Net Worth / Sports

Stephen Curry and the Biggest Player Paychecks in the NBA

Jan 18, 2023

3 min Read

When lottery winners pick up their winnings, they often are photographed holding huge oversized checks.

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Check out the top bi-weekly paychecks for NBA players, and you’ll think they should be getting giant 6-foot cardboard checks, too.

The NBA doles out checks on the first and 15th of each month, just like many other businesses. But, unlike your average U.S. business, the amounts on those checks are seven figures for the top players.

So GOBankingRates wanted to see what the top 10 players make, in terms of bi-weekly checks. You’ll recognize the names as the biggest stars in basketball, but some of these numbers will still surprise you.

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10. Klay Thompson

Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Shooting guard
2022-23 base salary: $40,600,080
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,691,670
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,383,340

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7 (tie). Damian Lillard

Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Position: Point guard
2022-23 base salary: $42,492,492
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,770,521
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,541,041

7 (tie). Kawhi Leonard

Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Small forward
2022-23 base salary: $42,492,492
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,770,521
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,541,041

7 (tie). Giannis Antetokounmpo

Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Position: Power forward
2022-23 base salary: $42,492,492
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,770,521
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,541,041

6. Paul George

Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Shooting guard
2022-23 base salary: $42,492,568
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,770,524
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,541,047

5. Kevin Durant

Team: Brooklyn Nets
Position: Small forward
2022-23 base salary: $42,969,845
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,790,410
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,580,820

4. Bradley Beal

Team: Washington Wizards
Position: Shooting guard
2022-23 base salary: $43,279,250
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,803,302
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,606,604

3. LeBron James

Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Small forward
2022-23 base salary: $44,474,988
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,853,124
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,706,249

2. Russell Westbrook

Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Point guard
2022-23 base salary: $47,063,478
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $1,960,978
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $3,921,957

1. Stephen Curry

Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Point guard
2022-23 base salary: $48,070,014
2022-23 bi-weekly check amount: $2,002,917
2022-23 monthly amount paid: $4,005,835

Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates used Spotrac’s 2022 NBA base salary data to find the 10 highest-paid players in terms of 2022-23 salary. This figure was then divided across the 24 bi-weekly paychecks NBA players receive on the 1st and 15th of every month, which was the determining factor in the final rankings. All data was collected and is up to date as of Sept. 27, 2022.

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