Study Finds the Typical NBA Player Spends $42,500 per Month (2024)

It's no secret that some professional athletes choose to live extravagant lifestyles, featuring fancy mansions, luxurious cars and more.

After all, when you're pulling in seven or eight figures per year, you can afford to live better than the average fan—as long as you are managing your money correctly, that is. Thanks to a recent study, we get a look at just how much money one league's athletes spend regularly.

According to Kathleen Pender of theSan Francisco Chronicle,wealth management company Personal Capital has compiled data on how much the average NBA player spends per month. Per Pender, "more than 50" players used the financial management tool, with the subjects ranging from rookies to veterans.

The findings? A typical NBA player spends about $42,500 per month (or $510,000 a year).

$42,500.

Now, there are a variety of things an athlete can drop a wad of cash on: food, entertainment, cars, housing, charities, personal reasons, etc. When you see a grand total of nearly $50,000 a month, you might be curious as to what the money is spent on. Fortunately, the data (via the San Francisco Chronicle)breaks it down. Here's a brief summary:

  • Clothing/shoes: 11 percent
  • Automotive: 9 percent
  • Travel: 8 percent
  • Restaurants: 7 percent
  • Charitable giving: 7 percent
  • Entertainment: 6 percent

Based on percentages, those expenses seem fairly reasonable. Of course, a hoopster's 6 percent on entertainment is different than a fan's 6 percent.

It is important to understand this study may not be representative of the league as a whole. The sample size isn'thuge, but it is a decent size. Also, this data comes from only a four-month sample.

Some athletes are better at managing their finances than others, as it's not unheard of for an athlete to go from having millions to being bankrupt. But as long as the individual can keep tabs on their bank account, who are we to tell them how to spend their money?

[h/t Time.com]

Study Finds the Typical NBA Player Spends $42,500 per Month (2024)

FAQs

How much does the average NBA player spend? ›

It's no secret that some professional athletes choose to live extravagant lifestyles, featuring fancy mansions, luxurious cars and more.

What is the average time a player spends in the NBA? ›

The average career length of an NBA player is 4.5 years. Only 5% of NBA players last more than 14 seasons in the league. Nearly 60% of NBA players have careers that span two seasons or less. Players on guaranteed contracts average a length of 4.8 years.

How much does the average NBA player get played? ›

In fact, NBA has several restrictions regarding the players salaries. The minimum salary that a player can afford is around $800K per year (this value has to do with the number of the years that the player plays in the league). Nowadays, the average salary of a player is around $7M per year.

How much does it cost to be an NBA player? ›

The cost of playing in the NBA varies depending on the player's contract. The average NBA player salary is $7.4 million per year, but the highest-paid players can earn over $40 million per year. The minimum NBA salary is $1 million per year.

How much do NBA players make per month? ›

Professional Basketball Player Salary
Annual SalaryMonthly Pay
Top Earners$55,000$4,583
75th Percentile$42,000$3,500
Average$37,729$3,144
25th Percentile$28,500$2,375

What is the lowest paid NBA player? ›

Mouhamed Gyueye is currently the lowest-paid NBA player in the NBA this term. The Senegalese player was the 39th pick in the 2023 draft.

Who was the oldest NBA player? ›

The oldest player ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey who played one game in the 1947–48 season when he was 45 years and 363 days old. Hickey, who was coaching the Providence Steamrollers at the time, decided to activate himself and played in a game for the Steamrollers.

Who is the longest lasting NBA player? ›

Vince Carter holds the record for the longest NBA career, having played 22 seasons in the league. His career spanned from 1998 to 2020, making him the only player in NBA history to have achieved this milestone.

Which NBA player played the longest? ›

Vince Carter, the most seasons of them all

The person who has had the longest career in the NBA is Vince Carter, who played for 22 seasons.

Who is the richest NBA player? ›

Currently the NBA's highest-paid active player, LeBron James reached billionaire status in 2022, according to Forbes. And he's certainly not waiting for retirement to expand his empire.

Who is highest-paid NBA player? ›

Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40 million per year when he signed a record 5-year contract worth $201 million in 2017, starting with $34,682,550 in the 2017-18 season and ending with the largest earnings in the 2021-22 season with a record payout of $45,780,966, If his contract continues Curry is ...

Who was the first $100 million dollar NBA player? ›

Howard then re-signed with the Bullets on August 5. He became the first player in NBA history to sign a contract worth more than $100 million; his seven-year contract was worth $105 million (equivalent to $204,000,000 in 2023).

How much is Steph Curry paid? ›

In 2021, Steph Curry signed a four-year contract extension with the Warriors worth a whopping $215.4 million. He reportedly made $48 million of that during the 2022-23 season, which will steadily increase yearly and culminate in a $59.6 million salary for the 2025-26 season.

Who is the highest paid NBA player 2024? ›

1. Steph Curry - Golden State Warriors.

How much is Steph Curry worth? ›

Curry has a net worth of $160 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. 4 But he makes millions off the court, too—the NBA champion is a savvy investor and entrepreneur with many lucrative businesses and partnerships to his name.

How much does the average NBA fan spend at a game? ›

The average Fan Cost Index of the National Basketball Association saw a significant increase from the 2010/11 season to the 2021/22 season. In the latest NBA season, the average price for a family of four to enjoy an NBA game stood at over 444 U.S. dollars.

How much does the NBA spend each year? ›

The 30 teams salary spending totaled US$ 3.9 billion in 2022, up from US$ 3.2 billion in 2021, +21%.

Do NBA players get paid weekly? ›

The NBA doles out checks on the first and 15th of each month, just like many other businesses.

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