Who was the first NBA player to earn 1 million dollars?

The First Million-Dollar NBA Salaries

It wasn’t long ago that earning a million dollars in a single NBA season seemed like an unimaginable feat. That barrier was finally broken in the 1979–80 season, when two dominant big men—Moses Malone and Bill Walton—became the first players in league history to reach the $1 million mark in a single year. Both earned exactly $1,000,000, a milestone that reflected both their elite status and the growing financial muscle of professional basketball.

Malone, known for his relentless rebounding and low-post dominance, was coming off an MVP-caliber season in the ABA before joining the NBA, which gave him significant leverage in negotiations. Walton, the cerebral and versatile center for the Trail Blazers, had just led Portland to an NBA title in 1977 and was widely regarded as one of the smartest players in the game. Their seven-figure deals signaled a shift in how star players were valued—foreshadowing the massive contracts that would come in later decades.

Still, it took over a decade for salaries to leap into the multi-millions. That next leap happened when Larry Bird signed a contract worth $7,070,000 for the 1991–92 season, making him the first player to earn more than $5 million in a single year. Bird’s deal with the Boston Celtics wasn’t just about scoring and championships—it reflected loyalty, leadership, and marketability, elements that would become increasingly vital in player negotiations.

From Malone and Walton’s groundbreaking million to Bird’s record-setting paycheck, these moments chart the NBA’s evolution from a modest league to a global powerhouse where athletic excellence began to command unprecedented financial rewards.