Mavs Roster Two of The Highest-Paid Aussies in NBA History
As much money as the NBA forks out to its players, sometimes it's fun to look at which players from a certain region have made the most money while being in the league.
HoopsHype did just that on Monday, as they posted the top-five highest-paid NBA players from Melbourne, Australia, and the Dallas Mavericks roster two of those top five in Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum.
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Irving, who is an eight-time All-Star and NBA champion, tops the list with career earnings of $275 million. Exum, who just completed his first full season back in the NBA after a two-year hiatus playing overseas, has seven years of experience and career earnings of $49 million, placing him fourth on the list.
Here is the full list of highest-paid NBA players out of Melbourne:
- Kyrie Irving - $275 million
- Ben Simmons - $164 million
- Andrew Bogut - $119 million
- Dante Exum - $49 million
- Luc Longley - $43 million
Although Irving is 32 years old, he's still putting up prime-Kyrie numbers. During the 2023-24 season, which was his first full season in Dallas with Luka Doncic, Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor overall, 41.1 percent from deep, and 90.5 percent from the free throw line. Irving has two years remaining on his current contract, and he'll be in for another big pay-day if he keeps that kind of production.
Exum might never crack the top three on this list, but like Irving, if he can continue to produce at his current level, he'll continue to have NBA checks thrown his way. The 29-year-old wing played a big part in Dallas' regular-season success last season, as he averaged 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 53.3 percent overall and 49.1 percent from deep.
Exum has one year remaining on his current contract, but whether he's in Dallas or somewhere else after this upcoming season, there's always a place in the league for gritty, defensive role players who shoot the ball efficiently.
