NBA: Curry inks $200 million deal with Warriors - report

(AFP) Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has clinched a new five-year deal worth $201 million, the richest contract in NBA history, ESPN reported on Friday.

Curry, who recently helped the Warriors to their second NBA Finals crown in three years, is the first player to break the $200 million barrier, ESPN said, citing the player's agent Jeff Austin.

News of the agreement wipes away any uncertainty concerning the future of Curry, who had been on a four-year contract worth a relatively modest $44 million until his new deal. 

Despite being one of the league's highest profile stars, Curry had languished way down the pecking order of the NBA's best-paid players.

According to the basketball-reference.com website, Curry had been the 82nd best-paid player in the league, earning just over $12.1 million last season.

That figure is dwarfed by the league's highest-earner, LeBron James, who  stands to earn $33.3 million next season and $35.6 million in 2018-2019.

According to a survey of the world's best paid athletes released earlier this month by Forbes, Curry had earned an additional $35 million in endorsements to go alongside his $12 million salary.

However, his new deal would make him the world's fourth highest paid athlete -- in terms of annual salary and winnings -- placing him behind Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo ($58 million), Barcelona's Lionel Messi ($53 million) and the NFL's Andrew Luck ($47 million) on Forbes' 2017 list.