The tales of newly-rich NBA players blowing through so much of their earnings they have nothing left to show for it by the time they are out of the game is a common one, but one unlikely to touch on Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum’s career.
The third-year Duke product is quite frugal, in fact, living entirely off the endorsement deals he’s been inking since departing from his NCAA days. Every cent of his current NBA contract has been going directly into a savings account since he first suited up for the Celtics in 2017.
This season, he’ll deposit $7,830,000 (his full salary for the 2019-20 NBA season).
“All the money I get from the Celtics, I put it in a savings account,” he explained on a podcast interview with Maverick Carter — a man known almost exclusively for his business sense — about finance (via CNBC’s Kathleen Elkins).
“When I picked my agent, I told him I want to do as much off-the-court stuff as I can,” Tatum explained in March to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “You’re not promised the next contract. You want to save all the money you can.”
And save he has, living off endorsement checks from his deals inked with everything from hometown St. Louis’ pizza purveyor Imo’s to his contract with Nike’s Jordan Brand.
Tatum is not alone in his approach to pocketing the entirety of his paycheck.
Recently-retired New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski has long done the same, as has also-retired Oakland Raider Marshawn Lynch, according to Go Banking Rates’ Andrew Lisa.
Unlike some of his thrifty peers, such as the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard — known for driving a 22-year old Chevy Tahoe because it’s paid off — Tatum has allowed himself and his mother a few creature comforts.
He’s a fan of nice clothes and even splurged a little on transportation for himself and his mother in the form of a Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade, respectively.
“I didn’t make all this money to save it all,” he explained.
If we’re being honest, most of us wouldn’t either.
