5 highest-paid coaches in NBA history

Most of the big bucks in the NBA go to players but there are more than a few coaches working on hefty contracts. The changing dynamics of the league mean that most of the biggest contracts in coaching history are among the most recent.

There is, of course, a difference between annual salary (average annual value, or AAV), and total contract value, so that will be specified throughout this list. Additionally, coaching contracts are often not made public, so it can be difficult to know the exact details of each coach's agreement.

But with publicly available information, here are the five highest-paid coaches in NBA history.

5. Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors — 4 years, $32 millon

Though Nurse is now the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, the reason he makes this list is the extension that he signed with the Raptors back in 2020, which would reportedly pay him $32 million over the course of four seasons. He did not make it to the end of his deal with Toronto, as he was fired following the 2022-23 campaign. His contract with Philly could be worth a similar amount, but numbers for that aren't readily available.

Nurse had an excellent two-year run to begin his coaching career, as he won 111 games over his first two seasons with the Raptors, including leading them to their first-ever NBA Championship in 2018-2019. Since Kawhi Leonard moved on, however, Toronto hasn't been a very good team, and Nurse was let go after finishing 41-41 last season.

Now, he has a chance to lead a talented 76ers team back to the playoffs, provided the James Harden situation can be remedied.