Stephen Curry has become the highest-paid athlete in the NBA and the second-highest in the world (after Cristiano Ronaldo) according to Forbes’ latest findings. This includes only two sources of income, like endorsements and salary. He beat LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Patrick Mahomes, and other top-tier athletes to come second on this list.
Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the other two NBA stars alongside Curry and James on this list. Let’s take a look at all the stars who featured on this list:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese soccer star, playing in Saudi Arabia: $275 million
2. Stephen Curry, guard at Golden State Warriors: Earning a whopping $156 million in the 2024-25 financial year. His income here includes his massive $55.7 million salary from the Warriors, which also made him the highest-paid player in the NBA this season.
3. Tyson Fury, the former professional boxer: $146 million
4. Dak Prescott, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys: $137 million
5. Lionel Messi, the Argentine forward playing for Inter Miami: $135 million
6. LeBron James, Small/Power Forward for the LA Lakers: James has reportedly earned $133.8 million, which includes his huge $48.7 million salary from the Lakers this season.
7. Juan Soto, the Dominican professional baseball outfielder: $114 million
8. Karim Benzema, the French soccer star: $104 million
9. Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese professional baseball designated hitter for the LA Dodgers: $102.5 million
10. Kevin Durant, power forward for the Phoenix Suns: Durant reportedly earned $101.4 million this season, including his whopping $51.1 million salary from the Suns.
11. Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukrainian professional boxer: $101 million
12. John Ram, the Spanish golf player: $100 million
13. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greek power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis reportedly earned $94.4 million this season, which also included his $45.6 million salary from the Bucks.
14. Scottie Schefler, the golfer: $92.5 million
15. Deshaun Watson, the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns: $91.8 million
16. Kylian Mbappe, the French striker for Real Madrid: $90 million
17. Rory McIlroy, the golfer: $87.9 million
18. Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs: $86.8 million
19. Jordan Love, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers: $83 million
20. Jared Goff, the Detroit Lions’ quarterback: $80.8 million
Three Of The NBA’s Top 5 Earners Failed To Make This List
Former MVP Joel Embiid, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, and former All-Star Bradley Beal are three of the NBA’s top five salary contracts for the season. All of them earn above $50 million just from their NBA contract. Failing to make this list means they could not generate an endorsement income of over $30 million.
For Beal, it seems understandable as he is no longer the player he once was, and hence cannot get endorsement deals as much anymore. However, the baffling situation is with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, both of whom are tied as the second-highest earners in 2024-25 in the NBA.
With three MVP awards in the last four seasons, Nikola Jokic may be on the verge of getting a fourth one this season. Despite him being one of the biggest names in the NBA, his not getting as many endorsement deals in the US is indeed noteworthy.
