Recent reports have revealed that the NBA’s highest-paid mascots make more than half a million dollars per year, which is around 10 times the wages of an average league mascot.
Mascots are responsible for entertaining fans during NBA games, frequently weaving among the crowd at the stands, also taking the stage during the halftime show.
The Sports Business Journal has published a list of the five highest-paid NBA mascots and their wages have raised some eyebrows.
Which is the highest-paid NBA mascot?
Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, is earning as much as 625,000 dollars a year, being the highest-paid mascot in the league for the time being. According to the NBA franchise’s official website, a one-hour visit from Rocky costs 750 dollars, while a 30-minute visit for a birthday party could cost 400 dollars.
Season ticket holders can meet Rocky during games for 135 dollars, while non-pass holders would have to spend 135 dollars to get some time with the Denver mascot.
Which are the five highest-paid NBA mascots?
Rocky sits at the top of the list followed by the Atlanta Hawks mascot, as Harry the Hawk earns 600,000 dollars a year. Third comes the legendary Chicago Bulls mascot, Benny the Bull, who makes 400,000 dollars.
Next in the list is the Phoenix Suns’ mascot Go the Gorilla, who earns just one third of what the Hawks’ mascot makes every year.
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Hugo the Hornet earns 100,000 dollars from the Charlotte Hornets. To put it into context, the minimum salary of an NBA player is less than double what the highest-paid mascot makes (1,017,781 dollars).
After visiting the 2010 Milwaukee Mascot CampHBO Real Sports’ Bernard Goldberg revealed the reason why we have never seen a mascot’s real face.
“[Some] mascots aren’t allowed to show their face, or talk, because at their private [institutions] that’s against the mascot code of conduct,” explained Goldberg.
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