Stephen Curry steals the basketball earnings crown to end LeBron James’ 11-year reign and lead a top ten hauling in a record $902 million this season.
Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2025/10/21/the-nbas-highest-paid-players-2025/
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
00:00Today on Forbes, the NBA's highest-paid players of 2025.
00:06There is no one in NBA history who has been able to drain a three-pointer quite like the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry.
00:13And no one can score financially quite like him either.
00:16Now, playing in his 17th season, the 37-year-old point guard is the NBA's highest-paid player for the first time in his storied pro career.
00:25Curry is due to collect an estimated $159.6 million in pre-tax earnings this season, which includes his playing salary and his annual income from endorsements in other business endeavors.
00:39Across the previous 15 editions of Forbes' annual earnings ranking, which rejects income for the current basketball season,
00:46the closest anyone has come to Curry's record-setting figure is Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James' $128.7 million total last year.
00:57James, who had reigned atop the NBA players' list for 11 straight years, slips to number two with an estimated $137.6 million.
01:07Curry is now the NBA's highest-paid player on the court with his $59.6 million salary this season.
01:14He is also the highest earner off the court, where he's expected to haul in $100 million this year,
01:21thanks to a long and lucrative collection of businesses under 30 Inc., his production company Unanimous Media, and the Curry brand.
01:29According to Forbes' estimates, only four other active athletes have ever cracked nine figures with their business income.
01:36Golfer Tiger Woods with $105 million in 2009, tennis player Roger Federer with $100 million in 2020,
01:44MMA fighter Conor McGregor with $158 million in 2021, and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Otani with $100 million this year.
01:56Curry is set to become the first in the NBA to cross $60 million with his salary of $62.6 million for the 2026-27 season,
02:05another big score for a player who seemingly can't miss.
02:09Curry is just one example of those raking in significant earnings.
02:13For these elite athletes, victory isn't just measured in trophies, it's also counted in millions.
02:19Rounding out the top five, at number two, LeBron James, worth $137.6 million.
02:26This week, James became the first player ever to reach 23 years in the NBA.
02:32And while he is showing signs of aging, with a case of sciatica that has sidelined him for the season's first few weeks,
02:39there are no such signs of slowing with his business ventures.
02:42This includes endorsements with Nike, DraftKings, and Amazon.
02:47Equity investments like Life Fantasy, a Richard Mill watch collaboration,
02:51and the expanded distribution of his grooming brand, The Shop, into CVS.
02:57In 2022, Forbes named James a billionaire, but he recently pushed back on that label,
03:03telling Complex, quote, it's a couple thousand in my bank.
03:07At number three, Kevin Durant, worth $104.3 million.
03:12Last month, the 37-year-old forward signaled some level of commitment to his new home
03:18when he signed a two-year, $90 million extension with Houston,
03:22a significant cut from his previous $198 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021.
03:30Durant supplements his playing salary with a diverse portfolio,
03:33including partnerships with FanDuel, Dick's Sporting Goods, Joe & the Juice,
03:37and equity stakes via his family office 35V in companies like sparkling water brand Spindrift
03:44and French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain.
03:47He also recently recovered funds, regaining access to his Coinbase account in September
03:52after being locked out for years.
03:55At number four, Giannis Antetokounmpo, worth $99.1 million.
04:00After inking an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023,
04:04Antetokounmpo has two more seasons under contract.
04:07But the 30-year-old forward's future has been uncertain
04:10since his star running mate Damian Lillard was injured in April and subsequently waived.
04:16Regardless of where the NBA takes him,
04:18off the court, he's expanded his business portfolio.
04:21He recently launched a venture capital fund last year
04:24and has since invested in the women's basketball league Unrivaled
04:28and Scoreplay, an AI-powered service specializing in sports highlights.
04:32He also added Huggies to his already lucrative list of 10 endorsement brands.
04:38And at number five, Jason Tatum, worth $79.1 million.
04:43Tatum set an NBA record for total contract value with a five-year, $314 million extension.
04:50But the 27-year-old forward is also working hard off the court,
04:55partnering with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to promote painkiller jornavics,
04:59joining his alma mater Duke in an advisor role as, quote,
05:02chief basketball officer,
05:04and releasing the fourth edition of his signature shoe with Nike's Jordan brand.
05:08For full coverage and to see the whole list,
05:11check out Brett Knight's piece on Forbes.com.
Be the first to comment