5 million this season, which still invoices $871,000 dollars per match actually $783,000 since he was injured more than half of the season. Jordan, first sports billionaire in history, had made $33.14 million during the sixth season as the Chicago Bulls in 1997-1998.