It wasn’t a very well-kept secret, but we finally got to make it official: The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick. Well before NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced the pick, pundits were already comparing Wembanyama to previous top Spurs picks, including David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Wembanyama certainly has some tall shoes to fill, but he’s an exciting player with a chance to be a generational talent. And he’s being coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich, which should only further his skills even more.
As the No. 1 pick, Wembanyama will also make more money than any other rookie through their first four seasons. Just how much money will that be?
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
NBA rookies sign contracts on a sliding scale relative to where they were drafted. The top pick receives a certain amount of money, the second pick a slightly lesser amount, and so on, all the way down to No. 30. Second-round players are on non-guaranteed contracts, so they don’t fall into the same sliding scale.
Teams are able to pay anywhere between 80 and 120 percent of that sliding scale, though almost every team offers 120 percent. Assuming the Spurs continue that trend, per Spotrac, Wembanyama will make about $12.1 million during his rookie season, $12.7 million in year two, and $13.3 million in year three. His fourth season will see a larger jump, with $16.8 million coming his way. Both the third and fourth years are team options, though it’s hard to envision a scenario where Wembanyama is not in a Spurs jersey during those seasons.
In total, Wembanyama will make $55.1 million over his first four seasons in the league.
By comparison, the 30th selection, Kobe Brown, will make about $2.4 million this year and just under $12.4 million for the duration of his rookie deal. Quite a big difference!
Wembanyama is also well on his way to financially overtaking his fellow franchise big men. Robinson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, earned $119 million. Duncan made about $245.3 million over 19 years in the league. If Wembanyama lives up to the hype during his rookie deal, he’ll surpass both players in total earnings with his next contract alone.
It’s always good to be the No. 1 pick, but it’s especially good to be the latest No. 1 pick.