$35 million is suddenly the price of admission. For the first time in NBA history, no player below that number makes the top 50 highest-paid, according to a full 2026/27 ranking published this week by Hoops Rumors.
At the top of it is Stephen Curry. The Golden State guard’s $62,587,158 is a tenth consecutive season as the league’s highest-paid player, a run no one else has matched.
The leaders:
- Stephen Curry (Warriors): $62,587,158
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets): $59,033,114
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Heat), Anthony Davis (Wizards) and Jayson Tatum (Celtics): $58,456,566
- Joel Embiid (76ers): $57,985,752
- Jaylen Brown (76ers): $57,736,350
Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns tie at $57,078,728, with Jimmy Butler just behind on $56,832,773 after his move to Golden State.
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Giannis is a Heat employee now
Antetokounmpo’s spot inside the top three sits on a contract that was signed in Milwaukee but will now be paid out in Miami. The two-time MVP was traded to the Heat on June 23 in a package that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and three first-round picks the other way, finalised on July 6. Bam Adebayo, tied for 11th at $49,488,300, is now his frontcourt partner.
Boston’s own name near the top also changed address two weeks later. Jaylen Brown was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers on July 6 for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, breaking up the Tatum-Brown pairing that won Banner 18 for the Celtics in 2024.
LeBron takes an $8m seat in Philadelphia
Luka Doncic shares the $49,488,300 line with Adebayo, Trae Young and De’Aaron Fox. The Slovenian is two seasons into his Los Angeles Lakers era after being acquired from Dallas in February 2025 for Davis, and he re-upped on a three-year, $165m extension with a player option in 2028. Austin Reaves is further down the chart at $41,240,250.
The player who went the other way on his number is LeBron James. The 41-year-old, who earned nearly $53m with the Lakers last season, signed a two-year, $8m deal with the 76ers on July 24, a cut that was the price of a seat on a championship-chasing roster. James Harden is also absent from the top 50 after accepting a reduced number in Los Angeles.
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Knicks raise their first banner since 1973
The 2026/27 regular season starts on Tuesday, October 20 with a three-game opening bill on NBC and Peacock. The 76ers’ night in New York doubles as a ceremony: the Knicks will raise their first championship banner since 1973 before tip-off, with James making his Philadelphia debut and Brown returning East in a new jersey. The schedule also puts Boston at Detroit earlier in the afternoon and Oklahoma City at San Antonio to close the night, a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.
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