This is especially true for the stars of today and the athletes who played a large chunk of their careers between the late 1990s and the 2011 lockout. Those years led to some large contracts for players we might not consider among the all-time greats.
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The 25 highest-paid NBA players of all time
Thanks to the NBA's skyrocketing TV contracts and smaller rosters, a basketball career can be quite lucrative compared to other major sports.
LeBron James
Here is a look at the 25 players who have made at least $165 million, according to data collected from Spotrac and Basketball-Reference :
25. Elton Brand $165.9 million
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Seasons : 17
Highest single-season salary : $17.1 million
Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 2
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NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
24. Russell Westbrook $166.9 million
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AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Seasons : 11
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Highest single-season salary : $35.7 million
Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 7
NBA First-team All-NBA : 2
23. Jermaine O'Neal $167.6 million
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Seasons : 18
Highest single-season salary : $23.0 million
Championships : 0
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All-Star Games : 6
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
22. LaMarcus Aldridge $168.7 million
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Eric Gay/AP
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Seasons : 13
Highest single-season salary : $22.3 million
Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 6
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
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21. Vince Carter $169.5 million
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Seasons : 21
Highest single-season salary : $17.5 million
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Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 8
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
20. Chris Webber $178.2 million
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Seasons : 15
Highest single-season salary : $19.1 million
Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 5
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NBA First-team All-NBA : 1
19. Ray Allen $184.4 million
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Seasons : 18
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Highest single-season salary : $18.8 million
Championships : 2
All-Star Games : 10
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
18. Tyson Chandler $185.2 million
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Mark J. Terrill/AP
Seasons : 18
Highest single-season salary : $14.8 million
Championships : 1
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All-Star Games : 1
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
17. Kevin Durant $187.2 million
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Seasons : 12
Highest single-season salary : $30.0 million
Championships : 2
All-Star Games : 9
NBA First-team All-NBA : 6
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16. Jason Kidd $187.7 million
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Seasons : 19
Highest single-season salary : $21.4 million
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Championships : 1
All-Star Games : 10
NBA First-team All-NBA : 5
15. Paul Pierce $195.1 million
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Seasons : 19
Highest single-season salary : $19.8 million
Championships : 1
All-Star Games : 10
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NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
14. Dwyane Wade $196.4 million
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Seasons : 16
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Highest single-season salary : $23.2 million
Championships : 3
All-Star Games : 12
NBA First-team All-NBA : 2
13. Zach Randolph $196.6 million
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Seasons : 18
Highest single-season salary : $17.8 million
Championships : 0
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All-Star Games : 2
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
12. Chris Bosh $212.2 million
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Seasons : 13
Highest single-season salary : $23.7 million
Championships : 2
All-Star Games : 11
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
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11. Joe Johnson $214.0 million
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Seasons : 17
Highest single-season salary : $24.9 million
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Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 7
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
10. Pau Gasol $215.0 million
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Seasons : 18
Highest single-season salary : $19.3 million
Championships : 2
All-Star Games : 6
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NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
9. Chris Paul $222.5 million
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Michael Wyke/AP
Seasons : 13
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Highest single-season salary : $35.7 million
Championships : 0
All-Star Games : 9
NBA First-team All-NBA : 4
8. Dwight Howard $234.5 million
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Seasons : 15
Highest single-season salary : $23.2 million
Championships : 0
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All-Star Games : 8
NBA First-team All-NBA : 5
7. Carmelo Anthony $238.3 million
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Mary Altaffer/AP
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Seasons : 16
Highest single-season salary : $26.2 million
Championships : 0
All-Star Games :10
NBA First-team All-NBA : 0
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6. Tim Duncan $240.1 million
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Seasons : 19
Highest single-season salary : $22.2 million
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Championships : 5
All-Star Games : 15
NBA First-team All-NBA : 10
5. Dirk Nowitzki $251.6 million
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Seasons : 21
Highest single-season salary : $25.0 million
Championships : 1
All-Star Games : 13
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NBA First-team All-NBA : 4
4. LeBron James $269.5 million
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Seasons : 16
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Highest single-season salary : $35.7 million
Championships :3
All-Star Games :14
NBA First-team All-NBA : 12
3. Shaquille O'Neal $286.3 million
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Seasons : 19
Highest single-season salary : $27.7 million
Championships : 4
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All-Star Games : 15
NBA First-team All-NBA : 8
2. Kobe Bryant $323.3 million
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Seasons : 20
Highest single-season salary : $30.5 million
Championships : 5
All-Star Games : 18
NBA First-team All-NBA : 11
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1. Kevin Garnett $334.3 million
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4Seasons : 21
Highest single-season salary : $28 million
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Championships : 1
All-Star Games : 15
NBA First-team All-NBA : 4
Now check out the house Michael Jordan can't get rid of.
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Concierge Auctions; Stephan Savoia/AP
Here is Michael Jordan's 56,000-square foot house in Chicago and why it is still on the market after 6 years
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