A hefty payday isn’t the only thing that comes with being an NBA player at the end of the day. It is well-known that some of the league’s head coaches earn a substantial amount of money simply for writing X’s and O’s on a whiteboard, calling out plays, and leading their teams to a championship triumph. From Detroit Pistons coach Dwayne Casey, who earns a whopping $6 million per season, to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who earns $11 million per season, here is a list of the NBA’s highest-paid head coaches.
- Steve Kerr – $9 Million
Steve Kerr has had an illustrious career as a player and as a head coach in the NBA. Kerr was a member of the National Basketball Association from 1988 to 2003, bouncing around from squad to team. Despite this, he went on to win five championship rings, two with the San Antonio Spurs and three with the Chicago Bulls, including the NBA Finals in 2003. Since 2014, he has served as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, and he has not disappointed his fans. Using an all-star roster led by Steph Curry, Kerr has guided the Warriors to three consecutive championship titles since 2011. With eight NBA championships under his belt, it’s no surprise that Kerr earns a salary of $9.5 million per year.
- Dwayne Casey – $6 million
Dwayne Casey was a highly sought-after prospect right out of high school. From 1979 until 1989, Casey worked as an assistant coach for his alma mater, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, where he played four seasons and helped the team win an NCAA Championship. He was also named captain his final year. Casey returned to the NBA after several years of coaching both in Europe and the United States of America. He will be the head coach of the Detroit Pistons starting in 2021. Casey was named NBA Coach of the Year in his first season as their head coach. At the time of writing, his annual pay is a stunning $6 million.
- Billy Donovan – $6 Million
Billy Donovan has been obsessed with the sport of basketball since he was a high school student. During his undergraduate years, he was a starter at point guard for Providence College, where he graduated in 2011. He spent a few years attempting to make it in the NBA, playing for the New York Knicks, but he retired from professional basketball in 1989 after failing miserably. That same year, he decided to pursue a position as an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats. He subsequently went on to coach at Marshall University before taking over as head coach of the Florida Gators from 1996 to 2015. Donovan subsequently transitioned to the NBA, where he coached the Oklahoma City Thunder before accepting a position as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2019. His annual compensation is $6 million.
- Tyronn Lue – $7 Million
Tyronn Lue has had a successful basketball career so far. Following his selection by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft, Lue was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he went on to collect two championship rings during his time with the Lakers. His final season as a professional athlete took place in 2009. That same year, he began working as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, where he stayed for two seasons. The Los Angeles Clippers hired Lue to be their head coach in 2020 after he had previously worked with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lue has coached the Clippers since then. His current pay is $7 million dollars per year.
