Who is the highest-paid NBA player? Highest NBA salaries, biggest wages by team

With the NBA firmly established as one of the world’s most lucrative sporting competitions, player salaries have soared to unprecedented levels in recent years. Each offseason brings a new wave of record-breaking contracts, with franchises eager to secure the services of their marquee stars.

These staggering deals have propelled numerous NBA players into the upper echelons of global sporting wealth, with some now rivaling athletes from football, boxing, and Formula 1 in terms of annual earnings. The league’s popularity and ever-increasing media rights deals ensure that salaries continue to rise, making the NBA a magnet for elite talent from around the world.

For the 2025-26 campaign, the NBA’s salary cap has been set at an eye-watering $154.647 million—an all-time high for the league. Several top stars now command annual salaries in excess of $50 million, a staggering jump from the $23.5 million earned by the late Kobe Bryant as the league’s highest-paid player in 2014-15. This dramatic rise reflects not only the NBA’s financial growth but also the increasing value of star power and global appeal.

While the highest-paid players in the NBA are usually the league’s elite superstars, their enormous salaries are a testament to both their on-court excellence and their off-court marketability. Endorsements, social media influence, and global recognition all play a significant role in shaping modern NBA earnings. The league’s biggest names have become not only basketball icons but also international brands, driving merchandise sales and attracting millions of fans worldwide.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the players that currently top the earnings chart in the NBA below.

WHO IS THE HIGHEST-PAID NBA PLAYER?

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Topping the list of the NBA’s highest-paid players for the 2025-26 season is none other than Stephen Curry, widely regarded as the greatest three-point shooter in basketball history.

Curry’s glittering resume features four NBA championships, two Most Valuable Player awards, an Olympic gold medal, a Finals MVP honour, and 11 All-Star selections.

Curry’s leadership has been instrumental in Golden State’s sustained success, and his record-breaking salary—reportedly in the region of $59.6m—underscores his immense value to the franchise.

In August 2021, Curry agreed a four-year, $215m contract extension with the Warriors, shortly before claiming his fourth NBA title. That deal made him the first player in league history to sign two contracts in excess of $200m.

The future Hall of Famer has since extended his contract by an additional year, ensuring his legendary tenure in the Bay Area will continue through at least the 2026-27 campaign.

WHO ARE THE TOP 10 HIGHEST-PAID PLAYERS IN THE NBA?

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Stephen Curry retains his status as the NBA’s highest-paid player for the 2025-26 season, earning an eye-watering $59.6 million.

Jaylen Brown occupies second on the list at $56.5 million—a figure that places the Boston Celtics wing just ahead of Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. The two former MVPs are tied for third, each pocketing $55.2 million this campaign.

Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler share fifth spot, each earning $54,126,450—even as both have missed significant portions of the 2025-26 season due to injury.

Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are tied for seventh, earning $54,126,380 apiece—just fractionally behind Butler and Tatum.

Kevin Durant rounds out the top ten at $53.2 million in the final year of his current contract. The veteran forward is set to join the Houston Rockets next season on a new two-year deal worth $43.9 million per year.

Devin Booker completes the top ten, earning $53.1 million for the 2025-26 campaign.

Top 10 highest-earners in the NBA for 2025-26

1. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) - $59,606,817

2. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) - $56,557,532

3. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) - $55,224,526

= Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) - $55,224,526

5. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) - $54,126,450

= Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors) - $54,126,450

7. Anthony Davis (Dallas Mavericks) - $54,126,380

= Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) - $54,126,380

9. Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets) - $53,282,608

10. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) - $53,142,264

WHO ARE THE HIGHEST-PAID NBA PLAYERS BY TEAM?

Among all the highest earners by team for the 2025-26 campaign, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey is the lowest at approximately $25 million—the first year of his four-year, $100 million contract. Atlanta’s CJ McCollum ($30,666,666) and Portland’s Jrue Holiday ($32,400,000) follow, with Dallas’s Khris Middleton earning $33,296,296 as the Mavericks’ top earner after Anthony Davis’s mid-season move to Washington.

Other team leaders earning under $40 million include Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball ($37,958,760), San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox and Miami’s Bam Adebayo (both $37,096,620), Orlando’s Franz Wagner and Toronto’s Scottie Barnes (both $38,661,750), Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (both $38,333,050), as well as Memphis’s Ja Morant and New Orleans’s Zion Williamson (both $39,446,090).

It is worth noting that Gilgeous-Alexander’s current salary significantly understates his future earnings—the Thunder star’s six-year, $365.46 million supermax extension will not begin in full until the 2027-28 season, at which point he is set to become the NBA’s highest-paid player on an annual basis.

Highest-paid NBA players by team

• Atlanta Hawks — CJ McCollum — $30,666,666 
• Boston Celtics — Jayson Tatum — $54,126,450 
• Brooklyn Nets — Michael Porter Jr. — $38,333,050
• Charlotte Hornets — LaMelo Ball — $37,958,760
• Chicago Bulls — Josh Giddey — ~$25,000,000 
• Cleveland Cavaliers — Donovan Mitchell / Evan Mobley (tied) — $46,394,100 
• Dallas Mavericks — Khris Middleton — $33,296,296 
• Denver Nuggets — Nikola Jokic — $55,224,526
• Detroit Pistons — Cade Cunningham — $46,394,100
• Golden State Warriors — Stephen Curry — $59,606,817
• Houston Rockets — Kevin Durant — $53,282,608
• Indiana Pacers — Tyrese Haliburton / Pascal Siakam (tied) — $45,550,512
• Los Angeles Clippers — Kawhi Leonard — $50,000,000
• Los Angeles Lakers — LeBron James — $52,627,153
• Memphis Grizzlies — Ja Morant — $39,446,090 
• Miami Heat — Bam Adebayo — $37,096,620
• Milwaukee Bucks — Giannis Antetokounmpo — $54,126,450
• Minnesota Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards — $45,550,512
• New Orleans Pelicans — Zion Williamson — $39,446,090
• New York Knicks — Karl-Anthony Towns — $53,142,264
• Oklahoma City Thunder — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — $38,333,050
• Orlando Magic — Franz Wagner — $38,661,750
• Philadelphia 76ers — Joel Embiid — $55,224,526
• Phoenix Suns — Devin Booker — $53,124,264
• Portland Trail Blazers — Jrue Holiday — $32,400,000
• Sacramento Kings — Zach LaVine — $47,499,660
• San Antonio Spurs — De'Aaron Fox — $37,096,620
• Toronto Raptors — Scottie Barnes — $38,661,750
• Utah Jazz — Lauri Markkanen — $46,394,100
• Washington Wizards — Anthony Davis — $54,126,380