NBA Players From These Colleges Make the Most Money

These schools lead the way in having players cash in.

By George Malone Aug 18, 2021 Net Worth 101

View Gallery

25 photos

Chiang Ying-ying/AP / Shutterstock.com

One reason students attend college is to learn skills that help them land jobs and maybe even find careers.

So for any aspiring professional basketball players, this list is for you. These are the universities that produce players that make the most money.

See: Most Successful Athlete From Every Decade
Find Out: LeBron James and More of the Richest Athletes Younger Than 40

Some schools churn out many NBA talents, such as Kentucky and Duke, each with over 20 active players. Others, such as Arizona State, have only a few players in the league, but they make the list because one star has landed massive contracts: James Harden accounts for 99.26% of the total earnings by Sun Devils.

Read on to see which schools head the list, and to see if your favorite college makes the top 25.

Last updated: August 4, 2021

1/25

Elise Amendola/AP / Shutterstock.com

25. Memphis

Total earnings: $214,167,776
Active Players: 4
Top Earner: Derrick Rose
Top Earner's Team: New York Knicks
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $155,051,613
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 72.4%

Read: 25 of the Richest Former NCAA Tournament Stars

2/25

©AP/REX/Shutterstock

24. Michigan State

Total earnings: $216,670,772
Active Players: 8
Top Earner: Draymond Green
Top Earner's Team: Golden State Warriors
Top Earner's Position: Power Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $105,729,003
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 48.8%

See: These 25 Colleges Spend the Most on Men’s Basketball

3/25

©Shutterstock.com

23. Arizona State

Total earnings: $226,023,362
Active Players: 2
Top Earner: James Harden
Top Earner's Team: Brooklyn Nets
Top Earner's Position: Shooting Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $224,349,734
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 99.26%

Find Out: The Richest College Basketball Programs in America

4/25

Alex Goodlett / Getty Images

22. Villanova

Total earnings: $232,284,248
Active Players: 8
Top Earner: Kyle Lowry
Top Earner's Team: Toronto Raptors
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $190,048,698
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 81.82%

More: Colleges That Have Cut Athletics Due to Budget Constraints

5/25

Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

21. Fresno State

Total earnings: $233,815,918
Active Players: 3
Top Earner: Paul George
Top Earner's Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Top Earner's Position: Shooting Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $177,854,610
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 76.07%

Read: These Universities Profit the Most Off Their Student-Athletes

6/25

Matt Rourke/AP/Shutterstock / Matt Rourke/AP/Shutterstock

20. Georgia Tech

Total earnings: $239,223,625
Active Players: 3
Top Earner: Thaddeus Young
Top Earner's Team: Chicago Bulls
Top Earner's Position: Power Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $121,213,318
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 50.67%

See: 17 Worst Money Scandals in Sports

7/25

Mike Nelson/EPA / Shutterstock.com

19. Michigan

Total earnings: $261,855,670
Active Players: 7
Top Earner: Jamal Crawford
Top Earner's Team: Brooklyn Nets
Top Earner's Position: Shooting Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $122,587,577
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 46.81%

Discover: States That Produce the Richest Athletes

8/25

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

18. Oklahoma

Total earnings: $281,453,847
Active Players: 3
Top Earner: Blake Griffin
Top Earner's Team: Brooklyn Nets
Top Earner's Position: Power Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $223,359,012
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 79.36%

More: High-Paying Jobs for People Who Love Sports

9/25

Omar Rawlings / Getty Images

17. Ohio State

Total earnings: $287,035,915
Active Players: 4
Top Earner: Mike Conley
Top Earner's Team: Utah Jazz
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $206,087,986
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 71.8%

Read: The Best Colleges for High Starting Salaries

10/25

Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com

16. Texas A&M

Total earnings: $288,967,188
Active Players: 5
Top Earner: DeAndre Jordan
Top Earner's Team: Brooklyn Nets
Top Earner's Position: Center
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $149,247,051
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 51.65%

See: NCAA Stars Who Went On To Make Millions

11/25

Aflo/Shutterstock / Shutterstock.com

15. Stanford

Total earnings: $289,427,676
Active Players: 6
Top Earner: Brook Lopez
Top Earner's Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Top Earner's Position: Center
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $144,840,372
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 50.04%

Check Out: 14 Incredibly Rich Retired Athletes

12/25

Patrick McDermott / Getty Images

14. Marquette

Total earnings: $299,654,384
Active Players: 5
Top Earner: Jimmy Butler
Top Earner's Team: Miami Heat
Top Earner's Position: Small Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $144,395,731
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 48.19%

More: 15 College Degrees That Won’t Make You Money

13/25

©Shutterstock.com

13. Indiana

Total earnings: $360,186,481
Active Players: 8
Top Earner: Eric Gordon
Top Earner's Team: Houston Rockets
Top Earner's Position: Shooting Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $138,786,115
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 38.53%

Read: Insanely Expensive Sports Memorabilia

14/25

Jason Miller / Getty Images

12. Kansas

Total earnings: $381,365,152
Active Players: 11
Top Earner: Joel Embiid
Top Earner's Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Top Earner's Position: Center
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $100,775,877
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 26.43%

See: Which Mascots Make More Money Than You?

15/25

©AP/REX/Shutterstock

11. Syracuse

Total earnings: $389,252,457
Active Players: 6
Top Earner: Carmelo Anthony
Top Earner's Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Top Earner's Position: Power Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $259,881,402
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 66.76%

Bum Steers: 18 Sports Leagues That Failed Miserably

16/25

Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA 2

10. Arizona

Total earnings: $396,176,804
Active Players: 11
Top Earner: Andre Iguodala
Top Earner's Team: Miami Heat
Top Earner's Position: Small Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $179,672,344
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 45.35%

More: The 41 Highest-Paying Positions in Sports

17/25

Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

9. North Carolina

Total earnings: $400,732,041
Active Players: 12
Top Earner: Harrison Barnes
Top Earner's Team: Sacramento Kings
Top Earner's Position: Small Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $127,522,137
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 31.82%

Read: The Most Valuable Sports Empires — And the Teams That Make Them Rich

18/25

Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images

8. USC

Total earnings: $419,160,229
Active Players: 9
Top Earner: DeMar DeRozan
Top Earner's Team: San Antonio Spurs
Top Earner's Position: Shooting Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $175,709,827
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 41.92%

Read: How 18 of the World’s Best Athletes Spend Their Fortunes

19/25

Keith Allison / Flickr.com

7. Florida

Total earnings: $433,013,793
Active Players: 5
Top Earner: Al Horford
Top Earner's Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Top Earner's Position: Power Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $212,136,768
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 48.99%

See: 25 Athletes Who Were Born Rich

20/25

Juanjo Martin/EPA/Shutterstock / Juanjo Martin/EPA/Shutterstock

6. Connecticut

Total earnings: $482,861,864
Active Players: 6
Top Earner: Rudy Gay
Top Earner's Team: San Antonio Spurs
Top Earner's Position: Small Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $162,706,820
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 33.7%

Check Out: Athletes Who Make Most of Their Money From Endorsements

21/25

Omar Rawlings / Getty Images

5. Wake Forest

Total earnings: $582,429,158
Active Players: 7
Top Earner: Chris Paul
Top Earner's Team: Phoenix Suns
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $299,909,419
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 51.49%

More: Athletes Set To Earn Big Money in 2021

22/25

Tony Dejak/AP/REX / Shutterstock.com

4. Texas

Total earnings: $680,249,495
Active Players: 10
Top Earner: Kevin Durant
Top Earner's Team: Brooklyn Nets
Top Earner's Position: Small Forward
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $264,153,846
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 38.83%

Read: Celebrities Who Have Bought Sports Teams

23/25

Paul Bereswill / Getty Images

3. Duke

Total earnings: $781,776,239
Active Players: 27
Top Earner: Kyrie Irving
Top Earner's Team: Brooklyn Nets
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $158,426,099
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 20.26%

See: The Richest and ‘Poorest’ Owners in Professional Sports

24/25

Jim McIsaac / Getty Images

2. UCLA

Total earnings: $941,478,881
Active Players: 13
Top Earner: Russell Westbrook
Top Earner's Team: Washington Wizards
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $244,370,524
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 25.96%

Find Out: Best (and Worst) Deals in Sports History

25/25

Rob Carr / Getty Images

1. Kentucky

Total earnings: $1,219,309,400
Active Players: 29
Top Earner: John Wall
Top Earner's Team: Houston Rockets
Top Earner's Position: Point Guard
Top Earner's Career Earnings: $184,827,108
% Top Earner Makes of Total Earnings: 15.16%

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: GOBankingRates used Spotrac’s NBA College Tracker data to find the 25 colleges that turned out players who make the most total NBA money. For each of these colleges, GOBankingRates found the following data points: (1) university name; (2) total active players in the NBA; (3) total career earnings from these players, (4) top career earner from each school; (5) top earner’s career earnings; and (6) percent top earner’s career earnings make of the (3) total career earnings for the school. All data was collected on and up to date as of April 26, 2021.