Don’t hate the player, hate the game is a term that can be applied to today’s large financial gains of athletes. During their respective careers, NBA players earn a lot of money. In today’s era, that fact is even larger due to the abnormal contracts players receive, even the ones at the tail end of the bench.
The adjustments for inflation don’t account for the fact that the league’s revenue is breaking historic numbers every year, which results in a greater payday for its players. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that athletes earn every single penny they receive from their contracts. After all, they are in the top one percent of their profession in the whole world, so it is quite reasonable that they receive massive paydays.
Advertisement
No matter the type of work, if you’re one of the best in your field, you will get paid like that. However, players often fail to build up on their enormous wealth, which can result in large financial losses or even bankruptcy after they’re done playing. In a recent episode of his “Above The Rim with DH 12” podcast, Dwight Howard gave a reason as to why that is.
“All of us NBA players, we done probably had more bad investments in our time in the league than good investments. Because we so locked in on hooping that we can’t really do our own due diligence,” Howard said.
Nothing but basketball
Being an NBA player is no easy task. The amount of preparation, work, dedication and time it takes to be one of the best athletes in the world brings a lot of stress and uncertainty one has to deal with. The best way to counter that is to be prepared at all times, which requires a different kind of mindset and time structure that revolves only around basketball.
Advertisement
In order to keep up their highest level of performance and improvement, basketball players can’t have any outside distractions that will interfere with their work, which can be risky since the league is quick to recycle its players if they don’t perform to their expectations. This leads players to have little to no time for other activities, such as business investments, which are a job in their own right.
As a result, it is no surprise that many players end up losing their money due to poor investments, bad business ventures, unpaid assets, debts, and other financial implications. A proper dedicated time and knowledge are required if one is looking to build on their success and that is something professional athletes lack.
Success after a playing career
On the other hand, after players are done playing, they are left with significant free time to do whatever they want, which is a great opportunity to build on the financial foundation they established for themselves.
Advertisement
During their careers, players have a chance to meet various successful and impactful people, from whom they can get proper advice or even business opportunities. With that, they can offer themselves the best business education, knowledge, and people can help them set the pathway for their next life path.
Combined with their generational wealth, opportunities for athletes are endless. Money talks and so do people who have some of it, which leads many former players to end up increasing their net worth, earning even more money after their careers are over.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.