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The NBA Money List: Top Salaries for 2025-26 Season

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Kevin Durant
Durant stands alone at 8th  

A full breakdown of the NBA’s highest-paid players in 2025-26. See which stars cleared $50M, who’s tied at $54.1M, and why LeBron and Luka missed the top 10.


Supermax deals & comebacks, ranking the NBA’s highest-paid stars in 2025-26...


The NBA is the peak of the basketball world. The league’s 30 teams host the sport’s biggest stars, but who earns the most in the National Basketball Association? 


NBA contracts come in all shapes and sizes. The richest is the supermax extension, awarded only when a veteran meets certain criteria - like winning NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or making an All-NBA team in their most recent season.


The NBA is the pinnacle of basketball. With 30 teams, the league brings together the sport’s biggest stars - but who tops the pay charts in the National Basketball Association? Mon Diaries take a look.


NBA contracts vary widely. The priciest is the supermax extension, which only goes to veterans who meet specific milestones - like winning NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or earning All-NBA honors in their most recent season.


1. Stephen Curry sets the bar — Golden State Warriors, $59,606,817

Leading the list is Golden State’s Stephen Curry. The three-point specialist signed a 4-year, $215,353,664 deal in August 2021. Through the maximum veteran extension that boosts his annual value by 105%, his base salary for 2025-26 hits $59,606,817.


Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is a two-time NBA MVP


To break down Curry’s 2025-26 salary: $59,606,817 per season equals $726,912 per game, $181,728 per quarter, $22,027 per minute, and $367 per second of court time across an 82-game schedule. Next season he’ll become the first NBA player to cross the $60-million single-season mark after agreeing to a one-year, $62.6 million extension with the Warriors.


The league’s top earner has battled injuries this season but still posted All-NBA level stats, averaging 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 4.4 threes in 43 games.



T-2. Joel Embiid holds second — Philadelphia 76ers, $55,224,526

The first of two players trailing Stephen Curry by some margin is former NBA MVP Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cameroon-born center signed a 4-year, $213,280,928 supermax extension with the Sixers in 2021.


A seven-time NBA All-Star, Embiid has spent his entire career in Philadelphia but is still chasing his first Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Despite the limited playoff success, he’ll join Curry in the $60-million club in 2027-28 after inking a 3-year, $187,873,836 supermax extension in September 2024.


Like Curry, Embiid has dealt with injuries that have slowed him since signing the deal. Over the two seasons on his current contract, he’s averaged 25.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists across 57 regular-season games.


T-2. Nikola Jokic matches Embiid — Denver Nuggets, $55,224,526

Tied with Joel Embiid, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic will earn a base salary of $55,224,526 with the Denver Nuggets in 2025-26 after signing a 5-year, $276,122,630 supermax extension in July 2022.


Thanks to Bird Rights - the NBA salary cap exception that lets teams exceed the cap to re-sign their own free agents - Jokic’s base salary climbs 8% next year to $59,033,114 in 2026-27, putting him almost level with Stephen Curry. The Serbian star is set to cross $60 million in 2027-28, and he’s eligible for a 4-year, $290 million extension in the 2026 offseason.




Jokic is playing at MVP level again, posting career highs in rebounds (12.9) and assists (10.7) while scoring 27.7 points per game on 57% shooting.


T-4. Giannis Antetokounmpo stays in the hunt — Milwaukee Bucks, $54,126,450

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, another European star on the money list, sits just behind Jokic with $54,126,450 from his 3-year, $175,369,698 deal signed in October 2023.


Antetokounmpo is locked in through 2027-28 and will make $58,456,566 in 2026-27 before joining the $60-million club in the final year of his current contract.


The Greek Freak has placed top 4 in MVP voting every year since 2019, but is on pace to average under 29 PPG for the first time since 2020. Injuries have hampered the former NBA champion in 2025-26, with Antetokounmpo posting 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds - both his lowest since 2018 - and 5.4 assists across 36 games.



T-4. Jimmy Butler cracks the top five — Golden State Warriors, $54,126,450

A surprise name in the top five, 36-year-old Jimmy Butler will earn the joint-fourth-highest base salary in the NBA in 2025-26 at $54,126,450. The veteran signed a 2-year, $110,959,223 deal with the Warriors in February 2025, the same day he was traded from the Miami Heat.


Disaster hit when Butler tore his ACL against the Miami Heat on January 19, 2026. Entering the final year of his contract and his age-37 season, Butler was averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists before the injury.


T-4. Anthony Davis rounds out the group — Washington Wizards, $54,126,450

Center Anthony Davis joins Antetokounmpo and Butler with a 2025-26 base salary of $54,126,450, coming from the 3-year, $175,369,698 contract he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers a year and a half before the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade.


Now with the Washington Wizards, Davis is in year one of that extension and is slated to earn $58,456,566 in 2026-27 and $62,786,682 in 2027-28.


Davis hasn’t been able to make an impact in Washington after being ruled out for the season just two days after the trade to the struggling franchise. Before the injury and move, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 20 games for the Mavericks.


T-4. Jayson Tatum completes the tie — Boston Celtics, $54,126,450

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is the fourth and final NBA player making $54,126,450 in 2025-26, tied to his 5-year, $313,933,410 supermax extension signed in July 2024 - the largest deal in NBA history.


Tatum, who came back from a torn Achilles at record speed in 2026, is projected to earn up to $71.4 million in the 2029-30 season.




Across 16 games in 2025-26, Tatum put up 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.


8. Kevin Durant stands alone in eighth — Houston Rockets, $53,282,608

One of just two players in his own tier, modern NBA great Kevin Durant ranks eighth in league pay with a base salary of $53,282,608 from the 4-year, $194,219,320 deal he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in August 2021.


KD is in the final year of that contract. A new 2-year, $90,000,000 deal with the Houston Rockets starts next season and will pay the 16-time All-Star $43,902,439 in 2026.


Kevin Durant isn’t slowing down, appearing in 78 regular-season games in 2025-26 while averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.



T-9. Devin Booker leads Phoenix’s books — Phoenix Suns, $53,142,264

Next is a former teammate of Kevin Durant: Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns’ all-time leading scorer, sits joint-ninth among the NBA’s highest-paid players with a base salary of $53,142,264.


Booker signed a 4-year, $220,441,984 supermax extension with the Suns — the only team he’s played for in his 10-year career — in 2022, then added a 2-year, $132,432,664 extension in 2025 that will pay him at least $60 million in 2028-29.


The 5-time All-Star put up 26.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 64 games while guiding the Suns to the seventh seed and the play-in, where they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers.


T-9. Jaylen Brown matches Booker — Boston Celtics, $53,142,264

Another player performing at an MVP level, the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown is thriving in 2025-26 while earning a base salary of $53,142,264 from his five-year, $285,393,640 supermax extension.




2025-26 marks the second season of Brown’s supermax deal, which will pay him up to $64,951,656 in 2028-29.


Brown is playing up to his contract, averaging career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists over 71 games.



T-9. Karl-Anthony Towns closes the list — New York Knicks, $53,142,264

Wrapping up the list is New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns, who earned a base salary of $53,142,264 from the 4-year, $220,441,984 supermax extension he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in July 2022.


In a twist only the NBA delivers, Towns never played a game for the Timberwolves on that supermax deal, landing with the New York Knicks less than three weeks before the 2024-25 season tipped off. In two years, he’ll cross the $60 million mark as well.


Across 75 games, Towns averaged 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists for the third-seed Knicks.


Notable omissions just outside the top 10

Some big names narrowly missed the cut for highest-paid NBA players. LeBron James ($52,627,153) is first off the list, while Luka Doncic sits 20th with a base salary of $45,999,660. He’ll jump to as much as $57 million when his new extension begins in 2026-27.




Reigning MVP still climbing the pay ladder

Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits much lower at 34th with a base salary of $38,333,050. SGA’s supermax extension, signed in 2025, starts in 2027 with an estimated base of $60,637,500 and could rise to an estimated $75,190,500 by 2030-31.


FAQ

Who is the highest-paid NBA player for the 2025-26 season?

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry is the highest-paid NBA player with a base salary of $59,606,817.


How much does LeBron James make during the 2025-26 season?

LeBron James made $52,627,153 with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2025-26 season.



What is the biggest contract in NBA history as of 2026?

The largest active contract is Jayson Tatum's supermax deal with the Boston Celtics, worth $313,933,410.


How many NBA players will earn over $50 million in 2026?

14 NBA players earn over $50 million in the 2025-26 season, with the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard starting the list at exactly $50 million.


Which NBA team has the highest total payroll in 2026?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent the most on player salaries in the 2025-26 season, paying out a total $212.1M in core payouts. 



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