Stephen Curry Tops NBA Earnings Once Again as LeBron James Slides

According to a report by Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will become the league's top-earning player for the third consecutive time in the 2026-27 season, earning a total of $122.6 million from his salary and sponsorship deals. Curry is entering the 18th year of his legendary NBA career.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, with $108.5 million, was the only other name to clear the $100 million mark. The top five is completed by Kevin Durant ($93.9 million), LeBron James ($88.9 million), and Jayson Tatum ($78.5 million).

LeBron James, who topped the list for 11 years through the 2024-25 season, dropped to fourth place because of the major sacrifice he made when signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. James' salary fell from $52.6 million to $3.9 million, but he still leads sponsorship earnings by a wide margin with $85 million in off-court income.

Over the summer, Curry signed a 10-year, $400 million shoe deal with Chinese brand Li-Ning. With $60 million in off-court income, he ranks second in that category. Durant is the only other name on the list who earned more off the court than from his salary, with $50 million in sponsorship income compared with his $43.9 million salary. The top 20 players combined to earn $1.47 billion, and James, Durant, and Curry became the only players in NBA history to surpass the $500 million mark from on-court earnings alone.