11 richest NBA players ranked by 2021 net worth - Shaq and LeBron James are on the list

During more than a decade-and-a-half in the NBA, Wade made more than $196 million, most of which was paid by the Miami Heat. Wade has previously been endorsed by Converse and Jordan, but now makes $12 million a year from the Chinese company Li-Ning. For good measure, Wade's wife, actress Gabrielle Union, is worth $40 million herself.

While playing for the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors and now the Brooklyn Nets, Durant has established himself as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, which has allowed him to collect nearly $265 million in his career so far. Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, will make $40.9 million in 2021-22, and has a player option for $42.8 million in 2022-23. He also makes $26 million a year as part of his shoe contract with Nike.

"The Dream," made nearly $100 million during his illustrious playing career. Additionally, he had an endorsement deal with Spalding, one though that wasn't as lucrative as it potentially could have been, because Olajuwon wanted his shoes to be available to lower and middle-class kids. A two-time NBA Champion and Hall of Famer, Olajuwon's wealth has grown steadily since his retirement after the 2001-02 campaign.

Robinson, per Spotrac, collected $110.7 million during his Hall of Fame career as a player. On top of that, Celebrity Net Worth reminds us that "The Admiral" has started two successful private equity firms. As it turns out, those that attend the United States Naval Academy tend to do pretty well in life.

For all the "what-ifs?" surrounding how Hill's career would be viewed if he didn't deal with so many injuries in his late 20s, he still hung around in the NBA for nearly two decades and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018. The No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft made more than $140 million as a player, and is now a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks.

Make no mistake, Johnson - affectionally referred to as "The Microwave" - had a pretty impressive playing career, winning two champions with the Detroit Pistons. However, he's an example of someone on this list that has made significantly more money after his playing career concluded. Johnson made a few million dollars during his 13-year NBA career, but the overwhelming majority of his wealth comes from being the owner of Piston Group, which bills itself as "the world's largest value add assembly supplier."

There's a decent chance if you asked Shaq to film a commercial with you in your basement, he'd come, so long as he left with a worthwhile amount of money. One of the most dominant big men in NBA history, O'Neal made more than $285 million as a player, and has found quite a bit of post-career success. Shaq can currently be seen on ads for The General and Goldbond, but has also been part of endorsements with Burger King, Pepsi and Reebok, among others. It's also fair to assume that O'Neal commands a pretty hefty salary for his work on TBS' "Inside the NBA."

It's only a matter of time before James is a billionaire. LeBron entered the NBA at age 18, and has made over $340 million in his career to this point. He's under contract through the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and has a shoe deal believed to be worth over $1 billion with Nike. The four-time NBA MVP collected $30 million from Apple when they purchased Beats By Dre in 2014, a company in which James had a 1% stake in. James is currently estimated to make $100 million per calendar year when you combine his NBA salary and other endorsements/investments, which means he very well could top this list someday.

Bridgeman averaged 13.6 points per game during his 12-year NBA career, but like Roger Staubach, the majority of his earnings came after he stopped playing. As noted above, Bridgeman acquired much of his wealth through owning local Wendys and Chilis, which he sold in 2016. He's since also become a bottler for Coca-Cola and bought the magazine Ebony, so the 67-year-old continues to seek out new challenges in the business world.

It's crazy to think about, but Johnson made less than $40 million during one of the most dominant playing careers ever. No problem, Johnson has used his incredible personal skills and smarts to find a ton of business success. Celebrity Net Worth says that Magic Johnson Enterprises is worth more than $1 billion, and he's part of the ownership group for the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Johnson has sold equity in the Lakers, along with quite a large investment in Starbucks. Johnson has had one of the more interesting lives you can imagine, and has made his fair share of money in the process.