Stephen Curry dethrones LeBron James as NBA’s highest-paid player

Giannis Antetokounmpo is estimated to earn $99.1 million, making him the fourth highest-paid NBA player in 2025, according to Forbes’ top-10 ranking published today (October 22).

After signing a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, Antetokounmpo still has two seasons left on his deal, plus a player option for 2027-28, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.

However, the 30-year-old forward’s future is uncertain following teammate Damian Lillard’s Achilles tendon rupture in April and subsequent retirement. The Bucks are working to make Antetokounmpo feel comfortable—signing his younger brother Alex, while his older brother Thanasis is already on the roster.

Off the court, Giannis recently added Huggies to his lucrative portfolio of ten sponsorships and invested in the women’s basketball league Unrivaled, as well as ScorePlay, an AI-driven sports highlights service, following the launch of a venture capital fund last year, Forbes reports.

At the top of the list is Stephen Curry, who has dethroned LeBron James after an 11-year reign. Curry now leads the top 10 with a record $902 million pre-tax and before management fees this season, a 15 percent increase over last year’s record of $787 million.

Curry, the 37-year-old Golden State Warriors point guard, has earned approximately $159.6 million pre-tax this season—including both his player salary and annual earnings from endorsements and business ventures—making him the highest-paid NBA player for the first time in his 17-season career. Curry is also set to become the first NBA player to earn over $60 million in salary for the 2026-27 season, projected at $62.6 million.

In the previous 15 editions of Forbes’ annual earnings ranking, the closest any player has come to Curry’s record is LeBron James’ $128.7 million last year. James, who topped the NBA earnings list for 11 consecutive years from 2014-15, falls to No. 2 with an estimated income of $137.6 million.

According to Forbes, only four other active athletes have ever surpassed nine-figure earnings through business ventures: golfer Tiger Woods ($105 million in 2009), tennis player Roger Federer ($100 million in 2020), MMA fighter Conor McGregor ($158 million in 2021), and MLB phenomenon Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers ($100 million this year).