Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s $285M supermax deal on OKC Thunder crushes top 4 NFL RBs salaries combined: Report

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s super maximum contract extension is reportedly worth more than the combined salaries of the NFL’s top four highest-paid running backs.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Gilgeous-Alexander to a four-year, $285.4 million supermax extension.

A post on X on Friday noted that Gilgeous-Alexander’s average annual salary (AAV) exceeds the combined AAVs of the San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry and Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor.

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According to Spotrac, Gilgeous-Alexander, the 2024-25 NBA MVP and Finals MVP, will earn an average of $71.4 million in his new deal. The combined AAVs of the four highest-paid NFL running backs are $68.6 million. Barkley has the highest AAV at $20.6 million, followed by McCaffrey ($19 million), Henry ($15 million) and Taylor ($14 million).

Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA-best Thunder to the championship. Oklahoma City finished the regular season with a 68-14 record. In the playoffs, they went 16-7, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Indiana Pacers.

In 76 regular-season games, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a league-high 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game on 51.9% shooting (37.5% from 3-point range). In the playoffs, he put up 29.9 points, 6.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 46.2% shooting.

Breaking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's $285M supermax deal

According to NBA insider Bobby Marks, Gilgeous-Alexander has the richest annual salary in NBA history. Marks provided a breakdown of the extension on X.

Gilgeous-Alexander still has two seasons left on his five-year, $179.3 million contract he signed in 2021. He will earn $38.3 million next season and $40.8 million in 2026-27.

The contract extension won’t kick in until the 2027-28 season, when he is set to earn $63.5 million. From there, Gilgeous-Alexander’s salary will steadily increase and will approach $80 million in the final season.

League sources told Charania the final year of the contract includes an opt-out.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the books for the next six seasons, the Thunder are expected to be title contenders every year. They entered the 2024-25 season as the youngest team in the NBA, with an average age of 24.14 years.

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Kim Daniel Rubinos

Kim is an editor for US Sports and an NBA and WNBA analyst at Sportskeeda with a decade of multi-industry experience. He has a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in finance.

Writing has been Kim's passion, and during college, he was editor-in-chief. He has also accumulated a diverse entrepreneurial background. He possesses a knack for research and was recently a professor.

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Beyond basketball, he also enjoys following the NFL, MLB and F1. When not immersed in the world of sports and when he is not editing or writing, Kim is likely searching for the perfect cup of joe.

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