Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Salary Pales in Comparison to NBA’s Top Earners
According to a report by Bolavip, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an outstanding season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading the team to the top of the Western Conference standings and earning the MVP award. However, his salary does not reflect his recent success.
The Bolavip report states that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the highest-paid player on the Thunder, earning an annual salary of $35,859,950 under a contract that runs through the end of the 2026-27 season. While this is a significant amount, it falls short of the league’s top earners, many of whom have not matched the Canadian guard’s recent performance.
In fact, Bolavip reports that Gilgeous-Alexander ranks 34th among the NBA’s highest salaries, a position he shares with Denver’s Michael Porter. The league’s top earner this season is Stephen Curry, who makes $55,761,216 with the Golden State Warriors. Next on the list are Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, both earning $51,415,938 for the current season.
As Bolavip notes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in the third year of the five-season deal he signed with Oklahoma City in 2023. At the time, the two sides agreed to an extension worth a total of $172 million. Given Shai’s recent elite performance, the number now looks modest in retrospect.
By the time his current contract with the Thunder expires, Shai will have earned a total of $576 million over the course of his NBA career, according to Bolavip. That figure includes his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018-19, six full seasons with OKC, and the two remaining years on his current deal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s payroll standings are also worth noting, with the team ranking 25th out of 30 in the NBA’s payroll standings, according to Bolavip. The team’s total roster budget sits at $167,471,133, surpassing only the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons. This underscores the Thunder’s remarkable performance, having dominated the regular season and now sitting just steps away from clinching a spot in the NBA Finals.
The question on everyone’s mind is: is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander underpaid in OKC? As Bolavip reports, the 2025 MVP’s salary is significantly lower than that of his peers, and his recent performance suggests that he may be worth more than what he is currently earning.
The only other Thunder player currently among the NBA’s top 100 salaries is Isaiah Hartenstein, who ranks 49th with a $30 million salary, as per Bolavip. Next in line on the team are Luguentz Dort ($16.5 million), Isaiah Joe ($12.9 million), and Chet Holmgren ($10.8 million).
In conclusion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s salary may not reflect his value to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it will be interesting to see how his contract negotiations play out in the future. For now, he remains one of the most underpaid players in the league, according to Bolavip.
