Who is the lowest-paid NBA player in 2024?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is widely recognized as the gold standard for professional basketball. It boasts the finest players worldwide who are generously compensated for their skills. However, there’s a major disparity in salaries among NBA players, with rookies, undrafted players, and even some veterans earning the minimum salary set by the league.

In the NBA, players’ minimum salaries are determined based on their experience in the league, with veterans who have dedicated numerous years to their craft earning more than rookies. To prevent teams from exclusively seeking out young, cost-effective talent, the league provides compensation to teams that sign players with three or more years of experience. This ensures that seasoned veterans are valued and fairly compensated for their contributions to the sport.

For example, consider the case of DeAndre Jordan, a 14-year veteran who signed a one-year contract with the Nuggets last season. Despite receiving a minimum salary, the NBA covered a portion of his salary, relieving the team of some financial burden. However, this arrangement applies only to one-year contracts and not multiyear deals.

The lowest-paid NBA player in 2024

Malcolm Hill, born on October 26, 1995, is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) on a two-way contract with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. Before his professional career, he played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Full screen

On February 24, 2023, Hill was re-acquired by the Birmingham Squadron. On September 30, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans but was waived on October 22. Eight days later, he resigned with Birmingham Squadron, the G League team from Alabama. On January 27, 2024, Hill signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans but didn’t play for them. On February 8, he returned to Birmingham. On February 22, he signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans.

His contract with the New Orleans franchise is also the lowest contract this season in the whole NBA. He signed for a $116,075 base salary, with an average annual salary of $1,801,769, making him the lowest-paid player for the 23-24 NBA season. During his career, he played for the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA and internationally for Star Hotshots, Telekom Baskets Bonn, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, BC Astana, and Hapoel Jerusalem.