The 2025 NBA Playoffs have officially tipped off, with drama already unfolding in the play-in tournament.
Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler helped punch the Warriors’ ticket to the first round, while the Magic grabbed the East’s No. 7 seed. As the postseason heats up, top contenders like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics are battling for the title, and along the way, there’s serious money on the line.
How the NBA divides playoff bonuses
NBA players are the highest-paid in U.S. professional sports, and the postseason only adds to that.
This year, the league will distribute $34.7 million in playoff bonuses, a slight increase from last season.
While regular-season salaries dominate the headlines, the playoff pool can still make a meaningful impact, especially for players on the lower end of the pay scale.
The amount teams receive increases with each round they survive.
Players on a championship team could split millions, depending on how they qualified for the playoffs and how far they go.
The Thunder, who posted the best record in the league at 68-14, are eligible for the highest possible playoff payout, $12.4 million total, or about $828,000 per player if they take home the title.
That’s a significant boost for teammates like Dillon Jones and Jaylin Williams, whose regular-season salaries didn’t reach $3 million.
Meanwhile, seventh- and eighth-seeded teams don’t benefit from regular-season bonuses, so their max potential playoff earnings top out at $719,000.
And for teams that only appear in the play-in tournament, there’s no added financial reward at all, players just continue collecting their usual paychecks.
The NBA’s postseason payout system stands far above the rest of the major sports leagues.
For comparison, NFL players maxed out at $357,000 during this year’s playoffs.
MLB handed out a record $129.1 million last season, but individual player shares were around $477,000.
The NHL’s total pool this year sits at $23 million, with first-round losers splitting under half a million.
For NBA stars, playoff money may seem like small change.
But for rising players and veterans on modest deals, every round counts, both in pursuit of a championship and a serious payday.
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