Where the average NBA salary sits against the national full-time average
When you hear “average NBA salary,” it’s natural to wonder how that stacks up against what the typical Australian full-time worker earns. The short answer is that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) does not publish NBA salary data, so a precise comparison isn’t possible using official Australian sources. But we can use the national full-time average as a reference point to understand the scale.
The Australian full-time average: the line on this site
This site uses the ABS Average Weekly Earnings (May 2026) as its benchmark. For full-time adult employees, average weekly ordinary time earnings are $2,083.70. Multiplied by 52 weeks, that’s about $108,352 a year before tax. That’s the line you see on Place a salary on the line.
For context, the full-time median (the middle point of all full-time earnings) is lower, at about $90,532 a year (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025). The all-employees median (including part-time and casual workers) is about $74,100 a year. These medians give a better sense of what a typical worker earns, while the average is pulled upward by high earners.
NBA salaries: a different league entirely
The average NBA salary is not tracked by the ABS, Fair Work, or the ATO. Widely reported figures from overseas sources suggest it runs into the millions of US dollars per year—far above even the top Australian full-time averages. For example, the highest-paid Australian full-time workers (by state) are in the Australian Capital Territory, where the average is about $119,090 a year. Even that is a fraction of a typical NBA contract.
If you’re an Australian resident earning an NBA salary, you would be subject to Australian tax on your worldwide income. The 2026–27 resident tax rates are:
- Nil up to $18,200
- 15% from $18,201 to $45,000
- 30% from $45,001 to $135,000
- 37% from $135,001 to $190,000
- 45% above $190,000
Plus a 2% Medicare levy (with possible reductions). So a multi-million-dollar NBA salary would be taxed at the top marginal rate of 47% (45% + 2%).
How the national minimum wage and award rates compare
For a different perspective, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week on a 38-hour week—about $52,255 a year. Award minimums rose by 4.75% at the same time. Even the minimum wage is a long way from the full-time average, but it shows the floor for Australian workers.
State-by-state full-time averages
The full-time average varies across Australia. Here are the state averages from the ABS (May 2026):
- New South Wales: about $109,658
- Victoria: about $106,137
- Queensland: about $106,064
- South Australia: about $102,450
- Western Australia: about $115,825
- Tasmania: about $96,008
- Northern Territory: about $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: about $119,090
You can explore these differences on the States and territories page.
What about job and industry medians?
The ABS also publishes median earnings by occupation and industry. For example, the highest hourly earnings are for Managers ($69.20) and Professionals ($64.50). The largest employing industry is Health Care and Social Assistance (14.5% of the workforce), followed by Retail Trade and Construction. For more detail, see Job medians and Industry medians.
Take-home pay sketch for a hypothetical NBA salary
Let’s say an Australian resident NBA player earns a salary of $5 million per year (a rough illustrative figure, not an official average). Using the 2026–27 tax brackets:
- Tax on first $190,000: $18,200 × 0% + ($45,000 – $18,200) × 15% + ($135,000 – $45,000) × 30% + ($190,000 – $135,000) × 37% = $0 + $4,020 + $27,000 + $20,350 = $51,370
- Tax on remaining $4,810,000 at 45%: $2,164,500
- Total tax: $2,215,870
- Medicare levy (2% of $5,000,000): $100,000
- Total tax and Medicare: $2,315,870
- Take-home: about $2,684,130 per year, or $51,618 per week.
That’s still vastly more than the Australian full-time average of $2,083.70 per week. But the effective tax rate is about 46.3%.
Why we can’t give a precise average NBA salary
The ABS surveys Australian businesses, not US sports leagues. Fair Work sets minimum wages and awards for Australian employees. The ATO publishes tax data but not specific sport salaries. So any figure for “average NBA salary” would have to come from non-Australian sources, which we don’t use on this site. We stick to what the ABS, Fair Work, and the ATO provide.
Using this site to compare any salary
If you have a specific salary in mind—whether it’s an NBA contract, a tech role, or a graduate position—you can Place a salary on the line to see how it compares to the national full-time average, medians, and minimum wage. The tool also shows the weekly and hourly equivalent based on a 38-hour week, and the distance from the line.
For more about how the figures are set, see How the figures are set. And for guides on understanding Australian earnings, visit Guides.
Summary
The average NBA salary is not published by Australian official sources, so we cannot give a precise number. But it is clear that NBA salaries are orders of magnitude above the Australian full-time average of $108,352 per year. Even after Australian tax, a typical NBA player would take home many times the average Australian worker’s gross pay. This comparison highlights just how high the top end of the global sports market is relative to the Australian labour market.