Despite $102 Million Plus Salary, Clippers’ Ty Lue Earns Less than Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich

The news is out! Clippers and Ty Lue are once again joining hands to sign a long-term contract extension. The extension deal is worth $70 million over 5 years, as per Shams Charnia of The Athletic. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski disclosed that Steve Ballmer, owner of the basketball team, has been pretty “eager” for this extension deal. With the Clippers alone, Lue managed to bring his earnings up by $102 million ($70 million with the new extension and $32.5 million for his contract that ended in 2024).

Both sides were making progress on this deal, with Ballmer along with the President of the Clippers’ basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, in constant communication and negotiation discussions with Lue’s agent. Frank is in awe of Lue, which was evident while he spoke to the media. “T Lue is everything we want in a head coach. He’s a brilliant tactician and a natural leader with an extraordinary ability to connect with those around him, both players and staff”. The Clippers’ President and others feel “privileged and fortunate” to hire Lue back.

Even though the deal was announced on Wednesday, the terms of the same aren’t disclosed yet. But ESPN reported via a few unnamed sources that this new contract will fetch him about $14 million every year through the 2028-29.

The HC took over the Clippers in 2020, with an impressive record of 184-134, i.e. .579. In 2021, he led his team to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in forever. In fact, in the 2021-22 season, despite Kawhil Leonard missing the entire season and Paul George only playing 31 games in total, Lue still managed to the Clippers a 42-40 record with the team being at #8 in the Western Conference.

And his chain of admiration just doesn’t end there. He’s done a fantastic job keeping the competitive spirits of his team up and going, despite the struggles and setbacks they face. He’s been able to maximize the output of every player on his team, even the veteran ones like Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum.

With the Clippers now continuing their relationship with Ty Lue, who is also considered one of the best coaches in the NBA, Lue is also one of the highest-paid coaches now. But despite his $70 million current contract and his previous 5-years worth of contract, he is still not the highest-paid coach. He is rather in line, following in the footsteps of 3 other beloved coaches in NBA history.

Ty Lue isn’t the highest-paid HC in the NBA

Yes, that’s right! Ty Lue is currently in the fourth position when it comes to considering the top 5 highest-paid coaches in the league. Here are the other Head Coaches with lucrative and better contracts when compared to Ty Lue’s.

#3 Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra’s contract was renewed on January 9, 2024, when he signed a record-breaking 8-year extension for a whopping $120 million. He is one of the most committed and devoted coaches in the league’s history, and truly deserving of that. With his new extension earlier this year, Spoelstra is earning $15 million for every season.

Since he took over the role of the Head Coach in 2008, he’s made sure that the Heat is a model franchise. Along with King James, the Heat participated in 4 straight NBA Finals from 2010 to 2014, winning two of them in 2012 and 2013. The franchise has been doing phenomenally well until last year as well.

#2 Spurs’ Gregg Popovich

The San Antonio Spurs’ HC, Gregg Popovich’s contract, is resetting the NBA coaching market. As per the contract terms of the agreement signed between Popovich and the team on July 8, 2023, the HC is going to be with the team for a span of 5 years for a value of over $80 million. His annual salary comes to be around $16 million. But this is not all he earns. He is also the Spurs’ President of basketball operations for many years now.

Since the time he took over the coaching position with the team, he has led the team to win 5 Championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. Now with the French phenom, Victor Wembanyama added to their roster, the Spurs could soon become one of the best NBA teams.

#1 The Golden State Warriors HC Steve Kerr

On February 23, 2024, Steve Kerr renewed his contract for the HC position for $35 million for a 2-year extension. Currently, this is the 10th season he has coached the team, and will continue to stay put until the 2025-26 season. Every year, with this contract, Kerr will earn about $17.5 million every season, making him the highest-paid coach in the league.

In the last decade, Kerr has led the Warriors to win 4 championships (2014, 2017, 2018 and 2022).

No matter who wins the race for being the highest coach in the NBA in the coming years, the amount of respect Ty Lue has gotten in the past few years is a testament to his legacy that’s going to last beyond him. For many, that’s called real earnings.

For more such updates and the latest developments in the world of the NBA, don’t forget to check this space out. And if you want to know more about what’s the future going to be like for Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, and the crew of Inside the NBA on TNT, don’t forget to check out our official conversations with Leonard Armato, the man behind the Shaq brand.