Kawhi Leonard’s $115M Deal Puts Him Above Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo & More in NBA Career Earnings List

After 15 years in the NBA, Kawhi Leonard now trails only two players on the all-time career earnings list through 2028-29, courtesy of signing a two-year, $115 million extension with the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.

Kevin Durant's sports network, Boardroom, shared on Threads that Leonard is now third all-time in NBA career earnings after he and the Raptors agreed to the $115 million extension with a 2028-29 player option on top of the star forward's remaining $50.3 million for the 2026-27 season, increasing his total salary to $165 million.

This takes Leonard's total career earnings to $541.1 million, and puts him above several notable names on the all-time list. Per Boardroom (which sourced earnings from Sportrac), here are the players whose total career earnings now trail Leonard's on the list:

• Stephen Curry - $532.7 million
• Paul George - $516.9 million
• Joel Embiid - $508.9 million
• James Harden - $508.2 million
• Anthony Davis - $485.7 million
• Giannis Antetokounmpo - $459.2 million
• Damian Lillard - $455.6 million

The only other two players who have earned more than Leonard so far are LeBron James, who has a total of $589.3 million, and Kevin Durant, with a total of $591.1 million.

Sports Insider Notes How Kawhi Leonard's Introversion Has Aided His Career

Ever since Kawhi Leonard started his NBA career in 2011, he has arguably been a mysterious player. Many fans made fun of him due to his lack of personality. He's quiet, sometimes perceived as awkward, and often comes off as robotic to some.

While this may be seen in a negative light, sports insider Ryen Russillo noted how being an introvert has saved Leonard from potential issues he might have had to face in his career, including the most recent salary circumvention fiasco with the LA Clippers.

"I can't wait to see what the Raptors extension is going to be for Kawhi," Russillo said on his show. "Kawhi is very lucky that he is the most reluctant superstar I've maybe ever seen in this league... We've been so confused by him for over a decade. Like, he just gets to kind of move on, and he's not going to be the subject of talk shows because he's just never really going to talk about any of this stuff. We've accepted that he's a detached personality."

True enough, right now, everyone is wondering why the Raptors have offered Leonard a $115 million extension despite him already being in his mid-30s, while consistently being an injury-prone player.

Despite all the noise, Leonard marches on in his silent pursuit of another championship with the Raptors.