Stephen Curry signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension on Thursday, keeping him with the Golden State Warriors through the 2026-2027 season and raising his career salary to more than $500 million.
Curry, 36, would tag along LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only NBA players to be paid half a billion dollars in salary. According to Basketball-Reference.comCurry has earned $347,844,681 in 15 seasons and is now guaranteed an additional $178 million over the next three seasons for a total of approximately $526 million.
As for the fourth active player who will break the $500 million barrier by playing out the next four years on a contract he signed this summer? That will be ex-Clipper Paul George.
Underscoring the continual rising NBA salaries, only two retired players have surpassed even $300 million in salaries: Kevin Garnett ($343,872,398) and Kobe Bryant ($328,238,062).
Salaries are the key word because James, Durant and Curry will have exceeded $ 1 billion when supports are included in their general income. Michael Jordanwho was paid “only” $94,022,500 in salary, has earned more money than any other athlete at $2.7 billion – thanks in large part to Nike.
Read more: Magic Johnson is fourth athlete worth $1 billion. He says Kobe Bryant would be a billionaire
Neither James nor Durant have reached $500 million in salaries yet, but both are under contracts that guarantee they will cross the threshold unless they retire first.
James, 39, has earned $482,593,928 in 21 seasons, and in July, he agreed to a two-year, $104 million extension with the Lakers. Durant, 35, has earned $399,155,146 in 17 seasons and is guaranteed $51.2 million in 2024-2025 and $54.7 million in 2025-2026 with the Phoenix Suns.
The numbers are enough to make the eyes of an average working stiff glaze. In Curry’s case, the time seemed ripe for him to add a third year to his current deal, the maximum allowed under the NBA’s over-38 rule, which prevents teams from offering contracts of four years or more to players who will turn 38 during that. an agreement
(The purpose of the over-38 rule is to prevent teams from circumventing the salary cap by offering a contract that extends beyond when the player is expected to retire.)
Fresh in everyone’s mind is Curry’s clutch play in the USA winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Last season, he averaged 26.4 points and 5.1 assists per game while leading the NBA in clutch scoring. He was an All-Star for the 10th time, won two MVP awards and helped Golden State win four NBA championships.
Read more: LeBron James, Stephen Curry and co-stars lead USA to gold medal win over France
Curry talked about his desire to retire playing only with Golden State.
“I always said I wanted to be a Warrior for life,” he told Andscape in July. “At this stage of my career, I feel like that’s possible.”
Six players besides James, Durant and Curry topped $300 million in career salary earnings — and four played for the Scissors.
Chris Paul39, is third behind James and Durant at $390,507,923, but it does not appear that he will approach $500 million after he signed a one-year, $10.46 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2024-2025 season.
Read more: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer “hated” to lose Paul George in free agency
The same goes for Russell Westbrook35, who earned $342,603,650 but signed a two-year, $6,772,731 contract with the Denver Nuggets. James Harden follows at $340,677,097, though he will surpass Westbrook and top $400 million after signing a two-year, $70 million deal with the Clippers.
George, 34, is the youngest in the $300 million club at $307,684,213. In July, he signed a four-year, $211,584,940 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers that will bring his career earnings to over half a billion.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
