 Wilt Chamberlain was the first big earner of basketball : immediately becoming the highest paid player upon entering the NBA , Chamberlain was basketball 's first player to earn at least $ 100 @,@ 000 a year , and earned an unprecedented $ 1 @.@ 5 million during his Lakers years . As a Philadelphia <unk> , he could afford to rent a New York apartment and commute to Philadelphia . In addition , he would often stay out late into the night and wake up at noon , a point that became notorious in the 1965 – 66 NBA season . 
