Jerry West, one of the true legends of basketball, has bid farewell to the world at the age of 86. The 14X All-Star was known to be a basketball genius, contributing not only as a player but also as an executive and GM. Keeping in mind the unique records he holds, anyone would assume West earned his keep in massive numbers. And as the logo man, with a $50 million net worth now, that would make a lot of sense too. Well, here’s the interesting reality. 

West, during 14-season run for the Los Angeles Lakers, helped his team to the finals 9 times and made it to All-Star every year. He also secured the All-NBA team twelve times, of which ten were first selections. If someone had a record similar to this in the modern NBA, he would be paid in millions. Well, it wasn’t the modern NBA. Exactly the scenario was different for West.

The highest that West earned in one season was just $90,000. You may question the inflation and the money this converts into in the modern era. Well, here is a surprising revelation. As per reports, it would still be just $484,464.44. But then again, by the league’s standards in the 1960s-70s, $90,000 would have placed West as one of the highest-paid athletes. 

His contemporaries like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, were posted to be the highest paid, earning around $100,000 – $200,000 annually. It was only in 1979-80 that a player was paid a million – Moses Malone & Bill Walton. Getting paid in 7 digits and more only became common thereafter.

From Larry Bird’s $5 million to LeBron James nearly $50 million today, the NBA’s global reach alongside endorsements has been evident. So how does the lowest number read today?

Jerry West’s numbers wouldn’t meet 2023-24’s lowest-paid 

The rookies in the NBA today are millionaires. But coming to the lowest-paid player in the NBA, it happens to be Gui Santos, who was the 55th pick for the Golden State Warriors in the 2023 NBA draft. The 6’6 forward played 23 games in his first season for the Dub Nation and averaged 3.6 points. How much did he earn? 

According to reports, he signed a $1.03 million, with no guarantee for the 23-24 season. Let’s not forget that he earned this money in his rookie season and as the 55th pick for the Warriors, coming from Brazil. Does this convey that West and the other stars in the NBA were underpaid back then? Maybe not.

The NBA’s revenue back in was reportedly at $32 million, which would be about $244 million today. By 2022-23 campaign, the league recorded a revenue of $10.58 billion. So West could have easily made a few million today and he did as an executive for about five decades.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video: