Breaking Down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Massive New Contract: Will Almost Earn $1 Million Per Game In 2030

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming out of a historic NBA season, especially in terms of individual accomplishments, where he won the Michael Jordan regular season MVP Award, the NBA scoring title, the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Award, as well as the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award. He led the Thunder to their first NBA championship. 

He signed a four-year, $285 million extension with the Thunder following this season, which put him in the NBA history books. Gilgeous-Alexander is set to earn $78.8 million in the final season (2030-31) of his extension, making it the largest annual contract signed in NBA history. Let's break down what this whole contract would look like in layman's terms.

Over four years, earning $285 million means an average $71.25 million per year of that extension. Which means: 

- $5.94M per month 

- $1.48M per week 

- $868.9K per game 

- $212.1K per day 

- $8.84K per hour 

- $147.26 per minute 

- $2.45 per second

The man will be breathing money essentially. Gilgeous-Alexander could've waited until next summer to sign a larger contract. The superstar guard, who represents himself, could've signed a projected five-year, $379 million contract, which would have had a little higher average yearly value. But he decided to secure his future and focus on the team's goals instead.

The superstar shooting guard has averaged 31.4 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in the regular season over the past three seasons. Consistently averaging over 30 points per game over a 200+ game stretch, let alone just one season. Something that was marveled at in Michael Jordan's era cannot just be underrated news in today's NBA. It is an undeniable truth that we are witnessing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's prime in the form of one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. 

Gilgeous-Alexander will play the next two seasons under his current contract, which will pay him $38.3 million in 2025-26 and $40.8 million in 2026-27. The four-year extension will take effect from 2027-28, when Gilgeous-Alexander will make $63.5 million. By the end of his extension, in the 2030-31 season, Gilgeous-Alexander will make $78.8 million, which, throughout an 82-game season, is nearly $1 million per game.

As a result of this extension, the Thunder owe Gilgeous-Alexander $346 million in salaries over the next six years. Before him, the largest annual contract belonged to Jayson Tatum, who signed the highest overall value contract extension following the Celtics' championship run last season. He is set to earn $71.4 million in 2029-30. 

Had Gilgeous-Alexander waited another season, he could've broken this record with an $80 million+ salary in the season. But at the pinnacle of basketball, I guess money is no longer the motivating factor.