What is an NBA mascot's salary? Closely looking at the economics of the quirky masked professionals

NBA mascots are one of the most entertaining parts of the fan experience during games. However, it is rarely talked about how much money these mascots make. A recent report on MARCA shed some light on this topic.

The report revealed that the Denver Nuggets mascot “Rocky the mountain lion” is the highest-paid mascot in the NBA. His annual salary is reportedly $625,000, which is more than many professional athletes around the world. Atlanta Hawks' mascot “Harry the Eagle” comes in second with an annual salary of $600,000.

Many NBA fans were shocked by these figures. However, some fans came to the defense of Rocky.

It’s worth noting that both Rocky and Harry earn much more than the average salary of an NBA mascot. According to the report, the average salary of a mascot in the NBA is $60,000 per year, which is a good number given the perks of the job.

What does it take to become an NBA mascot?

Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets

Many NBA fans who saw "Rocky the mountain lion's" big contract jokingly decided they wanted to get into the NBA mascot business.

But in reality, becoming an NBA mascot is a lot harder than most people realize. There are numerous requirements for aspiring mascots, including the following:

Previous Experience

To become a mascot, you must first have some sort of prior experience. This should be self-explanatory as the NBA is a premier sports league with only 30 teams. So the league looks for the best of the best among mascots that have been working for schools and minor leagues.

Dedication to an NBA team’s home schedule

The NBA season has 82 games, 41 of which are home games for each team. So a mascot has to be available and ready to put on a show at least 41 times a year, in addition to other team-related events.

Mascots are required to maintain high-level energy and hype up the crowd for the entire 48 minutes. The home-crowd atmosphere is a big deal in the NBA and a big reason why teams fight so hard for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Physical fitness and ability to entertain at a high-level

Mascots must also be physically fit and able to perform many different entertainment acts including acting, dancing, comedy and gymnastics. Most of these acts take hours and hours of practice and coordination.

Some of the most notable athletic acts include mascots dunking from a trampoline or making shots from the half-court. Such acts make mascots like Rocky the mountain lion crowd favorites.

Knowledge of NBA and social media trends

Finally, NBA mascots must have knowledge of both the NBA and social media trends to ensure the entertainment they provide is as relevant as possible.

Overall, it’s clear it takes a lot of dedication and preparation to become an NBA mascot. So knowing all of this, it’s not really surprising that the top mascots earn so much.