The NBA is about to add a major star.
Victor Wembanyama will officially become an NBA player when he hears his name called -- very likely first overall by the San Antonio Spurs -- at Thursday night's draft in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Wembanyama is the most hyped prospect since LeBron James back in 2003; and for good reason. The French phenom stands 7-foot-5, can create offensively like a wing player and protect the rim on the other end of the floor.
While the 19-year-old may not walk into the NBA as a top-10 player, it wouldn't be surprising at all if he's playing on All-Star Sunday in 2024.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
So, how much money will Wembanyama earn as a rookie in 2023-24? Here's what to know about rookie contracts:
How do rookie contracts work in the NBA?
A player selected in the first round of the NBA draft signs what's known as a rookie-scale contract. Each first-round draft slot has an assigned rookie-scale figure based on the salary cap. A player can sign for anywhere from 80-120% of their respective rookie-scale figure.
A rookie-scale contract carries two guaranteed years with a team option for Years 3 and 4. If an extension isn't reached by the end of the fourth year, a team can extend a qualifying offer to make the player a restricted free agent.
A player drafted in the second round can be signed via cap space, an exception or a two-way deal. The minimum salary for a first-year player next season is $1.12 million.
How much money will NBA rookies make in 2023-24?
With a reported projected salary cap of $136 million next season, the No. 1 overall slot in this year's draft has a first-year rookie-scale value of $10.13 million, according to RealGM.com. Wembanyama, however, will probably receive the maximum 120% of that amount, which is $12.16 million. He then could earn up to $12.77 million in Year 2.
There's more than a $1 million dropoff from the first to second pick, as Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller would project to have a first-year rookie-scale figure of $9.06 million as the No. 2 selection. The dropoff from second to third ($8.14 million) is a bit smaller.
Here's a full look at the projected first-year rookie-scale figures of each first-round draft slot, per RealGM.com:
1st: $10,132,300
2nd: $9,065,600
3rd: $8,141,200
4th: $7,340,000
5th: $6,646,800
6th: $6,037,000
7th: $5,511,000
8th: $5,048,800
9th: $4,640,900
10th: $4,408,800
11th: $4,188,400
12th: $3,979,100
13th: $3,780,000
14th: $3,591,300
15th: $3,411,400
16th: $3,241,000
17th: $3,078,800
18th: $2,925,000
19th: $2,793,200
20th: $2,681,400
21st: $2,574,200
22nd: $2,471,300
23rd: $2,372,600
24th: $2,277,800
25th: $2,186,400
26th: $2,114,000
27th: $2,053,000
28th: $2,040,200
29th: $2,025,600
30th: $2,010,800
You can check out a year-by-year breakdown of the rookie-scale contracts for this year's class here.
