Jayson Tatum: Five-star recruit, lottery pick, All-Star, NBA champion and now the highest-paid player in the league.
Tatum has checked virtually every box in his seven-year NBA career, and his dream year continued Monday with a massive new contract extension from the Celtics.
While Boston could face serious luxury tax penalties in the coming years, the franchise is fully committed to keeping its title-winning team together. Derrick White himself agreed to a contract extension on Monday, while Jrue Holiday signed a long-term deal in the spring and Jaylen Brown is just one year removed from a deal that made him the highest-paid player in the NBA at the time.
There was no scenario in which the Celtics wouldn’t pay Tatum what he was worth, even if it creates long-term salary cap concerns.
Here’s a closer look at Tatum’s net worth and updated career earnings with his mega deal in mind.
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Jayson Tatum’s net worth
Tatum’s net worth is estimated at $50 million, according to Net worth of celebrities.
As with most athletes in the prime of their careers, that number is highly variable. Not only will the 26-year-old forward see his salary skyrocket in the coming years, but his long list of endorsement deals will likely increase now that he can call himself an NBA champion.
With an annual salary of $63 million beginning in the 2025-26 season and Tatum still so young, there’s reason to believe he could be among the all-time leaders in career earnings at some point.
Here’s a look at where Tatum’s career earnings stand right now.
Jayson Tatum’s career earnings
Tatum has already earned $120.6 million in career earnings before turning 27 and well before his new extension kicks in. Here’s a breakdown of his past earnings:
| Season | Money |
| 2017-18 | $5.6 million |
| 2018-19 | $6.7 million |
| 2019-20 | $7.3 million |
| 2020-21 | $9.9 million |
| 2021-22 | $28.1 million |
| 2022-23 | $30.4 million |
| 2023-24 | $32.6 million |
| Total | $120.6 million |
Here’s a breakdown of what Tatum could earn in the coming years, even after his record-breaking contract kicks in with the 2025-26 season:
| Season | Projected cash |
| 2024-25 | $34.8 million |
| 2025-26 | $54.1 million |
| 2026-27 | $58.5 million |
| 2027-28 | $62.8 million |
| 2028-29 | $67.1 million |
| 2029-30 | $71.4 million |
Tatum’s projected earnings at the end of his new contract are $469.4 million. Through the 2023-24 season, LeBron James is the only player in NBA history with more than $400 million in career earnings.
That doesn’t mean Tatum and James will be left alone in 2030. As salaries rise across the NBA, plenty of other players already ahead of Tatum have a chance to hit the $400 million barrier sooner, including Kevin Durant next season. Still, Tatum would be just 32 at the end of the deal and would likely have at least one more lucrative deal in his future.
Jayson Tatum’s contract details
Tatum agreed to a five-year contract worth up to $314 million, According to Shams Charania of The AthleticHe was eligible for a super-max contract after earning All-NBA selections in each of the past three seasons.
Tatum’s deal makes him the highest-paid player in the NBA at $63 million per year, though it doesn’t kick in until the 2025-26 season. Tatum will make $34.8 million next season before his salary jumps to $54.1 million in 2025-26 and increases each year over the length of the contract.