Stephen Curry has added yet another sparkling milestone to his legendary NBA career. The Golden State Warriors superstar has become the first-ever NBA star to be the highest-paid player for 10 consecutive seasons.
Curry has been at the top of the league’s salary rankings for every season since his five-year, $201 million supermax contract with the Warriors in 2017. And still, a decade later, he is still on top of the NBA payroll.
His annual salaries over that span tell a story about his greatness and the league’s massive growth in the financial landscape.
– 2017-18: $34.68 million
– 2018-19: $37.46 million
– 2019-20: $40.23 million
– 2020-21: $43.01 million
– 2021-22: $45.78 million
– 2022-23: $48.07 million
– 2023-24: $51.92 million
– 2024-25: $55.76 million
– 2025-26: $59.61 million
– 2026-27: $62.59 million
No player has even come close, as Kobe Bryant is the next superstar closest to him with seven straight seasons as the highest-paid player in the league.
That level of financial achievement mirrors what Curry means to the game today. Since becoming the highest-paid player, he has continued being an All-NBA player, added two more titles, won a Finals MVP and certified his legacy as the greatest shooter basketball has ever seen.
And the Warriors never hesitated to pay their franchise icon.
Curry’s career earnings will surpass $532 million when his current contract is done. That number puts him in the top three of the highest-paid players in basketball history. And that number will certainly increase soon.
The Warriors are expected to offer Curry a two-year, $136.7 million maximum contract extension. He is widely expected to sign that deal, and he will be one of the highest-paid players as he approaches 40.
That extension will also allow Curry to become the highest-paid player in terms of all-time salary earnings. That belongs to Kevin Durant right now, who has roughly $591 million in career salary, but Curry will move past that figure when he signs that new extension.
His resume speaks for itself.
Curry is a four-time NBA champion, two-time league MVP, the NBA’s first unanimous MVP, a 12-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, Olympic gold medalist and the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made.
And recently, Curry added yet another historic milestone. Curry became the first active player in NBA history to have a solo exhibit at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. That celebrates not only his achievements on the court but also his impact as an entrepreneur and global ambassador of the game.
For the Warriors, paying Curry has never been just about loyalty. It has been an investment in the most transformative player the NBA has seen in the modern era.
Ten straight seasons as the league’s highest-paid player reflect more than just rising salary caps. It represents a decade of unmatched greatness and excellence, along with a global influence between a player and franchise that changed modern basketball. With another extension in the works, Curry’s run is far from over.
