paragraph_text: The highest - paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty - million - dollar range. In this twelve - year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003 -- 04 season. Garnett has been the highest - paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997 -- 98 season, Jordan earned $33,140,000, which still stands as the most any NBA player has earned on a 1 year contract, Jordan also holds the record for the second largest 1 year contract at $30,140,000 in the 1996 - 97 season. Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013 -- 14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016 -- 17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 - Million per year when he signed a record 5 - year contract worth $201 - Million in 2017, starting with $34,682,550 in the 2017 - 18 season and ending with the largest earnings in the 2021 - 22 season with a record payout of $45,780,966.

paragraph_text: The highest - paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty - million - dollar range. In this twelve - year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003 -- 04 season. Garnett has been the highest - paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997 -- 98 season, Jordan earned $33,140,000, which still stands as the most any NBA player has earned on a 1 year contract, Jordan also holds the record for the second largest 1 year contract at $30,140,000 in the 96 - 97 season... Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013 -- 14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016 -- 17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 - Million per year when he signed a record 5 - year contract worth $201 - Million in 2017, starting with $34,682,550 in the 2017 - 18 season and ending with the largest earnings in the 2021 - 22 season with a record payout of $45,780,966.

paragraph_text: The 2018 NBA draft will be held on June 21, 2018 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams will take turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It will be televised nationally by ESPN. This draft will be the last to use the original weighted lottery system that gives teams near the bottom of the NBA draft better odds at the top three picks of the draft while teams higher up had worse odds in the process; the rule was agreed upon by the NBA on September 28, 2017, but would not be implemented until the 2019 draft. With the last year of what was, at the time, the most recent lottery system (with the NBA draft lottery being held in Chicago instead of in New York), the Phoenix Suns won the first overall pick on May 15, 2018, with the Sacramento Kings at the second overall pick and the Atlanta Hawks at third overall pick. The Suns' selection is their first No. 1 overall selection in franchise history.

paragraph_text: Only seven players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have played at least 20 seasons in their careers. In 1985 -- 86, Kareem Abdul - Jabbar broke the previous NBA record of 16 seasons held by Dolph Schayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas, and Elvin Hayes; he finished his career in 1988 -- 89 with a then - record 20 seasons played. Robert Parish broke the mark in 1996 -- 97, when he retired after 21 seasons, and Kevin Willis tied him in his final season in 2006 -- 07. They were joined by Kevin Garnett in 2015 -- 16 when he began his 21st season. His Minnesota Timberwolves played their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who became the fifth player to reach the 20 - season plateau that night. The game was the first time in league history that two opposing players had at least 20 years of experience. Having played his entire career with the Lakers, Bryant was also the first NBA player to spend 20 seasons with one team. In 2017 -- 18, Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter began their 20th seasons. Nowitzki, who has spent his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks, joined Bryant as the only players to play 20 seasons with one team.

paragraph_text: The National Basketball Association All - Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA), matching a mix of the league's star players, who are drafted by the two players with the most votes. Each team consists of 12 players, making it 24 in total. It is the featured event of NBA All - Star Weekend. NBA All - Star Weekend is a three - day event which goes from Friday to Sunday. The All - Star Game was first played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.

paragraph_text: Player Salary Team LeBron James $30,963,450 Cleveland Cavaliers Al Horford $26,540,100 Boston Celtics DeMar DeRozan $26,540,100 Toronto Raptors James Harden $26,540,100 Houston Rockets Kevin Durant $26,540,100 Golden State Warriors Russell Westbrook $26,540,100 Oklahoma City Thunder Mike Conley Jr. $26,540,100 Memphis Grizzlies Dirk Nowitzki $25,000,000 Dallas Mavericks Carmelo Anthony $24,559,380 New York Knicks Damian Lillard $24,328,425 Portland Trail Blazers

paragraph_text: The final playoff round, a best - of - seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor -- including coaches and the general manager -- on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.

paragraph_text: A Portuguese international, Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all - time by the Portuguese Football Federation in 2015. Ronaldo made his senior international debut in August 2003, at age 18. He is Portugal's most capped player of all - time with over 140 caps, and has participated in seven major tournaments. He is Portugal's all - time top goalscorer. He scored his first international goal at Euro 2004 and helped Portugal reach the final. He took over full captaincy in July 2008, leading Portugal to their first - ever triumph in a major tournament by winning Euro 2016, and received the Silver Boot as the second - highest goalscorer of the tournament. One of the most marketable sportsmen, he was ranked the world's highest - paid athlete by Forbes in 2016 and 2017, as well as the world's most famous athlete by ESPN in 2016 and 2017.

paragraph_text: In the early years of the NBA draft, a player had to finish his four - year college eligibility to be eligible for selection. Reggie Harding, who had graduated from high school but did not enroll in a college, became the first player drafted out of high school when the Detroit Pistons selected him in the fourth round of the 1962 draft. However, the NBA rules at that time prohibited a high school player to play in the league until one year after his high school class graduated. Thus, he spent a year playing in a minor basketball league before he was drafted again in the 1963 draft by the Pistons. He finally entered the league in the 1963 -- 64 season and played four seasons in the NBA and American Basketball Association (ABA).

paragraph_text: The oldest player ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey who played one game in the 1947 -- 48 season when he was 45 years and 363 days old. Hickey, who was coaching the Providence Steamrollers at the time, decided to activate himself and played in a game for the Steamrollers. In his first and only game as a player for the Steamrollers, he missed all six of his shot attempts and only scored two points from three free throw attempts. The second oldest player is Kevin Willis. Willis, who had played 20 seasons (excluding the 1988 -- 89 season he missed due to injury) in the league before he sat out the 2005 -- 06 season and earned a contract with the Dallas Mavericks on April 2, 2007. He then played 5 games for the Mavericks at the age of 44. The third oldest player is Hall of Famer Robert Parish. Parish, who starred with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, played his last season with the Chicago Bulls at the age of 43. He played in 1,611 regular season games during his 21 - year career, more than any other player in NBA history. When the Bulls won the 1997 Finals, Parish became the oldest player ever to win the NBA championship. There are currently 27 players who played in the NBA after they turned 40.

paragraph_text: Seasons Team Last earned appearance in NBA playoffs Reference 13 Minnesota Timberwolves ^ 2004 Western Finals 11 Sacramento Kings ^ 2006 First Round 7 Phoenix Suns ^ 2010 Western Finals 5 Philadelphia 76ers 2012 Eastern Semifinals 5 Orlando Magic ^ 2012 First Round Los Angeles Lakers ^ 2013 First Round Denver Nuggets 2013 First Round New York Knicks 2013 Eastern Semifinals Brooklyn Nets 2015 First Round New Orleans Pelicans 2015 First Round Charlotte Hornets 2016 First Round Detroit Pistons 2016 First Round Dallas Mavericks 2016 First Round Miami Heat 2016 Eastern Semifinals 2017 Playoff teams -- Oklahoma City Thunder 2017 First Round -- Chicago Bulls 2017 First Round -- Milwaukee Bucks 2017 First Round -- Memphis Grizzlies 2017 First Round -- Atlanta Hawks 2017 First Round -- Indiana Pacers 2017 First Round -- Los Angeles Clippers 2017 First Round -- Portland Trail Blazers 2017 First Round -- Washington Wizards 2017 Eastern Semifinals -- Toronto Raptors 2017 Eastern Semifinals -- Utah Jazz 2017 Western Semifinals -- Houston Rockets 2017 Western Semifinals -- Boston Celtics 2017 Eastern Finals -- San Antonio Spurs 2017 Western Finals -- Golden State Warriors 2017 Finals -- Cleveland Cavaliers 2017 Finals

paragraph_text: In 2006 -- 07, James's averages declined to 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Some analysts attributed the fall to a regression in his passing skills and shot selection, which stemmed from a lack of effort and focus. The Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the East's second seed. In Game 5 of the NBA Conference Finals, James notched 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, scoring 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the game - winning layup with two seconds left, against the Pistons. After the game, play - by - play announcer Marv Albert called the performance ``one of the greatest moments in postseason history ''and color commentator Steve Kerr described it as`` Jordan-esque''. In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history. The Cavaliers went on to win Game 6 and claim their first - ever Eastern Conference championship, earning them a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. During the championship round, James struggled, averaging 22 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting, and Cleveland was eliminated in a sweep.

paragraph_text: The NBA Championship ring is an annual award given by the National Basketball Association to the team that wins the NBA Finals. Rings are presented to the team's players, coaches, and members of the executive front office. Red Auerbach has the most rings overall with 16. Phil Jackson has the most as coach and Bill Russell has the most as a player (11 each)

paragraph_text: Cleveland finished the regular season with a 57 -- 25 record, capturing the Central Division title and the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. They then advanced to the Finals after sweeping both the Detroit Pistons in the first round and the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, and defeating the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. The Cavaliers were the first team in history to go to two consecutive NBA Finals with rookie head coaches.

paragraph_text: The 2017 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2016 -- 17 season, which began in October 2016. The playoffs began on April 15, 2017. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant was named the NBA Finals MVP.

paragraph_text: The highest - paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty - million - dollar range. In this twelve - year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003 -- 04 season. Garnett has been the highest - paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997 -- 98 season, Jordan earned $33,000,000. Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013 -- 14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016 -- 17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 - Million per year when he signed a record 5 - year contract worth $201 - Million in 2017.

paragraph_text: The highest - paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty - million - dollar range. In this twelve - year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003 -- 04 season. Garnett has been the highest - paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997 -- 98 season, Jordan earned $33,000,000. Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013 -- 14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016 -- 17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 - Million per year when he signed a record 5 year contract worth $201 - Million in 2017.

paragraph_text: Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten scoring titles (both all - time records), five MVP Awards, ten All - NBA First Team designations, nine All - Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All - Star Game selections, three All - Star Game MVP Awards, three steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press' list of athletes of the century. Jordan is a two - time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, having been enshrined in 2009 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as part of the group induction of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team (``The Dream Team ''). He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015.

paragraph_text: The 2018 NBA draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It was televised nationally by ESPN. This draft was the last to use the original weighted lottery system that gave teams near the bottom of the NBA draft better odds at the top three picks of the draft while teams higher up had worse odds in the process; the rule was agreed upon by the NBA on September 28, 2017, but would not be implemented until the 2019 draft. It was also considered the final year where undrafted college underclassmen were forced to begin their professional careers early; on August 8, 2018, the NCAA announced that players who declared for the NBA draft and were not selected would have the opportunity to return to their school for at least another year. With the last year of what was, at the time, the most recent lottery system (with the NBA draft lottery being held in Chicago instead of in New York), the Phoenix Suns won the first overall pick on May 15, 2018, with the Sacramento Kings at the second overall pick and the Atlanta Hawks at third overall pick. The Suns' selection was their first No. 1 overall selection in franchise history. They used the selection on the Bahamian center Deandre Ayton from the nearby University of Arizona.

paragraph_text: The oldest person ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey, a coach who activated himself as a player for a game two days before his 46th birthday. The youngest player ever to play in the NBA was Andrew Bynum, who played his first game six days after his 18th birthday. The oldest active player is Atlanta Hawks guard / forward Vince Carter, who is currently 41 years old. The youngest active player in the NBA is Indiana Pacers forward / center Ike Anigbogu, the 47th pick in the 2017 NBA draft, who is currently 19 years old and became the second college player to go from one year of college to the NBA while still playing at 18 years old.

Question: When did the highest paid NBA player in 2017 first go to the finals?
Answer: 2006 -- 07