The NBA’s Highest Paid Mascots Revealed: Report

A report on the salary’s of the NBA’s top mascots reveals that some make more than many doctors and lawyers.

The mascots often provide extra entertainment during games as they often interact with fans and create fun moments for television.

A report from Sports Business Journal found that Rocky the mountain lion, the Denver Nuggets’ mascot, is the highest paid mascot in the league, making a staggering $625,000 per year.

The report said that the average NBA mascot makes around $60,000.

The next five highest paid mascots include Harry the hawk, the Atlanta Hawks’ mascot, at $600,000; Barry the bull, the Chicago Bulls’ mascot, at $400,000; Go the gorilla, the Phoenix Suns’ mascot, at $200,000; and Hugo the hornet, the Charlotte Hornets’ mascot, at $100,000.

For context, the average WNBA player gets paid around $120,000 a year with the league’s top players pulling in approximately $228,000.

Rocky the Mountain Lion earns more than 10 times the average pay for professional NBA mascots (around $60k).

(h/t @SBJ) pic.twitter.com/IUodSByGgg

— Boardroom (@boardroom) October 2, 2022

The top paid jobs in the U.S., according to Investopedia, are Anesthesiologists, $331,190; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, $311,460; Obstetricians-Gynecologists, $296,210; Surgeons, $294,520; Orthodontists, $267,280; Physicians (Other), $255,110; Psychiatrists, $249,760; Internal Medicine Physicians, $242,190; Family Medicine Physicians, $235,930; Chief Executive Officers, $213,020; Nurse Anesthetists, $202,470; Pediatricians (General), $198,420; Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, $198,190; Dentists (All Other Specialties), $175,160; Dentists (General), $167,160; Computer and Information Systems Managers, $162,930; Architectural and Engineering Managers, $158,970; Natural Sciences Managers, $156,110; Financial Managers, $153,460; Marketing Managers, $153,440; Physicists, $151,580; Judges, $148,030; Podiatrists, $145,840; Petroleum Engineers, $145,720; and Prosthodontists at $143,730.