11
Jul
Player Salaries
Australia's TWO BILLION dollar men's basketball players
Josh Giddey (left) and Dyson Daniels are two of seven Australians to have signed NBA contracts worth more than A$100 million, with the pair set to earn a combined A$361 million under their current deals. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Australian men's basketballers have earned an extraordinary TWO BILLION DOLLARS in NBA salaries
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Thirty-nine of the more than 40 Australian men's basketballers to have played in the NBA have earned a combined AUD $2.23 billion (US$1.56 billion) in career salaries.
Melbourne-born potential Australian Boomer Kyrie Irving tops the list with more than A$614 million (US$429.6 million) in NBA earnings, while fellow Victorian Ben Simmons ranks second on A$290.8 million (US$203.4 million) after signing a maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers before later being traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
The median career earnings among the 39 players is approximately A$3.8 million, while the average – heavily influenced by the league's biggest earners – is A$57.1 million. Seven Australians have now earned more than A$100 million during their NBA careers, with Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels joining Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Andrew Bogut, Joe Ingles and Patty Mills after signing lucrative long-term contract extensions.
Australian players and their NBA Career Earnings
By comparison, AFL player salaries remain a fraction of NBA earnings. The AFL reported the average salary for a listed player rose to A$505,961 in 2025.
Club Total Player Payments (salary cap) increased from A$15.8 million to A$17.8 million, fuelling a record 58 players earning more than A$1 million in a season. Two AFL players surpassed A$1.6 million, led by St Kilda star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera on a reported A$2 million deal.
The contrast with the NBA is stark. Kyrie Irving's current contract is worth US$429.6 million (A$614.3 million) – more than 34 times an entire AFL club's 2025 salary cap. Ben Simmons' contract value of US$203.4 million (A$290.8 million) alone is worth more than 16 AFL club salary caps, while Josh Giddey (US$127.2 million) and Dyson Daniels (US$125.3 million) have each signed contracts worth more than seven times what an AFL club can spend on its entire playing list.
