Does being an All-Star affect the salary of NBA players?

In recent years, the NBA has taken measures in an attempt to boost competitiveness of its All-Star Game. The event is viewed as a novelty, pure entertainment with nothing at stake and over the years, interest both off and on-court has started to wane. Increasing prize money for those participating is one of the ways that the league has increased incentives. Obviously, the kind of money that All-Star players earn is nominal compared to the salaries they earn at their respective clubs but many have admitted that it’s a bonus payment that comes in handy and some say it has made a big difference to their income.

For some players, it is not just about what they can earn by taking part in the NBA All-Star game or participating in some of the other skills events. But it is more about raising their own individual profile - a chance to increase potential future earning if they are selected for the All-Star game and weekend events through the contracts with their teams.

Does being an NBA All-Start affect players’ salaries?

The short answer to that is yes - both directly and indirectly. Since 2018, every player on the winning team will receive $100,000 while the runners up will take home $25,000 per player. That means some handy extra cash for All-Star debutants Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, Jordan Poole, and Paolo Banchero. Then there is the knock-on effect of taking part.

If a player is selected to be an All-Star player, it will increase the likelihood of a pay rise. When players sign their contracts, some teams add clauses with bonuses and other incentives for reaching certain goals. For example, completing a determined number of games played during the season or reaching the playoffs. One of the more common clauses for some players is to be called up for the NBA All-Star game. This clause is usually set for those players who have yet to reach the NBA All-Star game. Rookies or guys who need the extra push.

Which players expect to receive an incentive for reaching the NBA All-Star game?

Julius Randle has such a clause written into his four-year, $117,089,280 contract with the New York Knicks. The forward has been selected as an All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference - it will be his third career All-Star selection and for that he will receive a 5% contract bonus, $1.38 million. Not so lucky is Domantas Sabonis who just missed out on representing the Western Conference and as a result loses out on a $1.3 million contract bonus from the Kings.

LeBron James will lead the West and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo will skipper the East in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game which tips off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT on Sunday 18 February. The Lakers star will be hoping to get revenge for losing last year’s game 175-184 in Salt Lake City. Team LeBron had won the previous five All-Star contests.

In the United States, the 2024 NBA All-Star Indy Game will be broadcast live on TNT. In Canada, the event will be on TSN. Viewers in both countries cannot use League Pass to watch the event live due to blackout restrictions. We will also be covering the game live right here on AS USA.