30 richest players in the NBA
By John Buhler
Pau Gasol
Power Forward, San Antonio Spurs
He’s been in the league for a long time and will go down as one of the very best international players all-time. Pau Gasol is now on his fourth NBA team with the San Antonio Spurs, chasing his third NBA title. At 36 years old, the 16-year NBA veteran has made $182,999,615 in career earnings.
Gasol was the No. 3 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA draft, traded immediately to the then-Vancouver Grizzlies. He signed a three-year deal worth $8.78 with the recently relocated Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol would make another $4.3 million via a team option for his fourth year in the league.
In September 2004, Gasol would ink a six-year, $86.5 million rookie extension with Memphis. Gasol would be traded in a blockbuster deal to the Los Angeles Laker for his younger brother Marc Gasol in February 2008. In December 2009, Gasol would sign a three-year extension with the Lakers worth $57 million.
Gasol would play out those three seasons with the Lakers before hitting unrestricted free agency in summer 2014. He would go on to sign a three-year contract worth $22.3 million with the Chicago Bulls. Gasol would play two years with the Bulls before opting out of his deal.
In summer 2016, Gasol would enter unrestricted free agency to sign a two-year deal with the Spurs worth $31.7 million. Should Gasol play out the second year of his contract with the Spurs, he would stand to make $199,197,115 before hitting free agency a third time as a 37-year-old.
Overall, Gasol will make over $200 million before he retires from the NBA. He was a building block for two franchises in Memphis and Los Angeles. While he didn’t win a title in Chicago, Gasol earned every penny of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.