LeBron James and Stephen Curry are arguably the two most influential players of their era. That couldn’t be more exemplified by the fact that they have faced each other for fourconsecutive NBA Finals, but they have also been cited for making the NBA as popular as it is today.
That’s why it makes sense that they are two of the highest-paid players in the NBA, despite being among the oldest. In fact, Curry just topped James in one particular category that didn’t seem plausible at all until now.
How Did Stephen Curry Surpass LeBron James?
Forbes’ Brett Knight revealed that Curry is projected to earn more than James this season, marking the first time Curry has surpassed this milestone.
“Due to collect an estimated $159.6 million in pretax earnings this season… counting both his playing salary and his annual income from endorsements and other business endeavors… the 37-year-old point guard is the NBA’s highest-paid player for the first time in his storied pro career, now entering its 17th season,” Knight wrote.
“In fact, across the previous 15 editions of Forbes’ annual earnings ranking, which projects income for the current basketball season, the closest anyone has come to Curry’s record-setting figure is Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James’ $128.7 million total last year.”
This is also the first time that a player has made more than James in over a decade.
“James, who had reigned atop the NBA players list for 11 straight years, dating to 2014-15, slips to No. 2 with an estimated $137.6 million,” Knight wrote.
Check out our earnings breakdown of the NBA’s highest-paid players for 2025: https://t.co/nnmpuKC3sJ
— Forbes (@Forbes) October 22, 2025
Knight didn’t make it clear who was making more than James then, but a betting man would probably put his money on Kobe Bryant.
It’s not surprising at all that Curry has reached such a high mark. However, it contrasts with what he was getting paid back when he was getting his MVPs. Because of Curry’s ankle injuries early on in his career, the Warriors signed him to a team-friendly contract, where he was paid $44 million over four years from 2013 to 2016.
In a decade’s time, give or take, Curry went from being perhaps the most underpaid NBA player to the most highly paid NBA player. Even though he hadn’t won a Most Valuable Player award in almost a decade, Curry still remains one of the league’s most dominant players capable of going off at any time.
Surpassing James, who is considered arguably the best NBA player of all time, should make Curry feel quite proud of himself with what he’s built for himself over the years.
