Stephen A. Smith's reported earnings higher than reigning NBA MVP's salary

Stephen A. Smith is slated to earn nearly $40M in 2025, which exceeds the salary of several current NBA All-Stars.

According to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, Smith will make $33M from his two main employers, ESPN and SiriusXM, to go with other revenue from his YouTube channel and podcast. All in all, the commentator will net nearly $40M per year going forward. 

Stephen A. Smith's salary higher than NBA stars

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, will earn $38.3M in 2025-26 and $40.8 million in 2026-27 before his record-setting $285M extension kicks in 2027-28. Of course, these numbers don't factor in the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar's off-court earnings. 

Elsewhere, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson will earn a base salary of $34.9M in 2025-26, and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will make $36.5M next season. Rudy Gobert, the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will earn $35M from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Smith's reported earnings also exceed the 2025-26 salaries of other active NBA All-Stars such as James Harden ($39.1M), Alperen Sengun ($33.9M), Victor Wembanyama ($13.3M) and Paolo Banchero ($15.3M). It's worth noting that Wemby and Banchero are still on their rookie contracts and will earn north of $40M within a few years. Other current or former All-Stars who will make less than $40M in 2025-26 include Zion Williamson, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Tyrese Maxey, De'Aaron Fox and Julius Randle.

Most of the NBA's superstars, save for aging ones like Harden, are on maximum-level contracts, which are tied to their years in the league with specific percentage-of-salary-cap tiers. As such, the likes of Banchero and Wemby are eligible to earn only 25 percent of the salary cap at the seven-year mark, but can make 35 percent once they put in 10 years.