With his team's stunning comeback over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert knocked out the final member of the NBA's 12 highest-paid players group remaining in the playoffs.
Now, Gobert is the last player in the top 15 left in the postseason.
Only 1 of the Top 15 paid #NBA players from the 2023-24 season have made the Final Four.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) May 20, 2024
Steph Curry, $51.9M ❌
Joel Embiid, $47.6M ❌
Lebron James, $47.6M ❌
Nikola Jokic, $47.6M ❌
Bradley Beal, $47.6M ❌
Kevin Durant, $46.4M ❌
Damian Lillard, $45.6M ❌
Giannis Antetokounmpo,…
Both the top player on the list (Stephen Curry) and the 12th member of the group (Klay Thompson) technically failed to make the playoffs, as the Golden State Warriors lost their lone play-in tournament contest to the Sacramento Kings.
Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet (14th highest paid) also missed the postseason altogether, as his team finished 11th in the Western Conference at 41-41.
The other 11 players on the list have all surprisingly been eliminated in the first two rounds.
In the Western Conference, LeBron James (third) and Anthony Davis (15th) of the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets in the first round in five games. Gobert's Timberwolves swept Bradley Beal (fifth), Kevin Durant (sixth) and the Phoenix Suns in the opening round, while Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the Dallas Mavericks past Kawhi Leonard (ninth), Paul George (10th) and the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round as well.
The Eastern Conference first-round results saw the Boston Celtics knock out Jimmy Butler's (11th) Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers eliminate both Damian Lillard (seventh) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (eighth) of the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks defeat Joel Embiid's (second) Philadelphia 76ers.
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