On the eve of the start of his 19th NBA season, Kevin Durant signed an extension with the Houston Rockets on Sunday. And with the $90 million now added to his bank account, he becomes the highest earning player in league history.
Kevin Durant Now Highest Paid Player In NBA History
Along with LeBron James, Durant is one of the longest-tenured superstars that we’ve ever seen. He began his career all the way back in 2007, originally drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, and has put together a decorated career on his way to becoming one of the most feared scorers of all time.
Up until Sunday, he was behind James when it came to all-time earnings. He began the day in the 8th spot, with just over $508 million taken home in his career, just behind Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis. But the $90 million boost to Durant’s total puts him at $598.2 million in lifetime contracts, which eclipses James’ figure of $581.3 million.
| Kevin Durant | $598.2m |
| LeBron James | $581.3m |
| Steph Curry | $532.7m |
| Devin Booker | $520.2m |
| Paul George | $516.9m |
Will it be the last contract that Kevin Durant signs in the NBA? The new deal ties him to Houston until the summer of 2028, though the final year of the contract is a player option. He will be approaching his 40th birthday at that point, and it is unclear what type of player he’ll be at that point. But there haven’t been many signs of him slowing down, as he is still playing at an all-star level and averaged 26.6 points last season.
Rockets Hoping Durant Makes Them Finals Contenders
Durant joined the Rockets this past offseason after a blockbuster trade between Houston and the Phoenix Suns. The team is hoping that he’ll help elevate them after their surprising rise to the no. 2 seed in the Western Conference last season, as one of their weaknesses was the lack of a go-to scorer in the postseason.
BREAKING: Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant has agreed to a two-year, $90 million contract extension with the franchise, his business partner and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman tells ESPN. The new deal includes a player option in 2027-28. pic.twitter.com/5GdhzgnSPa
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2025
Entering the 2025-26 season, Kevin Durant is sitting in 8th place on the NBA all-time scoring list. He is likely to move into at least 6th place after this year, pending his health and overall production.
Last season, Durant posted averages of 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 62 games with the Suns. A lock for the Hall of Fame, he has now recorded at least 25 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three in three consecutive seasons — the longest such streak in NBA history.
