Salary Ranges The typical NBA GM earns between $1 million and $3 million a year, according to SB Nation.Click to see full answer. Subsequently, one may also ask, how do you become a NBA general manager?To become a general manager, he worked in the minor leagues as a coach, taking a severe pay cut in the process. If you are considering a job as a general manager in the NBA, there is no clear-cut path. The rewards, however, are startling. NBA general managers have the highest salaries in all of professional sports.Subsequently, question is, how much does a general manager of a sports team make? General Manager – $1 Million to $6 Million Salary The general manager of a professional sports team is generally the franchise’s highest paid employee – aside from the coaches. Moreover, who is the highest paid GM in the NBA? As president, Riley signed huge players in LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade among many others, winning the 2012 and 2013 NBA title as a result. With a net worth of over $80 million, Riley is the best paid GM expected to take home well over $11 million by the end of 2016.How much does the CEO of an NBA team make?The average CEO pay is about $12 million a year versus an average of just over $5 million for basketball pros.