Highest-paid NBA players 2026 (by salary)

Stephen Curry makes approximately $59.6 million in base salary for the 2025-26 season, per public contract data via ESPN and Basketball-Reference. That is the highest single-season salary in NBA history. This figure is his on-court contract only, it does not include endorsements or other income streams.

The specific list of 2026 NBA free agents is not confirmed in our verified sources for this topic. What is publicly known is that several supermax deals currently running, including some of the players in the $50M+ tier, have extension clauses or expiration dates that could make the 2026 offseason significant. For the definitive list, Basketball-Reference's contract pages are the most reliable source, and that picture will sharpen closer to the deadline.

Stephen Curry, hands down. His 2025-26 salary of ~$59.6 million is the highest base salary in a single NBA season on record, per ESPN and Basketball-Reference. That's the on-court contract, LeBron James leads in broader wealth, but Curry wins the paycheck.

Curry earns approximately $59.6 million per year in base salary for the 2025-26 season. To put it in perspective, that's roughly $726,000 per game over an 82-game season. His next extension, reportedly ~$62.6 million for 2026-27, will push that number even higher.

Stephen Curry holds the highest active single-season salary at ~$59.6 million for 2025-26, based on public contract data. His extension kicking in for 2026-27 at ~$62.6 million is already in place and will make him the first player to eclipse $60 million in a single season.

By net worth estimates, which are exactly that, estimates, sourced from outlets like Forbes and Bloomberg and subject to fluctuation, LeBron James is widely regarded as the wealthiest active NBA player, with his business empire (SpringHill, Fenway Sports Group stake, etc.) pushing his total wealth well beyond his playing salary. Curry leads on court salary, but LeBron leads in accumulated wealth. No official audit exists; treat any specific figure as an approximation.

Based on verified contract data, Stephen Curry is already under contract for 2026-27 at approximately $62.6 million, making him the projected highest-paid NBA player that season and the first ever to surpass $60 million in a single year. Barring a surprise restructuring, the throne is his to keep.

Nike's Jordan Brand consistently dominates NBA sneaker sales and is the best-selling basketball shoe line globally, a position it has held for decades. Among individual signature shoes currently active, Nike and Jordan Brand athletes, including LeBron James, are the top sellers, according to widely reported industry data. Specific 2025-26 sales rankings by shoe model are not confirmed in our verified sources, so treat any precise ranking as unconfirmed without a sourced report.

This question conflates players with owners. Among **owners**, the NBA has multiple billionaires, nearly every franchise owner qualifies. Among **players**, LeBron James is the most widely reported active player to have crossed (or approached) the billionaire threshold, per Forbes estimates. The framing of exactly '4 NBA player billionaires' is not supported by our verified sources, and net worth estimates fluctuate significantly, they should never be treated as confirmed figures.

Across all sports, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are consistently cited by Forbes and Bloomberg as among the wealthiest active athletes globally, driven by massive endorsement portfolios and business ventures. In basketball specifically, LeBron James is in the same conversation. These are Forbes/Bloomberg estimates, not audited wealth figures, and they shift with markets, deals, and asset valuations.

Based on widely reported Forbes-style net worth estimates (not audited figures), LeBron James is consistently ranked first among active and recently retired NBA players by total accumulated wealth, driven by his entertainment and investment portfolio. Michael Jordan, now a former owner, had long topped the all-time list. Beyond LeBron among active players, Curry and Durant are frequently cited in the top tier, but specific rankings fluctuate and any precise figures should be attributed to their source and treated as estimates.

The framing of exactly four NBA player billionaires is not confirmed by our verified sources. LeBron James is the most documented case of an active or recent NBA player approaching or crossing billionaire status, per Forbes. Michael Jordan is widely reported as a billionaire, largely from his ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets (now sold). Treat any specific list of 'four' as unverified without a sourced breakdown.

Kevin Garnett was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth $100 million or more, inking a 6-year, $126 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1997. It was a watershed moment that reshaped how the league and players' union approached max contracts, and arguably set the trajectory that leads to Curry's $59M+ annual salary today.

Net worth rankings among NBA players are estimates from outlets like Forbes, not verified audits, and they shift constantly. LeBron James is broadly considered the wealthiest active player. Beyond him, Curry and Durant are frequently cited near the top of active-player wealth lists, but a definitive, sourced No. 3 ranking for 2026 specifically is not confirmed in our verified data, flag any precise figure you see as an approximation.

Kevin Garnett, in 1997, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a 6-year deal worth $126 million that became the benchmark for supermax thinking. It was controversial enough that the NBA ownership group pushed for the rookie scale and max contract limits in the 1999 collective bargaining agreement, which directly shaped the structure we see today.

Several players have signed contracts with total values in the $200M+ range in recent years as max deals have grown with the salary cap. Luka Dončić, Jayson Tatum, and others have signed supermax extensions in that territory. Curry's own deal structure sits in that range when multi-year totals are counted. The specific current holders of active $200M+ contracts are best verified via Basketball-Reference's contract pages, which reflect the most up-to-date public data.

The most famous and well-documented case is Steve Nash, the two-time MVP who played 18 NBA seasons and is not known to have recorded an official dunk in a regular-season game. It became a running league legend. Other shorter guards have similar reputations, but Nash's case is the most widely cited and reported in NBA history.

Nike, including Jordan Brand, is the most worn shoe brand on NBA courts by a significant margin, as consistently documented by sneaker-tracking outlets like Kicks on Court. Nike athletes make up the majority of the league's players, making it the dominant brand both in the arena and in sales. Specific per-shoe-model breakdowns for 2025-26 are not in our verified sources, but Nike's overall dominance is uncontroversial.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry have consistently ranked at or near the top of NBA merchandise sales for over a decade, per the NBA's own annual merchandise reports. Younger stars like Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo have steadily climbed those charts too. The NBA does not always publish a full real-time ranking, so the precise 2025-26 order is unconfirmed in our verified sources, but LeBron's sustained global brand makes him the safe bet for the top spot.

Michael Jordan, without serious debate. The Air Jordan line, launched in 1985 and still running, has produced over 40 main-line iterations plus hundreds of colorways, collaborations, and retro releases, making it the most expansive signature sneaker catalog in sports history. Among active players, LeBron James has the deepest Nike signature line currently in production, with the LeBron series now past 20 models.