Stephen Curry is entering his 18th NBA season with another massive contract. But the most striking part of the agreement may not be the $116 million attached to it. The Warriors guard has just moved into a financial tier no player in league history had reached before. All this while accepting less money than he could have received.
Curry’s latest deal therefore does more than secure his future in Golden State. It changed the NBA’s all-time career salary record.
Shams Charania reported that Curry and the Warriors agreed to a two-year, $116 million extension with a player option for the 2028-29 season. The agreement keeps Curry with the only NBA franchise he has ever played for and takes him through his 20th season if he exercises the option.
More importantly, the new contract pushes his projected career on-court earnings to $652 million. It makes him the first player in NBA history to cross $600 million.
That puts Stephen Curry ahead of both LeBron James ($582 m)and Kevin Durant ($589 m) on the NBA’s career salary list. The milestone is significant not only because of the number itself, but because Curry reached it without chasing the biggest contract available to him.
Curry had been eligible for a two-year extension worth as much as $136.7 million. Instead, he agreed to $116 million, leaving roughly $20.7 million on the table. The structure is also expected to give the Warriors approximately $10 million more in cap space next summer.
Stephen Curry’s financial rise becomes even more striking when viewed against where it started. In 2012, after recurring ankle problems had raised questions about his long-term durability, he signed a four-year, $44 million extension. Very low. He soon made that contract look like it was drastically below his value.
Steph went on to win back-to-back MVP awards and helped the Warriors win their first title in the Stephen Curry era.
That early discount helped set up the career that eventually surpassed LeBron James and Kevin Durant financially. But Curry’s new $652 million mark may not hold the top spot forever.
The NBA’s rapidly rising salary cap has created a completely different financial landscape for younger superstars. Luka Doncic is earning close to $50 million annually on his current Lakers deal. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2027-31 extension is worth more than $285 million. With that salary, he will nearly earn $79 million in the final season.
That is where the next generation enters the picture.
Players entering their prime under today’s cap environment have far more room to accumulate career salary than stars from Curry’s early years. Ultimately, these future maximum contracts could push the league’s career-earning ceiling well beyond the $600 million barrier Curry has just broken.
However, for the Warriors, the number that may matter most is not $652 million. It is the money Stephen Curry chose not to take.
The Warriors now have additional flexibility heading into next summer, with other major contracts also approaching their end. Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are among the players whose deals expire after the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis has only part of his salary guaranteed.
This gives the front office more options as it tries to build around Curry rather than simply preserve the existing roster.
Either way, Stephen Curry’s historic record is unlikely to remain untouchable. The more lasting part of this moment may be how he reached it: 17-plus seasons with one franchise, a pair of massive late-career contracts, and now, a willingness to leave roughly $20 million on the table to give the Warriors more flexibility.
Curry has reached the top. The younger stars are already playing in an NBA where the ceiling keeps moving.