Kawhi Leonard is officially on track to join one of the NBA’s most exclusive groups, set to make a staggering half a billion dollars in career salary. This all comes after he locked in a two-year, $115 million extension with the Toronto Raptors, a deal that got finalized right after his trade from the Los Angeles Clippers went through last week. ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news, and Bobby Marks, also from ESPN, confirmed that this new contract pushes Leonard’s total career earnings to an unbelievable $543 million. Seriously, what a bag!
The Half-Billion Dollar Club Just Got Bigger
You know the names: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry. These are the guys who, by the end of the 2026-27 season, will be the *only* players to have raked in over $500 million in NBA career earnings, according to Spotrac. But guess what? Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are about to crash that party. Harden, who just signed a three-year, $97 million extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers last month, is set to hit $511 million in career earnings himself. LeBron is still leading the pack with $585 million by the end of 2026-27, followed by Durant at $545 million, and Curry not far behind with $532 million. It’s wild seeing these numbers laid out, putting into perspective the absolute titans of the league.
Kawhi’s Road to Riches and What’s Next
Leonard’s journey to this insane earnings total has been quite the ride. Spotrac details how the bulk of his cash came from the Clippers, where he pulled in $291.8 million. Before that, he banked $185.4 million from the Raptors and $63.4 million from the San Antonio Spurs. Think about that for a second. Forbes even pegged him as the world’s 37th highest-paid athlete just this year. What’s even crazier is that this massive extension dropped shortly after the NBA hit him with a $700,000 fine following an investigation into alleged salary cap circumvention by the Clippers. Talk about mixed signals from the league office!
Leonard, who put up a monster 27.9 points per game in 65 appearances during his resurgent final season with the Clippers, is now heading back to Toronto. This is his first time back since he famously led his former team to a title run in 2019. By the time his new extension wraps up at the end of the 2029-30 season, Spotrac projects that Devin Booker of the Suns, Paul George of the Celtics, and Joel Embiid of the 76ers will also join the exclusive $500 million club. Donovan Mitchell from the Cavaliers is also on deck to hit that mark by the end of the 2030-31 campaign. Get ready for more massive contracts, because this financial arms race in the NBA is only just getting started!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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