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When he was still a Laker, Anthony Davis signed a maximum veteran three-year extension that would pay him an average of $58.46 million per year. Then, in February 2025, the 10-time NBA All-Star was traded to Dallas in a stunning move. He’ll play out his entire contract—the highest for an NBA center—as a Maverick.
That extension pushes Davis past three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who was the highest-paid NBA center the previous two seasons. In 2022, Jokic signed a five-year, $276.12 million contract extension to remain with the Nuggets; he earns over $55 million per year, good for second on this list.
Following behind Jokic is Karl-Anthony Towns. In 2022, he signed a four-year, $224 million supermax extension with the Timberwolves. But before the deal could kick in, Minnesota traded him to New York. He earns $55.1 million per year as a Knick.
Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, ranks fourth. He signed a four-year, $213.28 million contract extension with the 76ers in 2021, translating into just over $53 million annually. He’ll make even more next season, when the first year of a three-year, $187 million maximum veteran extension takes effect.
Alperen Sengun rounds out the top five. The Houston big man inked a five-year rookie extension that could see him in a Rockets uniform through 2029. He makes $37 million on average a year.
Ranking The Highest-Paid NBA Centers
Here is the full list of the 25 highest-paid NBA centers by average annual salary. The list was compiled using data from Spotrac.
Updated: May 4, 2026
| Rank | Player | NBA Team | Compensation |
| 1 | Anthony Davis | Dallas Mavericks | $58.5 million |
| 2 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | $55.2 million |
| 3 | Karl-Anthony Towns | New York Knicks | $55.1 million |
| 4 | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | $53.3 million |
| 5 | Alperen Segun | Houston Rockets | $37 million |
| 6 | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | $36.5 million |
| 7 | Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat | $32.6 million |
| 8 | Isaiah Hartenstein | Oklahoma City Thunder | $29 million |
| 9 | Myles Turner | Milwaukee Bucks | $27.2 million |
| 10 | Naz Reid | Minnesota Timberwolves | $25 million |
| 11 | Nicolas Claxton | Brooklyn Nets | $24.3 million |
| T-12 | Nikola Vucevic | Chicago Bulls | $20 million |
| T-12 | Jarrett Allen | Cleveland Cavaliers | $20 million |
| 14 | Ivica Zubac | Los Angeles Clippers | $19.6 million |
| 15 | Jakob Poeltl | Toronto Raptors | $19.5 million |
| 16 | Santi Aldama | Memphis Grizzlies | $17.5 million |
| 17 | Jusuf Nurkic | Charlotte Hornets | $17.5 million |
| 18 | Zach Collins | Chicago Bulls | $17.4 million |
| 19 | Onyeka Okongwu | Atlanta Hawks | $15.5 million |
| T-20 | Isaiah Stewart | Detroit Pistons | $15 million |
| T-20 | Mitchell Robinson | New York Knicks | $15 million |
| 22 | Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | $13.8 million |
| 23 | Daniel Gafford | Dallas Mavericks | $13.4 million |
| 24 | Steven Adams | Houston Rockets | $13 million |
| 25 | Wendell Carter Jr. | Orlando Magic | $12.5 million |
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