The NBA’s multibillion-dollar empire has led to a rapid increase in player and coach salaries. Lucrative media rights deals and salary cap bumps ensure the increases will continue for the foreseeable future.
NBA coaches earn more than ever, with salaries rising annually right along with the league’s salary cap. Recent mid- and late-season firings show that higher salaries may not guarantee job security.
The Warriors’ Steve Kerr is the highest-paid NBA coach in 2026. During the 2025-26 season, he made $17.5 million a year and recently signed a two-year extension to remain with Golden State. The terms of that contract haven’t been made public yet, but he will remain the highest-paid coach in the league.
Since his hiring in 2014, Kerr has led Golden State to its most successful decade in franchise history.
Kerr has a .631 career winning percentage, four NBA titles, and was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history for the NBA’s 75th anniversary.
Kerr is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NBA after Gregg Popovich retired from coaching the Spurs in May 2025.
The new longest-tenured head coach is Erik Spoelstra, who has led the Miami Heat since 2008 and currently does so on a $15 million-a-year contract.
Spoelstra has been the definition of consistency, leading Miami to six NBA Finals trips and two titles. Spoelstra was the youngest active coach named to the NBA’s 15 greatest coaches list in 2022.
Tied with Spoelstra at $15 million per year is Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who signed an extension with the team after the 2024 season.
Next up are the Bucks’ Doc Rivers, the Rockets’ Ime Udoka, the Celtics’ Joe Mazulla, and the Pacers’ Rick Carlisle. They each earn about $11 million a year, according to Sportico. Rivers and Thibodeau won an NBA title together as head coach and associate head coach, respectively, of the Boston Celtics in 2008.
Seven of the top 10 coaches earn eight figures annually.
The Knicks’ Mike Brown, in his first season with the team, is ranked eighth with a reported $10 million annual salary, according to Bleacher Report. Jason Kidd would have been on the list with a $9.5 million per-year deal, but he was recently fired by the Mavericks.
Ranking the Highest-Paid Coaches in the NBA
Below is the list of the highest-paid NBA coaches in 2025. The list was compiled using both reported and estimated salary data from ESPN, The Athletic, Sportico, and Bleacher Report.
- Updated: May 21, 2026
| Rank | Coach | Team | Estimated Annual Compensation |
| 1 | Steve Kerr | Golden State Warriors | $17.5 million |
| T-2 | Erik Spoelstra | Miami Heat | $15 million |
| T-2 | Tyronn Lue | Los Angeles Clippers | $15 million |
| T-4 | Doc Rivers | Milwaukee Bucks | $11 million |
| T-4 | Ime Udoka | Houston Rockets | $11 million |
| T-4 | Joe Mazzulla | Boston Celtics | $11 million |
| T-4 | Rick Carlisle | Indiana Pacers | $11 million |
| 8 | Mike Brown | New York Knicks | $10 million |
| 9 | JJ Reddick | Los Angeles Lakers | $9 million |
| 10 | Nick Nurse | Philadelphia 76ers | $8.5 million |
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