The List Of The Highest-Paid NBA Mascots Will Make You Question Your Career Choice

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Being an NBA mascot is not a bad gig whatsoever. Not only are they practically beloved by every fan inside the arena, but they also get paid incredibly well, apparently.

A recent report from Sports Illustrated has laid out the details of the NBA's highest-paid mascots and the money they pull in is quite staggering.

Rocky, the mascot of the Denver Nuggets, tops the list with an annual salary of $625,000. That's not bad for a middle-of-the-pack market team that wasn't exactly in the national spotlight until the playoffs began.

If $625,000 seems like an incredibly high number, it's because it is. According to the report, the average salary for mascots around the league is around $62,000. Rocky must have exceptional representation making 10x what his fellow mascots are making.

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The highest-paid mascots in the NBA make a staggering amount of money. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

While Rocky leads the pack, Harry The Hawk in Atlanta isn't too far behind with a salary of $600,000. In Chicago, Benny The Bull, probably the most recognizable mascot in the NBA, pulls in $400,000 per year.

READ: NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOLS BANNED FROM USING NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS IN ‘POLITICALLY CORRECT’ MOVE

There is no denying that being an NBA mascot is an absolute grind, and you have to be 100% on your A-game every time you put on that costume.

NBA mascots make appearances at many different functions and charities in their respective cities, but when you break down the salaries from a game-by-game basis, they're absolutely raking it in.

While Rocky and the Nuggets have had to work a bit of overtime this season with Denver making it to the NBA Finals, all in all, the mascot is only guaranteed 41 home games per season.

That's a cool $15,243 per game.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.