The salaries of the 1990s are nowhere near what players enjoy today, even after adjusting for inflation. Still, in that decade there were some absolute outliers relative to what most players were making.
The most outstanding example is the year Michael Jordan won his fifth NBA title. In that 1996-97 season, he earned more than $30 million. That amount represented 3.75 percent of the total NBA salary expenditure that year. If Air Jordan played under those same conditions today, he would have earned almost 200 million dollars in the 2024-25 season!
Below, take a look at the most outlier NBA salaries since 1990, which is as far as our data goes back.
TED MATHIAS/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $30,140,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 3.75 percent
That 3.75 percent would amount to a salary of $196.6 million in $2024-25
TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $33,140,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 3.49 percent
That 3.49 percent would amount to a salary of $183.2 million in $2024-25
BOB STRONG/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $18,724,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 2.59 percent
That 2.59 percent would amount to a salary of $135.5 million in $2024-25
USA TODAY Sports
Actual salary: $14,660,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 2.45 percent
That 2.45 percent would amount to a salary of $128.4 million in $2024-25
KIMBERLY BARTH/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $20,500,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 2.16 percent
That 2.16 percent would amount to a salary of $113.3 million in $2024-25
USA TODAY Sports
Actual salary: $7,070,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.91 percent
That 1.91 percent would amount to a salary of $100.3 million in $2024-25
VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $14,857,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.85 percent
That 1.85 percent would amount to a salary of $96.9 million in $2024-25
STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $18,500,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.73 percent
That 1.73 percent would amount to a salary of $90.7 million in $2024-25
J.P. MOCZULSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $28,000,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.67 percent
That 1.67 percent would amount to a salary of $87.8 million in $2024-25
Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
Actual salary: $27,696,430
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.56 percent
That 1.56 percent would amount to a salary of $81.9 million in $2024-25
CRAIG LASSIG/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $25,200,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.51 percent
That 1.51 percent would amount to a salary of $79.1 million in $2024-25
Andy Lyons /Allsport
Actual salary: $14,285,714
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.51 percent
That 1.51 percent would amount to a salary of $79.0 million in $2024-25
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Actual salary: $24,749,999
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.48 percent
That 1.48 percent would amount to a salary of $77.6 million in $2024-25
Tim DeFrisco/Allsport/Getty Images
Actual salary: $4,250,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.45 percent
That 1.45 percent would amount to a salary of $75.9 million in $2024-25
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Actual salary: $30,453,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.44 percent
That 1.44 percent would amount to a salary of $75.4 million in $2024-25
PRESTON KERES/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $22,400,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.44 percent
That 1.44 percent would amount to a salary of $75.3 million in $2024-25
LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $23,571,429
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.41 percent
That 1.41 percent would amount to a salary of $74.0 million in $2024-25
GERARD BURKHART/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $15,000,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.40 percent
That 1.40 percent would amount to a salary of $73.5 million in $2024-25
KIMBERLY BARTH/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $11,250,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.40 percent
That 1.40 percent would amount to a salary of $73.4 million in $2024-25
DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $14,841,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.39 percent
That 1.39 percent would amount to a salary of $72.7 million in $2024-25
LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $21,428,572
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.37 percent
That 1.37 percent would amount to a salary of $72.1 million in $2024-25
USA TODAY Sports
Actual salary: $12,857,143
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.36 percent
That 1.36 percent would amount to a salary of $71.1 million in $2024-25
PAUL K. BUCK/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $9,810,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.35 percent
That 1.35 percent would amount to a salary of $71.0 million in $2024-25
Tim DeFrisco/Allsport/Getty Images
Actual salary: $5,720,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.33 percent
That 1.33 percent would amount to a salary of $69.9 million in $2024-25
Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images
Actual salary: $10,714,000
Percentage of NBA salary expenditure: 1.33 percent
That 1.33 percent would amount to a salary of $69.9 million in $2024-25
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