Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Candice Ward-Imagn Images

For the first time in 11 years, the NBA has a new top earner

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Oct 23, 2024 9:52 AM ET

Stephen Curry has reportedly surpassed LeBron James as the highest-paid player in the NBA regarding salary and off-court income.

According to Sportico, the Warriors star will earn an estimated $155.8 million in the 2024-25 season ($55.8 million salary plus $100 million in endorsements), which trumps James' $133.7 million earnings ($48.7 million salary plus $85 million in endorsements).

James had been the league's top earner in the last 11 seasons, taking over from Kobe Bryant during the 2013-14 season.

Curry benefits from a higher NBA salary due to his decision to stay with the same franchise his entire career, qualifying for the supermax contract, which amounts to 35 percent of the salary cap. While James' $48.7 million salary with the Lakers is a max-level contract, it hasn't been the supermax since he joined Los Angeles as a free agent in 2018.

Steph Curry is the highest-earning player in the NBA this year, thanks to $100M in endorsement earnings

This is the first season that LeBron James will not be the NBA's top earner since 2012-13, per @Sportico pic.twitter.com/YwUNsSO16o
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) October 22, 2024

Rounding off the top five are Giannis Antetokounmpo ($103.8 million), Kevin Durant ($97.7 million) and Damian Lillard ($66.8 million).

Interestingly, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, tied for sixth on the list, have higher NBA salaries ($51.4 million each) than every player not named Curry but earn only $8 million each from endorsements.

"Overall, the top 15 players in the league will earn a combined $1.13 billion in salaries and endorsements, up 11% from last year," Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen wrote.

Sportico estimated off-court earnings through conversations with business insiders familiar with the NBA's endorsement deals. The earnings also include royalties from shoe deals, memorabilia, appearances and other media and businesses tied to the players.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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