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Stephen Curry leads the highest-paid NBA players for 2025-26 at USD$59.6 million, keeping the Golden State Warriors point guard ahead of Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. The list says plenty about where NBA money sits now: elite creation, title equity and global sneaker appeal are all priced into the sport’s top tier. Centres carry unusual weight near the summit, with Embiid and Jokic matching each other on the supplied pay figure while representing very different versions of dominance. Further down, the names show how long reputations endure, from Kevin Durant’s scorer’s résumé to the championship premiums attached to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. For business-minded fans, agents and NBA watchers, this ranking uses the supplied 2025-26 figures as of 2026-07-08 and adds verified context around performance, titles, career earnings and major endorsement relationships.
Highest-Paid NBA Players at a Glance
- Highest earner: Stephen Curry (USD$59.6 million)
- Best centre résumé: Nikola Jokic (USD$55.2 million)
- Most established scorer brand: Kevin Durant (USD$54.7 million)
- Younger champion profile: Jayson Tatum (USD$54.1 million)
- Boldest sneaker strategy: Jaylen Brown (USD$53.1 million)
The 10 Highest-Paid NBA Players
1. Stephen Curry: USD$59.6 million
Stephen Curry remains the salary benchmark because his value is both sporting and commercial. The 38-year-old point guard is a four-time champion and two-time MVP with a 24.8 career points per game mark, the profile of a franchise economy as much as a lead guard. His USD$470.1 million in career earnings reflects a long prime at Golden State, while the reported 10-year Li-Ning deal signed after his Under Armour split reinforces his global pull.
- Team: Golden State Warriors
- Position: Point guard
- Age: 38
- Career points per game: 24.8
- NBA championships: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
- MVP awards: 2
- Career earnings: USD$470.1 million
- Signature endorsement: Li-Ning (10-year deal reported at over US$400 million, signed 2026 after the Under Armour split; exact value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
2. Joel Embiid: USD$55.2 million
Joel Embiid’s earning power rests on rare centre production and a premium market presence in Philadelphia. At 32, he carries a 27.6 career points per game average and an MVP award, even without an NBA championship on his résumé. His USD$321.1 million in career earnings sits alongside a multiyear Skechers role as the face of its basketball division, giving him both court value and category-building brand weight.
- Team: Philadelphia 76ers
- Position: Centre
- Age: 32
- Career points per game: 27.6
- NBA championships: 0
- MVP awards: 1
- Career earnings: USD$321.1 million
- Signature endorsement: Skechers (face of its basketball division, multiyear deal from April 2024; value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
3. Nikola Jokic: USD$55.2 million
Nikola Jokic has turned unconventional genius into top-bracket pay. The Denver centre owns three MVP awards, a 2023 championship and a 22.2 career points per game average, but his true value is the way an entire offence can run through him. With USD$305 million in career earnings and a 361 Degrees signature shoe deal, he is paid like a system, not just a star.
- Team: Denver Nuggets
- Position: Centre
- Age: 31
- Career points per game: 22.2
- NBA championships: 1 (2023)
- MVP awards: 3
- Career earnings: USD$305 million
- Signature endorsement: 361 Degrees (signature shoe deal; value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
4. Kevin Durant: USD$54.7 million
Kevin Durant’s money follows one of basketball’s most bankable scoring résumés. The 37-year-old small forward has two championships, an MVP award and a 27.1 career points per game average, a combination that travels across markets and rosters. His USD$511.8 million in career earnings is the highest figure in this list, while a Nike lifetime deal reported at over US$25 million a year keeps his off-court business profile firmly in the elite tier.
- Team: Houston Rockets
- Position: Small forward
- Age: 37
- Career points per game: 27.1
- NBA championships: 2 (2017, 2018)
- MVP awards: 1
- Career earnings: USD$511.8 million
- Signature endorsement: Nike (lifetime deal, reported at over US$25 million a year)
- Salary source: Spotrac
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo: USD$54.1 million
Giannis Antetokounmpo commands premium money because he brings superstar production, defensive force and championship credibility to Milwaukee. The 31-year-old power forward is a two-time MVP, a 2021 champion and a 24.1 career points per game scorer. His USD$338 million in career earnings and Nike lifetime signature shoe deal underline how his value stretches from the Bucks’ competitive planning to the global footwear market.
- Team: Milwaukee Bucks
- Position: Power forward
- Age: 31
- Career points per game: 24.1
- NBA championships: 1 (2021)
- MVP awards: 2
- Career earnings: USD$338 million
- Signature endorsement: Nike (lifetime signature shoe deal; value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
6. Jimmy Butler: USD$54.1 million
Jimmy Butler’s place among the top earners is built on trust in high-pressure basketball. The 36-year-old small forward does not have a championship, yet his reputation for competitive edge and two-way reliability has made him one of the league’s most durable star names. His 18.4 career points per game average, USD$366.2 million in career earnings and Li-Ning endorsement profile show how leadership and postseason credibility can be priced alongside raw output.
- Team: Golden State Warriors
- Position: Small forward
- Age: 36
- Career points per game: 18.4
- NBA championships: 0
- Career earnings: USD$366.2 million
- Signature endorsement: Li-Ning (value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
7. Anthony Davis: USD$54.1 million
Anthony Davis is paid for the kind of two-position impact that changes a team’s ceiling. Listed as a power forward and centre, the 33-year-old pairs a 24.0 career points per game average with 2020 championship pedigree. His USD$364.5 million in career earnings and Nike endorsement relationship reflect a long-standing market view that elite size, defence and finishing are among the NBA’s scarcest assets.
- Team: Washington Wizards
- Position: Power forward / centre
- Age: 33
- Career points per game: 24.0
- NBA championships: 1 (2020)
- Career earnings: USD$364.5 million
- Signature endorsement: Nike (value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
8. Jayson Tatum: USD$54.1 million
Jayson Tatum represents the younger championship class in this group. The Boston forward is 28, already a 2024 champion and carries a 23.5 career points per game average across his career. His USD$209.7 million in career earnings is lower than several older peers, but the Jordan Brand and Nike signature shoe line signals why his long-term commercial arc remains so valuable.
- Team: Boston Celtics
- Position: Small forward / power forward
- Age: 28
- Career points per game: 23.5
- NBA championships: 1 (2024)
- Career earnings: USD$209.7 million
- Signature endorsement: Jordan Brand / Nike (signature shoe line; value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
9. Devin Booker: USD$53.1 million
Devin Booker is paid like a franchise scorer even without a ring. The 29-year-old Phoenix shooting guard owns a 24.6 career points per game average and has built his value on polished shot creation and sustained offensive responsibility. His USD$269 million in career earnings pairs with a Nike signature shoe line extended through 2029, a sign that his appeal is both stylistic and commercial.
- Team: Phoenix Suns
- Position: Shooting guard
- Age: 29
- Career points per game: 24.6
- NBA championships: 0
- Career earnings: USD$269 million
- Signature endorsement: Nike (signature shoe line, extended through 2029; value undisclosed)
- Salary source: Spotrac
10. Jaylen Brown: USD$53.1 million
Jaylen Brown’s place on this list is sharpened by championship proof and an unusually independent brand move. The 29-year-old Boston small forward is a 2024 champion with a 20.0 career points per game average and USD$235.2 million in career earnings. Instead of taking a conventional sneaker path, he launched 741 after turning down reported US$50 million-plus in rival offers, making his business profile one of the more distinctive in the league.
- Team: Boston Celtics
- Position: Small forward
- Age: 29
- Career points per game: 20.0
- NBA championships: 1 (2024)
- Career earnings: USD$235.2 million
- Signature endorsement: 741 (his own performance brand, launched after turning down reported US$50 million-plus in rival sneaker offers)
- Salary source: Spotrac
The History of NBA Salaries
The NBA introduced its first salary cap in 1984-85, setting each team a ceiling of roughly USD$3.6 million. Four decades later the cap sits at USD$154.6 million for 2025-26, a more than fortyfold rise that tracks the league’s transformation from a struggling competition into a global media business.
For years there was no ceiling on an individual deal. That changed after Minnesota handed Kevin Garnett a six-year, USD$126 million extension in 1997, then the richest contract in team sport. Owners cited it when they locked players out in 1998, and the dispute ended in 1999 with the league’s first ever maximum player salary, built specifically to prevent another Garnett-style windfall.
The single-season benchmark of that era belonged to Michael Jordan, whose USD$33.14 million in 1997-98 was more than the USD$26.9 million salary cap each team worked under that season, and stood as a record for two decades.
Television, not the bargaining table, drove the next leap. When the players rejected a plan to smooth a new national TV deal, the cap jumped from USD$70 million to USD$94.1 million in 2016, the largest single-year rise in league history. That sudden headroom let the champion Warriors sign Kevin Durant.
The 2017 agreement answered with the designated veteran extension, the so-called supermax. Stephen Curry signed the first one, worth USD$201 million, and the record has climbed steadily since, through Jayson Tatum's USD$314 million in 2024 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s USD$285 million deal at a record USD$71 million a year. Curry still holds the highest single-season salary, at USD$59.6 million for 2025-26.
How NBA Players Actually Make Their Money
On-court pay is capped; off-court income is not. Under the collective bargaining agreement, maximum salaries scale with service time, from 25 per cent of the cap for younger players to 35 per cent for the longest-serving stars. That hard ceiling, around USD$55 to USD$60 million even for the very best, is why the biggest names build brand income to match or beat it.
For the top tier, endorsements now rival or exceed salary. Sportico estimates LeBron James earned roughly USD$80 million off the court in 2025-26 against a USD$52.6 million salary, the clearest sign of where superstar money now comes from.
NBA On-Court vs Off-Court Earnings Compared
| Player | On-court (2025-26) | Off-court (Sportico) | Total |
| LeBron James | USD$52.6M | USD$80M | USD$132.6M |
| Stephen Curry | USD$59.6M | USD$50M | USD$109.6M |
| Kevin Durant | USD$53.3M | USD$50M | USD$103.3M |
The off-court engine has several parts. Endorsements headline it: LeBron signed a lifetime deal with Nike, while Curry’s Under Armour deal carried equity rather than just cash before the two sides split in late 2025 and he moved to Li-Ning. Signature shoe lines are the richest prize of all, a model Michael Jordan pioneered, with Jordan Brand generating around USD$7 billion in FY2024. Beyond footwear, the modern superstar adds media and production companies, venture investment and ownership stakes, turning a capped playing career into an uncapped business.
NBA Pay Peaks Later Than You Might Think
At the very top, NBA earning power does not fade with age. The supermax rewards long service with a bigger slice of the cap, so the league’s highest single-season salary belongs to Stephen Curry at 38, ahead of players a decade younger. The chart below plots each of the top 10 by age against their 2025-26 salary.
Highest-Paid NBA Players Compared
| Rank | Name | Team | 2025-26 salary | Age | Career earnings |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | USD$59.6 million | 38 | USD$470.1 million |
| 2 | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | USD$55.2 million | 32 | USD$321.1 million |
| 3 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | USD$55.2 million | 31 | USD$305 million |
| 4 | Kevin Durant | Houston Rockets | USD$54.7 million | 37 | USD$511.8 million |
| 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | USD$54.1 million | 31 | USD$338 million |
| 6 | Jimmy Butler | Golden State Warriors | USD$54.1 million | 36 | USD$366.2 million |
| 7 | Anthony Davis | Washington Wizards | USD$54.1 million | 33 | USD$364.5 million |
| 8 | Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics | USD$54.1 million | 28 | USD$209.7 million |
| 9 | Devin Booker | Phoenix Suns | USD$53.1 million | 29 | USD$269 million |
| 10 | Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics | USD$53.1 million | 29 | USD$235.2 million |
How This List Was Compiled
This ranking uses the supplied 2025-26 figures for NBA players, current as of 2026-07-08. The numbers are treated as the source pay figures for the list, while career earnings, championships, MVP awards and endorsement relationships are used as context rather than recalculated into the ranking. Undisclosed endorsement values are not estimated.
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Highest-Paid NBA Players FAQs
Stephen Curry is the highest-paid NBA player for 2025-26 at USD$59.6 million. The Golden State Warriors point guard is a four-time champion and two-time MVP, with USD$470.1 million in career earnings and a major Li-Ning endorsement relationship adding to his business profile.
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic sit directly behind Curry, with each listed at USD$55.2 million. Embiid brings MVP-level centre scoring for Philadelphia, while Jokic has three MVP awards and a 2023 championship with Denver. Their placement shows the market value of elite big men.
Boston has two players in the top 10: Jayson Tatum at rank 8 and Jaylen Brown at rank 10. Both are listed with the Celtics and both carry 2024 championship credentials, giving Boston one of the clearest examples of paying heavily for a proven core.
No. The ranking follows the supplied 2025-26 pay figures, while endorsements are included to explain each player's wider commercial power. Curry's Li-Ning deal, Durant's Nike lifetime arrangement, Tatum's Jordan Brand and Nike line, and Brown's 741 launch all help explain why these names carry major market value.
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