10 NBA Players Who Earned More Than $30 Million in 2025-26

The business of the NBA has changed dramatically over the past decade. Superstar contracts have grown at a remarkable pace, and the league’s highest-paid players are now earning amounts that were difficult to imagine just a few years ago.

During the 2025-26 NBA season, several of the league’s biggest names earned more than $30 million in salary alone. The list includes MVPs, NBA champions, perennial All-Stars and some of the most recognizable players of the modern era.

The increase becomes even clearer when compared with the 2015-16 season. According to ESPN’s salary figures, Kobe Bryant was the NBA’s highest-paid player that year with a salary of $25 million. A decade later, the league’s top earners are making well above twice that figure.

Here is a look at the 10 players who earned more than $30 million in salary during the 2025-26 NBA season.

10. Devin Booker – $53.14 Million

Devin Booker remained one of the NBA’s highest-paid players during the 2025-26 campaign, earning approximately $53.14 million with the Phoenix Suns.

Booker’s earnings were tied to the second season of his four-year supermax contract extension. The Suns have continued to view their longtime franchise star as a central part of their plans, rewarding him with another major extension in 2025.

The guard’s financial standing reflects both his production and his importance to Phoenix. Booker has developed from a promising young scorer into one of the league’s established offensive stars.

His next contract year is also expected to keep him comfortably above the $30 million threshold, with his salary projected at more than $57 million for the 2026-27 season.

9. Karl-Anthony Towns – $53.14 Million

Karl-Anthony Towns also earned approximately $53.14 million during the 2025-26 season, continuing a long run among the NBA’s highest-paid players.

Towns has been one of the league’s premier high-value players financially since signing his major extension several years ago. His combination of size, shooting ability and offensive production has made him a valuable asset throughout his career.

The 2025-26 season added another major achievement to his career as Towns was part of a Knicks team that captured the NBA championship after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.

His salary therefore came during a season in which his team achieved the ultimate goal. Towns has consistently remained above the $30 million annual salary mark over recent seasons.

8. Kevin Durant – $53.28 Million

Kevin Durant earned around $53.28 million during his first season with the Houston Rockets, maintaining his position among the NBA’s highest-paid players.

Durant’s move to Houston created another major chapter in his already decorated career. The veteran forward has won championships, MVP awards and numerous individual honors while building one of the most impressive scoring resumes in NBA history.

The Rockets subsequently committed further to Durant by agreeing to a two-year extension worth $90 million, including a player option for the 2027-28 season.

Durant has also become one of only a small group of NBA players to surpass $500 million in career earnings. His long career and multiple major contracts have helped push his cumulative salary total into that territory.

7. Jayson Tatum – $54.13 Million

Jayson Tatum earned approximately $54.13 million during the 2025-26 season, the first year of his enormous five-year contract extension with the Boston Celtics.

The agreement can reach a reported value of approximately $314 million, making it one of the largest contracts in NBA history.

Tatum’s 2025-26 campaign was affected by an injury that kept him out for much of the season. However, his previous performances and importance to Boston’s long-term plans helped establish the financial value of his contract.

His salary is scheduled to rise in subsequent seasons. Tatum is projected to earn more than $58 million in 2026-27, showing how quickly the value of elite NBA contracts has increased.

6. Jimmy Butler – $54.13 Million

Jimmy Butler earned approximately $54.13 million during the 2025-26 season while playing under his two-year, $121 million extension with the Golden State Warriors.

Butler joined Golden State after being traded by the Miami Heat, bringing extensive playoff experience and leadership to the Warriors.

His 2025-26 season was limited by injury. Butler appeared in 38 games before suffering an ACL injury that ended his campaign.

Despite the shortened season, his contract remains one of the most valuable among NBA veterans. Butler is scheduled to earn around $56.8 million in the following season.

According to Spotrac figures cited in the supplied report, Butler’s career earnings had reached more than $366 million.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo – $54.13 Million

Giannis Antetokounmpo earned approximately $54.13 million during the 2025-26 season, continuing a long period in which the Milwaukee Bucks invested heavily in their franchise superstar.

Antetokounmpo’s financial standing is closely connected to his status as one of the NBA’s premier two-way players. Since entering the league, he has developed into an MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion.

His championship success came in 2021, when he led Milwaukee to the title and established himself as the centerpiece of the franchise.

The next phase of his career brought further changes, with the supplied report stating that Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat during the offseason. His reported salary for the following season is more than $58 million.

4. Anthony Davis – $54.13 Million

Anthony Davis earned approximately $54.13 million during the 2025-26 campaign, remaining one of the NBA’s highest-paid players despite dealing with injury concerns throughout his career.

Davis entered the season in the first year of a three-year maximum contract extension. The deal was originally signed while he was with the Los Angeles Lakers before his blockbuster move away from Los Angeles.

The veteran big man has built a substantial career salary total over 14 NBA seasons. The figures in the supplied report put his career earnings at more than $364 million.

Davis’ combination of scoring, rebounding and defensive ability has made him one of the league’s most valuable frontcourt players when healthy, helping explain the scale of his long-term contracts.

3. Joel Embiid – $55.22 Million

Joel Embiid moved into the top three highest earners on this list after making approximately $55.22 million during the 2025-26 season.

The Philadelphia 76ers have remained committed to their franchise center through a series of major contracts. Embiid’s latest financial agreement reflects his status as an MVP-level player and one of the NBA’s most dominant offensive centers.

Injuries have affected Embiid’s availability at different points in his career, but they have not stopped Philadelphia from maintaining its long-term commitment to him.

His contract places him among the players earning more than $50 million in a single season, demonstrating how far NBA salaries have moved beyond the levels seen a decade earlier.

2. Nikola Jokic – $55.22 Million

Nikola Jokic matched Embiid’s salary at approximately $55.22 million during the 2025-26 season, making the Denver Nuggets superstar one of the league’s biggest earners.

Jokic’s contract reflects his importance to Denver after years of elite performances. The Serbian center has established himself as one of the most versatile offensive players in Basketball, combining scoring, rebounding and extraordinary passing ability.

His salary is scheduled to rise again, with Jokic projected to earn more than $59 million during the 2026-27 season.

The Nuggets are also expected to have an opportunity to offer Jokic another massive maximum contract in the future. The supplied figures indicate that he could become eligible for a five-year deal worth approximately $360 million in 2027.

1. Stephen Curry – $59.61 Million

Stephen Curry was the NBA’s highest-paid player on this list during the 2025-26 season, earning approximately $59.61 million from the Golden State Warriors.

Curry’s salary is a reflection of both his extraordinary career and his continuing importance to Golden State. The four-time NBA champion transformed the modern game with his three-point shooting and remains one of the league’s most influential players.

Even at this stage of his career, Curry continues to command one of the largest salaries in professional basketball. His 2026-27 salary is projected to increase to approximately $62.59 million.

His current contract is also set to continue beyond that season, with a two-year, $116 million extension beginning in 2027-28 according to the supplied figures.

NBA Salaries Have Changed Dramatically in a Decade

The difference between the NBA’s highest salaries in 2015-16 and 2025-26 illustrates just how quickly the league’s financial landscape has changed.

Kobe Bryant’s $25 million salary made him the highest-paid NBA player during the 2015-16 season, according to ESPN figures cited in the original report. Ten years later, Curry alone earned nearly $60 million in one season.

The increase is not limited to one superstar. Every player on this list earned more than $53 million, meaning the gap between the $30 million threshold and the highest salary was itself enormous.

Modern maximum contracts have become increasingly valuable as the league’s salary cap has grown. Teams are willing to commit substantial portions of their available payroll to players they view as franchise cornerstones.

Who Will Continue Earning More Than $30 Million?

The salary figures for the 2026-27 season suggest that several players from this list will remain comfortably above the $30 million mark.

Curry, Jokic, Tatum, Booker, Butler, Antetokounmpo and several others are scheduled for salaries significantly higher than the threshold. Their contracts demonstrate how $30 million, once an extraordinary annual figure, has become increasingly common among established NBA stars.

As the league’s financial structure continues to evolve, future maximum contracts could push individual season salaries even higher.

Final Verdict

The 2025-26 NBA season provided another clear example of how dramatically player salaries have increased. Ten players earned more than $30 million, with Stephen Curry leading the group at nearly $59.61 million.

The list features some of the league’s biggest names, including Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker. Their contracts reflect the enormous financial value attached to elite NBA talent.

Compared with the $25 million maximum salary from a decade earlier, today’s figures show how quickly the economics of professional basketball have changed. With the salary cap continuing to influence contract values, the NBA’s top earners could reach even higher numbers in the seasons ahead.