On Thursday, 30 young men will achieve their dream of being drafted by an NBA team in the first round of the NBA draft. And they’ll also become multi-millionaires.
The San Antonio Spurs selected French star Victor Wembanyama with the No.1 overall pick. Wembanyama, a 19-year old who stands at a towering 7-foot-5, according to ESPN, is viewed by many as the best NBA prospect since LeBron James.
The order a player is drafted determines how much money he will earn on his rookie contract. This is due to the NBA’s rookie wage scale, which assigns dollar amounts to specific draft slots. The higher a player is drafted, the more lucrative their overall contract will be.
Because of the NBA’s rookie wage scale, dropping several spots during the draft can actually cost players millions of dollars on their rookie contracts.
Each player selected in the first round of the NBA draft is awarded a four-year contract with an NBA franchise, but only the first two years are fully guaranteed.
Here are the estimated contracts for the first round selections of the 2023 NBA draft, according to Spotrac.
Pick
Team
Total contract value
2023-24 salary
1
San Antonio Spurs
$54,355,020
$11,979,960
2
Charlotte Hornets
$48,644,832
$10,718,760
3
Portland Trail Blazers
$43,704,517
$9,625,800
4
Houston Rockets
$39,413,889
$8,678,400
5
Detroit Pistons
$35,707,698
$7,858,920
6
Orlando Magic
$32,440,534
$7,137,840
7
Indiana Pacers
$29,628,220
$6,516,000
8
Washington Wizards
$27,156,614
$5,969,400
9
Utah Jazz
$24,974,784
$5,487,120
10
Dallas Mavericks
$23,730,606
$5,212,800
11
Orlando Magic
$22,828,659
$4,952,160
12
Oklahoma City Thunder
$21,951,767
$4,704,720
13
Toronto Raptors
$21,104,176
$4,469,280
14
New Orleans Pelicans
$20,293,014
$4,246,200
15
Atlanta Hawks
$19,506,914
$4,033,440
16
Utah Jazz
$18,537,283
$3,831,960
17
Los Angeles Lakers
$17,617,295
$3,640,200
18
Miami Heat
$16,744,337
$3,458,400
19
Golden State Warriors
$15,998,405
$3,302,640
20
Houston Rockets
$15,363,478
$3,170,400
21
Brooklyn Nets
$14,921,076
$3,043,560
22
Brooklyn Nets
$14,491,282
$2,922,000
23
Portland Trail Blazers
$14,072,312
$2,805,240
24
Sacramento Kings
$13,664,588
$2,693,160
25
Memphis Grizzlies
$13,264,908
$2,585,040
26
Indiana Pacers
$12,830,104
$2,499,480
27
Charlotte Hornets
$12,463,850
$2,427,360
28
Utah Jazz
$12,389,133
$2,412,240
29
Indiana Pacers
$12,299,277
$2,394,960
30
Los Angeles Clippers
$12,210,334
$2,377,560
Read on: LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: who is the GOAT when it comes to net worth?
Wembanyama is viewed as a devastating defender and likely will be a willing shot-blocker with his large frame and his strong mobility for a player his size. Offensively, Wembanyama has an innate dribbling feel for a center-sized player, and can shoot three-pointers, a sought-after skill in today’s NBA. He didn’t play for a college, but for a professional team in France this past year, where he averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds a game.
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