He’s one of the league’s most dynamic big men — but does the Heat center’s pay match his plaudits? Let’s take a closer look at Miami’s Bam Adebayo contract.
For someone who entered the NBA in 2016 at the end of that summer’s draft lottery, it would be defensible to think that the 2022-23 season being just the age-25 campaign for Bam Adebayo feels a bit off. After all, he entered that season having already won an Eastern Conference title with the Miami Heat, made two All-Star teams, and earned four All-Defense nods.
Such is the condition of this pogo stick of a man who matches consistent efficiency with the ball in his hands with redoubtable tenacity and versatility on D.
But for all his plaudits, the modern iteration of the NBA hasn’t always paid centers at the highest tier of the salary scale. With that in mind, is this super-athletic Kentucky Wildcat getting every bit of what he’s due when it comes to his bank account balance? As things stand, he’s got to be pretty satisfied: After the 2019-20 season that saw the player and his team make it all the way to the NBA Finals, he was rewarded with a five-year, $163 million extension.
Time to take a closer look at the salary particulars behind Miami’s Bam Adebayo contract, as well as his career NBA earnings to date.
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Bam Adebayo Contract Details & Salary
All dollar figures via Spotrac.
Years: 5
Total value: $163,000,300
Average annual value: $32,600,060
Free agency: 2026
2021-22 salary: $28,103,500
2022-23 salary: $30,351,780
Remaining salary under current deal:
2023-24: $32,600,060
2024-25: $34,848,340
2025-26: $37,096,620
Fresh-faced as he may be, Adebayo is quickly coming up on his “supermax” window — that is, the two seasons in which an All-NBA nod or a major award like Defensive Player of the Year would propel him to eligibility for the coveted Designated Veteran Player Extension whose annual compensation begins at 35% of the NBA salary cap, the fattest possible deal a player coming off his first career extension is able to sign under the rules of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
He’ll have 2023-24 and 2024-25 to earn the right to be offered the supermax; otherwise, he can expect a 30% veteran max extension that would still land him among the elite tier of NBA earners.
Bam Adebayo’s Career Earnings
Salary data via Spotrac.
NBA SALARY EARNINGS THRU 2022-23: $72,255,172
ESTIMATED SALARY EARNINGS THRU 2025-26: $176,800,192
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