When Steve Kerr reached a two-year, $35 million deal in February to remain Golden State’s head coach through 2025-26, it made him the highest-paid coach in the NBA.
That compensation and recognition for a job well done was not a surprise.
The eye-openers? Split evenly at $17.5 million per season, Kerr will make more in one season as the Warriors’ coach than he did earning $15.9 million in 15 seasons as an NBA player, according to spotrac.com. Also, the figure is triple what at least eight NBA head coaches make each year.
NBA head coaches are well paid, especially at the high-end spectrum. At least six of them are paid more than $10 million per season, including Kerr, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, Detroit’s Monty Williams, Denver’s Michael Malone and Milwaukee’s Doc Rivers, according to people with contract details, USA TODAY Sports research and other reports.
Several people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the contracts.
Popovich, who has been San Antonio’s coach since 1996, is a Hall of Famer, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach and has led the Spurs to five NBA titles. Spoelstra began coaching the Heat in 2009 and has won two titles and coached in six Finals. Kerr took over the Warriors in 2015, has guided them to four titles and among coaches with at least five years of experience, he has the fifth-best winning percentage all-time. Williams led Phoenix to the 2021 Finals.
Kerr, Spoelstra and Popovich make at least 50% more than the highest-paid Division I men’s basketball head coach earns based on USA TODAY Sports’ database of college coaches’ salaries. That honor goes to Kansas’ Bill Self at $9.6 million this season. While some college coaches make more than some NBA coaches, there is not the same ire among NBA coaches as MLB managers who were bothered by how underpaid they are compared to some college baseball coaches.
It’s not a surprise that a handful of college coaches such as Self, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes make more than some NBA coaches. They are often the face – and sometimes the most prominent voice – of the university.
Still, the salary floor for NBA head coaches is in the $4 million range which puts them above most college coaches. There are 19 college coaches in the USA TODAY salary database making at least $4 million this season, but even first-time NBA head coaches, such as Toronto’s Darko Rajokovic and Utah’s Will Hardy, hover in the $4 million per season range, according to people with knowledge of coaching contracts.
∎ Spoelstra’s contract extension with the Heat agreed to in January is worth $120 million over eight seasons.
∎ Williams accepted the Pistons’ offer of six years, $78.5 million in June.
∎ Popovich, who also serves as the Spurs’ president of operations, averages $16 million a season in a five-year deal that went into effect this season.
Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue is not at the $10 million per season mark but is expected to reach that on his next deal. Other coaches, such as Indiana’s Rick Carlisle, Philadelphia’s Nick Nurse, Dallas’ Jason Kidd, Atlanta’s Quin Snyder and Houston’s Ime Udoka are in the $7 million-$8 million range.
In the NBA, leverage remains one of the key factors to negotiating for more money. Rivers had it after the Bucks dismissed Adrian Griffin and sought a new coach in the middle of this season. Coaches like Nurse, who led Toronto to the championship in 2019, and Malone, who won a title with the Nuggets last season, also had negotiating power.
Phoenix’s Frank Vogel, Chicago’s Billy Donovan, New York’s Tom Thibodeau, Charlotte’s Steve Clifford, Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley, Portland’s Chauncey Billups and Sacramento’s Mike Brown are among coaches in the $4 million-$6 million range annually.
NBA lead assistant coaches average just under $1 million per season – in the $800,000-$900,000 range. However, some assistants with previous head coaching experience can make more. Portland assistant Scott Brooks negotiated a deal close to $1.5 million a season. Then, there’s Phoenix assistant Kevin Young, who had leverage. Young, 42, is one of the league’s bright, up-and-coming coaches, and the Suns didn’t want to lose him to another team. They gave him more than $2 million per season to stay after Vogel got the top job.
Highest-paid NBA head coaches
1. Steve Kerr, two-year, $35 million extension through 2025-26 season
2. Gregg Popovich, five-year, $80 million contract
3. Erik Spoelstra, eight-year, $120 million extension
4. Monty Williams, six-year, $78.5 million contract
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt