Joel Embiid signed a three-year contract extension worth nearly $193 million with the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Not only does the deal tie the Paris Olympic gold medalist to the Philadelphia team through the 2028-29 season, it also puts Embiid in an extremely special group of players in the NBA known as the “$500 million club.”
True to its name, this is a group of players whose total NBA salary income has reached the $500 million mark.
The latest contract ensures Embiid will pocket nearly $300 million over the next five years, bringing his total career earnings to $515 million and making him the newest member of the “$500 million club.”
According to statistics by ESPN expert Bobby Marks, there are 4 players before Joel Embiid who have reached the $500 million salary mark including:
– LeBron James (39 years old): 584 million USD
– Stephen Curry (36 years old): 532 million USD
– Paul George (34 years old): 519 million USD
– Kevin Durant (35 years old): 508 million USD
Thus, Joel Embiid is the newest member but also the youngest player to reach the above huge number. Embiid is currently only 30 years old and had his first NBA matches in 2016.
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Stephen Curry joined the $500 million club in August after signing a one-season extension with the Golden State Warriors. He will receive $62.6 million for the 2026-27 season, tying him to the Warriors for at least three more years.
It’s worth noting that none of the five players listed have actually taken home $500 million. The figures are total salaries under their current contracts, and they’re also pre-tax. Players will pay different taxes depending on the state, and so their take-home pay will vary.
In addition, players also have a large income from off the field, carrying out brand promotion activities or investing…
Will the NBA’s $500 million club have more members in the future?
The above group of 5 players are all names that can be considered outstanding in the NBA. So is the $500 million club open to welcoming new members?
According to ESPN expert Bobby Marks, Joel Embiid will be the name leading the trend of reaching the $500 million NBA income mark among players aged 30 and under (the remaining 4 players are all 34 and older).
The reason is that the NBA has reached a new television rights deal worth up to 76 billion USD over 11 years. Future salary caps will increase, which means bigger contracts will appear.
Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the next two names expected to join the $500 million club thanks to supermax contracts awaiting them in the next few years. Three other players who have not yet reached the $500 million mark but will also have “huge” contracts in the future include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokić.
