The EuroBasket 2025 is just a little more than a week away, and the excitement around the prestigious tournament is higher than ever. Why shouldn’t it be? After all, the competition will feature some of the best players in the world representing their national colors. This includes the likes of NBA stars Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and several others. Amid all this star power participating in the EuroBasket, a few stand out. Not just because of their on-court skillset, but also their financial prowess.
So who is the richest of them all, playing in the EuroBasket 2025? While the three superstars mentioned above are the usual suspects and undoubtedly amongst the highest-paid, some of these names may surprise you.
Who are the highest-paid NBA players heading to the EuroBasket 2025?
Some of the NBA stars playing in the tournament are not only the best players in the world, but also some of the highest earning athletes around the globe. However, who’s at the top of the list? Well, according to Basketnews, Denver Nuggets superstar and two-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic takes the crown as the highest-paid player participating in the competition.
Well, that’s not a surprise given that the Serbian is arguably the best player in the league and is set to earn a whopping $55.2 million during the upcoming season. Closely tailing the Joker is the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite being the center of countless trade rumors, as things stand, the Milwaukee Bucks star is the second-highest-paid NBA star in the EuroBasket 2025. His salary for the 2025-26 season? $54.1 million.
While it’s safe to assume that most of you would’ve anticipated these two names to be at the top of the list, the third name is set to blow your minds. Any guesses who’s third on this list? Luka Doncic? Nope. It’s Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen! Yes, the Finnish forward has snubbed Doncic to become the third-best-paid NBA superstar at the EuroBasket 2025. But how? Well, this comes as a result of Markkanen inking a massive four-year $195.8 million deal with the Jazz last year.
This deal that keeps the 28-year-old in Utah until the 2028-29 season will see him get paid a whopping $46.4 million during the 2025-26 season. This is just enough for Markkanen to overtake Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who will have to settle for fourth, earning a $46 million salary, which is quite surprising given that Doncic just signed a new lucrative $165 million deal with the Lakers. But it seems that just did not cut it in front of Markkanen’s massive deal. So, these are the top four NBA players based on their salaries.
Any guesses who the other stars in the top ten are? Alperen Sengun? Kristaps Porzingis? Nope, none of those made the top five, as Orlando Magic’s German sensation, Franz Wagner, took home that spot with a massive $38.7 million paycheck coming his way next season. Wagner is followed by Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, who’s sixth. The Rockets’ big man could not make the top five, that too, by some margin, as he’s set to only make $33.9 million next season.
But wait, the list doesn’t end here. Following these six NBA stars is the new Atlanta Hawks signing and Latvia’s superstar, Kristaps Porzingis. The former NBA champion is set to make around $30.7 million next season through salaries, which is enough for him to place seventh. Now, we reach the bottom three of the list, which include Nikola Vucevic, followed by Jusuf Nurkic. Both veterans will earn $21.5 million and $19.4 million, respectively, next season, placing them at the eighth and ninth positions.
This leaves us with the last man on the list. Any guesses who this is? Drumrolls. It’s Spain’s center, Santi Aldama. The 24-year-old Grizzlies star has squeezed his way among the top-ten highest-paid NBA stars heading to the EuroBasket 2025. Overall, this ranking was a mixed bag of surprises and obvious names, as everyone now eagerly awaits the EuroBasket 2025, where we’ll get to witness these superstars competing against each other to be the best in Europe.
The post Highest Paid NBA Stars Playing in EuroBasket 2025: Nikola Jokic Makes It, Luka Doncic Not in Top 3 appeared first on EssentiallySports.
