Steph Curry, star of the Golden State Warriors, has won a slew of honors in recent years. He has won the award for Most Valuable Player twice. One who has won four times. Is a nine-time member of the All-Star team. Easily the best shooter in NBA annals. A brand’s shoes’ public persona. Manager of a manufacturing firm. As a result, the rules were altered.
And he may soon be known as one of the highest-paid athletes ever.
When taking into account the effects of inflation, Sportico ranks Curry as the 29th best paid athlete of all time. Curry’s predicted $565 million in earnings is roughly $655 million after inflation.
As a Chef, you have it made.
The Sportico list of the 50 highest-paid athletes ever includes several other Warriors players and coaches in addition to Curry. Kevin Durant, a former teammate of his who now plays for the Phoenix Suns but is injured and sidelined for the time being, is 18th on the list with earnings of $710 million (or $850 million when inflation is taken into account).
The NBA is a lucrative industry, with 13 players ranking in the top 50 on the Sportico list, thanks to high wages and several endorsement deals. Michael Jordan comes in at number one, followed by LeBron James at number six, Kobe Bryant at thirteen, Shaquille O’Neal at thirteen, Magic Johnson at thirty-three, Kevin Garnett at thirty-five, Russell Westbrook at forty-two, Dwyane Wade at forty-five, Carmelo Anthony at forty-seven, Chris Paul at forty-nine, and James Harden at fifty.
That’s far more than any other sport, including golf, which has the next-most representation at eight. Seven athletes compete in boxing, which ranks third after the sports of tennis (five), soccer (four), Formula One (four), baseball (two), auto racing (two), motocross (one), and mixed martial arts (one).
Despite the fact that I believe you can make a convincing case that all of these forecasts are cautious, it comes as no surprise that Jordan leads the list with inflation-adjusted earnings of $3.3 billion. The remaining members of the top 10 are Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Cristiano Ronaldo, James, Lionel Messi, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roger Federer, and Phil Mickelson.
The question now is whether or not I can borrow money from Steph.