5 Of The Highest-Paid African Basketball Players

African interest in basketball is growing and several African countries are starting their own basketball teams. These 3 African NBA players and their generous salaries must make for incredible motivation for those budding teams.

Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) Olajuwon moved to the U.S. in the 1980s to play college ball for Houston and went on to play 17 seasons with the Houston Rockets. Olajuwon won two NBA titles and achieved 3,830 blocks during his career. He has nearly 27,000 points to date, and has earned around $110 million.








Luol Deng (South Sudan) Deng’s family moved him to England when they were granted public asylum, but Deng ended up at Duke University in the U.S. and was shortly after drafted by the Chicago Bulls. Deng has been earning at least $10 million per season in his career so far, and is expected to earn $14.3 million in 2013-2014.






            

DeSagana Diop (Senegal) Diop attended the Oak Hill Academy of Virginia before being named a McDonald’s All-American in 2001. He played 12 seasons in the NBA before injuries and some shortcomings got him benched during his last years. Still, he managed to rake up $47 million during his career.





Michael Olowokandi (Nigeria) Olowokandi's first move out of Africa was to England, where he attended Brunel University. After that he attended the University of the Pacific and was eventually the top pick of the 1998 draft for the Los Angeles Clippers. Olowokandi earned $37.9 million during his nine-year stint in the NBA.




Hasheem Thabeet (Tanzania) Thabeet has jumped around between four teams since 2009, during which time he has earned $16.8 million. Today he is with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is expected to earn $1.25 million in 2014.