Stephen Curry and LeBron James are the greatest players of their generation, with a combined six NBA MVP Awards and 16 NBA Finals appearances. They paired up for the first time this summer in a competitive situation—All-Star Games don’t count—to lead the U.S. to its fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
The duo have also laid the blueprint for the modern-day NBA star to build a legacy off the court with endorsements and equity in a myriad of businesses on top of their max-level playing salaries. They will once again be the NBA’s two highest-paid players this season, but the usual order of the pairing has been flipped, with Curry set to earn an estimated $155.8 million and James at $133.7 million from salaries and off-court incomes.
James had been the NBA’s top earner each of the past 11 seasons, with Kobe Bryant in 2012-13 the last player to finish ahead of LeBron before Curry this year.
Overall, the top 15 players in the league will earn a combined $1.13 billion in salaries and endorsements, up 11% from last year. Giannis Antetokounmpo ($103.8 million), Kevin Durant ($97.9 million) and Damian Lillard ($66.8 million) round out the top five.
Curry will have the highest playing salary in the NBA for the eighth straight year; his Golden State deal is worth $55.8 million this season. This summer, he signed a one-year extension with the Warriors that will pay the two-time NBA MVP $62.6 million for the 2026-27 season and push his career earnings from playing salaries and endorsements past $1 billion.
Curry has been one of the NBA’s most marketable players for the past decade, and his off-court earnings of $100 million received a bump this year tied to his long-term Under Armour contract extension. In addition, he received $75 million worth of restricted stock units as part of the UA deal, which vest in 2029 and 2034—these units are not part of his current comp. Curry’s other endorsement partners are JPMorgan Chase, Callaway, Rakuten, Panini, USA Sports Marketing, Fanatics and Simplicity.
Outside of his endorsements, Curry is building multiple businesses. In 2018, he founded Unanimous Media to release films, TV shows, books and podcasts. The latest TV show is Mr. Throwback, which airs on Peacock. Curry launched a venture firm, Penny Jar Capital, in 2021 that has made more than 20 investments. His “Underrated Tours” for basketball and golf provide overlooked young talents a place to showcase their skills. Last year, Curry started his own Kentucky Straight Bourbon brand, Gentleman’s Cut.
James’ most valuable asset is SpringHill Company, which includes production company SpringHill Entertainment, media platform Uninterrupted and brand consultancy Robot. In 2021, SpringHill sold a minority stake to a consortium led by RedBird Capital Partners that valued the company at $725 million.
It is a very good time to be an NBA player. The league had its first $1 million-a-year player in 1979 when both Moses Malone and Bill Walton signed new playing contracts. Fifteen years later, the NBA got its first $10 million-a-year star in Magic Johnson. Next up: $100 million.
Nine-figure annual salaries are coming to the NBA and will become the norm for stars, thanks to the NBA’s new media deals and the mechanisms of the collective bargaining agreement. In July, the NBA announced agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon worth $77 billion over 11 years. The new revenue likely ensures the NBA’s salary cap will rise at the 10% maximum allowed for the foreseeable future.
The cap this year is $140.6 million and would reach $301.4 million in 2032-33 with 10% gains. A player in the first year of a supermax contract earns 35% of the cap, or $105.5 million by 2032. A $100 million-a-year player could come even sooner if the union secures better terms for stars in the next CBA. The current CBA expires after the 2029-30 season, and both sides can opt out early after the previous season.
This season’s top 15 earners list only has two newcomers versus the prior year. Devin Booker ($58.2 million) ranks eighth. The Phoenix Suns guard is in the first season of a four-year, $220.4 million contract that bumped his salary by $13 million this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($53.9 million) finished second in NBA MVP voting for the 2023-24 season, and his off-court earnings soared this year when Converse signed him to a massive contract extension worth an estimated $15 million a year on average. His first signature shoe is expected to be released in 2025.
Sportico estimated off-court earnings for the 2024-25 season through conversations with those familiar with NBA endorsement deals. Also included are royalties from sneaker deals, as well as earnings from memorabilia, appearances, media and businesses tied to their celebrity. We exclude investment income unless it is connected to an endorsement agreement. The figures are all before taxes and any agent fees.
The salaries are base salaries for the season and do not include any playoff bonuses or incentives—most of these players are on max-level contracts, which don’t include incentives. We also did not deduct the escrow payments withheld from contracts, which ensure the proper revenue split as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. Outside of the seasons impacted by COVID-19, the bulk of the escrow account has often been returned to the players as league revenue soared over the past decade. The league kept 2.65% of the $4.5 billion in player contracts from the 2022-23 season, with final accounting still not complete on last season.
