30 richest players in the NBA
By John Buhler
Dwyane Wade
Shooting Guard, Chicago Bulls
It’s no surprise that the greatest player in the history of the Miami Heat would make a crack inside the top 10 of the richest active NBA players. Unfortunately for the Heat, Dwyane Wade doesn’t play for the Heat anymore. Regardless, Wade has made $176,115,934 in career earnings.
Wade came into the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the famous 2003 NBA Draft out of Marquette. He would sign a three-year rookie contract before the 2003-04 NBA season worth $8.5 million.
Miami would exercise its team option for the 2006-07 season by paying Wade an additional $3.8 million. Wade would find pay dirt by signing a rookie scale extension in 2006, a three-year deal worth $43.2 million.
He would hit free agency in summer 2010 and become a very wealthy man. Wade would sign a six-year deal worth $107.2 million. In June 2014, Wade would terminate his contract early and sign a new deal with the Heat: a two-year deal, worth $31.25 million with a player option for the second season.
Wade would decline his player option for the second year to hit unrestricted free agency last summer. Shocking many in South Florida, Wade would agree to a two-year, $47 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. If he exercises his player option with the Bulls for 2017-18, Wade will have made $199,915,934 in career earnings before hitting 2018 NBA free agency.
Overall, Wade will likely go down as a top-25 player all-time in the NBA when he does retire. While he held back earning potential in his prime, he has certainly made up for it in recent years with his last few basketball contracts.