In this offseason, arguably two players (Jaylen Brown and Anthony Davis) who aren't even one of the top 10 players in the league signed two of the largest contract extensions in NBA history. During the Milwaukee Bucks media day, Giannis Antetokounmpo also revealed that the reason he didn't sign an extension was because it did not make sense. “Money is not important. A lot of f**king money is important,” Antetokounmpo said alluding to the NBA's increasing salary cap after every season.
This led us to think that with the money NBA players make from their contracts and the likelihood of players getting injured or skipping games due to load management, which five players get paid the most to play in every game?
5. Kristaps Porzingis ($341,958.481 a game)
After being a prized top five pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Porzingis already earned close to $5 million in his first year in the NBA. He's played 412 total games in his career (including the playoffs), and the most he's ever played in a season was during his rookie year. When Porzingis tore his ACL in 2018, the New York Knicks knew it was time to throw away damaged goods. Luckily for them, the Mavericks took the bait. Aside from trading two 1st round picks, the Mavs also gave Porzingis a 5-year, $158 million deal to only play an average of 45 games in three seasons.
4. Ben Simmons ($357,926.660 a game)
This name isn't a surprise to any NBA fan. Simmons' willingness to play each game has been questioned time and time again. After he received his $20 million grievance claim from the Sixers, Simmons' fee per game skyrocketed. Aside from also getting paid more than $60 million by the Sixers and Brooklyn Nets to play in only 40 games in two seasons, most people forget Simmons already made $6,000,000 a year in his rookie season to rehab his foot injury.
To date, Simmons has only played in 351 games.
3. Joel Embiid ($375,147.821 a game)
Not far behind Simmons is his former teammate, Joel Embiid. During the peak days of “The Process,” the Sixers were in no rush to play Embiid, resulting in two years of rehab to ensure his foot was healthy. The Sixers shelled out close to $10 million for Embiid to rehab and since then, he's still being monitored very closely by the Sixers. Embiid has played in 447 games and still never played more than 68 games a season. However, since he just won a league MVP, you can say the money is worth it.
2. Zion Williamson ($388,343.307 a game)
Zion Williamson is a walking highlight that can increase an NBA team's value by millions. However, don't let the highlights and off-court scandals take away from the fact that Williamson has been running the New Orleans Pelicans wallets dry ever since he entered the league. He's already made more than $40 million in four seasons but has only played in 114 total games in four years.
To put that into context, LeBron played 108 games alone in the 2017-2018 season. Only six fewer games than what Zion's played his entire career.
1. John Wall ($409,283.900 a game)
When the Washington Wizards showed their loyalty to John Wall, it backfired. After leading the Wizards to four playoff appearances in five years, the Wizards rewarded their high-flying point guard with a 4-year $171 million extension in 2017.
Unfortunately, Wall suffered a multitude of injuries which began with an Achilles tear on his left foot. Mainstream media gives Kawhi and Anthony Davis a lot of hate for getting paid to miss games, but John Wall's been secretly doing it for over 10 years.
Over his NBA career, Wall only played an average of 52 games a season which is a steep price to pay for a franchise player.
Highest paid NBA players PER GAME 🤔 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube
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