ByJoey Heldon November 2, 2023inArticles›Sports News
The NBA is back in action, and just two weeks into the season, we’ve already got several intriguing storylines. The Phoenix Suns’ big three trio of Kevin Durant , Devin Booker , and Bradley Beal has largely only been Durant as the other two nurse injuries. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo look like an unstoppable duo for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Chicago Bulls had a frustrated team meeting one game into the season. Boston fans are already tearing down Jaylen Brown for signing a $300 million contract this offseason and then playing a 30-second sequence where he had two straight turnovers (including a pass to no one in particular) and fouled an opponent shooting and making a three-pointer.
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://vz.cnwimg.com/thumb-900x/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1750126864.jpg" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Amazon Wants To Create The NBA’s Version Of “Thursday Night Football” — And Is Willing To Spend A TON To Do It - 1”>
Damian Lillard (L) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (John Fisher/Getty Images)
The NBA’s current media rights agreement ends after the 2024-25 season, though negotiations are already going on now. Disney’s ABC/ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT, the league’s current partners, get first dibs on whether they want to continue broadcasting games. They have until early 2024 to make their decisions.
Those decisions will be costlier now. Disney and WBD are paying a combined $24 billion ($2.6 billion per year) to air games. The NBA is seeking more than double that during this round of negotiations, in the neighborhood of $50 billion and $75 billion.
NBC is also reportedly interested in getting back into airing basketball games. The league’s “NBA on NBC” aired from 1990 to 2002 and still has the best theme music of any broadcast. Fun fact: That theme, which is officially called “Roundball Rock” was written, produced and recorded by none other than… John Tesh . As he has recounted over the years, the hook for the song came to Tesh in a flash while on a plane. To make sure he did not forget the hook, he called himself from the plane and left a voice message where he recited a rough version from start to finish. Tesh has also claimed over the years that the royalties from “Roundball Rock” are the most lucrative thing he’s ever done in the entertainment world, though we think that’s an embellishment.
It looks like the NBA is primed for an all-out bidding war. That means more money coming into the league — and even higher salaries for players. Before long, we could see a superstar earn half a billion dollars over the duration of a single contract.
- Al Michaels Is About To Close On A Massive Deal With Amazon
- ESPN Is Paying Troy Aikman A Ton Of Money To Leave FOX
- Sean McVay Turned Down $100 Million From Amazon To Stay With The Rams
- ESPN And Fox Are Both Trying To Get Peyton Manning As An Announcer For Unprecedentedly Big Bucks
- Giannis Antetokounmpo Signs A Big New Contract — And Sets Himself Up For The Future
- The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Devin Booker A Record-Setting $75 Million Per Year For The Next Two Seasons
The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Devin Booker A Record-Setting $75 Million Per Year For The Next Two Seasons
ByJoey Heldon July 8, 2025inArticles›Sports News
The Phoenix Suns took a 2-0 lead in the 2021 NBA Finals. They were two wins away from the franchise’s first-ever championship—and that’s when things fell apart. Phoenix promptly lost the next four games to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns won 64 games the following season. However, they lost in the semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks and haven’t been the same since, including getting swept in the first round in 2023-24 and missing the playoffs entirely last season.
Along the way, the Suns swapped out key pieces in Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal , and then turned around and sent Durant to the Houston Rockets this offseason. Through all of these ups and downs, Devin Booker has remained a constant presence within the Suns organization.
The team is rewarding him with a two-year, $150 million contract extension. And in case math isn’t your strong suit, that works out to a mind-numbing $75 million per season .
That sets the record for the highest annual salary in NBA history, topping a record that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set just last week with his 4-year, $285 million deal . Shai’s contract equates to $71.25 million per season. Furthermore, Devin’s contract now ranks as the sixth-largest sports contract in history based on average annual earnings.
The Largest Sports Contracts by Average Annual Earnings
| Rank | Athlete | Contract | Sport | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo (2025) | 2 years, $620 million (Al Nassr) | Soccer | $310 million |
| 2 | Karim Benzema (2023) | 2 years, $436 million (Al-Ittihad) | Soccer | $218 million |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo (2022) | 2.5 years, $536 million (Al Nassr) | Soccer | $214.5 million |
| 4 | Lionel Messi (2017–2021) | 4 years, $674 million (FC Barcelona) | Soccer | $168.5 million |
| 5 | Kylian Mbappé (2022) | 3 years, $681 million (PSG) | Soccer | $227 million* |
| 6 | Devin Booker (2025) | 2 years, $150 million (Suns) | Basketball | $75 million |
| 7 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2025) | 4 years, $285 million (Thunder) | Basketball | $71.25 million |
| 8 | Shohei Ohtani (2023) | 10 years, $700 million (Dodgers)** | Baseball | $70 million |
| 9 | Canelo Álvarez (2018) | 5 years, $365 million (DAZN) | Boxing | $73 million |
| 10 | Jayson Tatum (2024) | 5 years, $314 million (Celtics) | Basketball | $62.8 million |
| 11 | Jaylen Brown (2023) | 5 years, $303.7 million (Celtics) | Basketball | $60.7 million |
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://vz.cnwimg.com/thumb-900x/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2150635123.jpg" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Amazon Wants To Create The NBA’s Version Of “Thursday Night Football” — And Is Willing To Spend A TON To Do It - 2”>
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
The Athletic’s John Hollinger noted that the timing of such an extension is perplexing, given the circumstances. “I’m wondering what the hurry is,” he wrote. “Booker is signed for three more seasons with no options, so he’s not a flight risk.”
It appears the Suns are stuck between going for a full-on rebuild and trying to compete. The problem is that the Western Conference is absolutely stacked with talent. At present, the Suns’ roster feels less competitive than it was last year, and that team didn’t even reach the postseason.
This new extension, which doesn’t even kick in until the 2028-29 season, now means the Suns owe their star more than $321.2 million over the next five years. Tacking on an extra two seasons and $150 million only makes Booker harder to trade.
Concurrently, the Suns are also looking to buy out the remainder of Beal’s contract. He has one of the rare no-trade clauses left in the league; unlike Durant, who at least returned some assets to Phoenix, the Suns seem content to let Beal walk and pay him to go away.
Maybe Booker’s deal is simply a gesture of good faith. He’s been a pillar in the community since Phoenix selected him in 2015, and the Suns often don’t score a lot of big-time free agents (both Durant and Beal were acquired via trade).
It’s certainly a gamble that the Suns will turn it around. For now, they still believe Booker can help them get there—and they’re willing to spend the money to make it happen.
- The 40 Largest Contracts In Professional Sports History
- Next Season The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Just Four Players A Ridiculous Amount Of Money
- The Suns Are Paying Bradley Beal $96 Million To Go Away
- Chris Paul Is Taking A Gamble On Himself That Could Be Worth $100 Million
- Chris Paul Bet On Himself In June… And It Just Paid Off In A Big Way
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Just Signed A Record-Setting $285 Million Contract Extension With The Thunder
