Translation: "You Won't Believe It! These 5 NBA Players Will Never Go Bankrupt, with the Top Earner Turning 1 M i l l i o n i n t o 1 Million into 1Millioninto800 Million

13/01/2025 39hotness 0likes

Translation:

Believe it or not! These 5 NBA players will never go bankrupt, with the top earner turning $1 m i l l i o n i n t o$ 1millioninto800 million

The NBA is not only the highest level of basketball competition but also a place where people can make a fortune. Here, even those "water dispenser managers" can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual salary, and those superstar players can easily sign contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

However, it is disheartening that more than 40% of NBA players face bankruptcy after retirement, with former superstars like Iverson and Pippen not being spared. Most of them squandered their wealth due to a lack of financial awareness and extravagant lifestyles. However, there are five individuals in the NBA who have built an unshakable empire of wealth with their extraordinary business acumen and precise investment insights. They will never go bankrupt and continue to live a luxurious life even after retirement. Let's take a look at them below.

Shaquille O'Neal

Don't be fooled by O'Neal's rough exterior; he is actually very shrewd. As early as the 90s, O'Neal demonstrated his forward-looking investment vision by investing $1 m i l l i o n i n G o o g l e^{'} s o r i g i n a l s t o c k, w h i c h h a s b r o u g h t h i m r e t u r n s o v e r a h u n d r e d t i m e s i t s i n i t i a l v a l u e . A f t e r r e t i r i n g, O^{'} N e a l d i d n o t l e a v e b a s k e t b a l l b u t r e t u r n e d t o t h e c o u r t a s a b a s k e t b a l l c o m m e n t a t o r, e a r n i n g m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s a n n u a l l y f r o m h i s c o m m e n t a r y c o n t r a c t s . A d d i t i o n a l l y, h e h a s v e n t u r e d i n t o v a r i o u s f i e l d s, w i t h r e a l e s t a t e a n d c a t e r i n g a m o n g o t h e r s . T o d a y, O^{'} N e a l^{'} s a s s e t s e x c e e d$ 1millioninGoogle′soriginalstock,whichhasbroughthimreturnsoverahundredtimesitsinitialvalue.Afterretiring,O′Nealdidnotleavebasketballbutreturnedtothecourtasabasketballcommentator,earningmillionsofdollarsannuallyfromhiscommentarycontracts.Additionally,hehasventuredintovariousfields,withrealestateandcateringamongothers.Today,O′Neal′sassetsexceed1.2 billion, and this figure continues to steadily rise each year.

LeBron James

In his 22-year career, James has earned $580 m i l l i o n i n s a l a r y, a f i g u r e t h a t m a n y p l a y e r s c a n o n l y a s p i r e t o . B e s i d e s, J a m e s h a s i n v e s t m e n t s i n v a r i o u s f i e l d s, w i t h n e a r l y$ 580millioninsalary,afigurethatmanyplayerscanonlyaspireto.Besides,Jameshasinvestmentsinvariousfields,withnearly100 million in pure income each year. In the IT field, James keenly captured the trend of technological development, invested funds in it, and reaped rich rewards. The red wine industry is also one of his investment areas, with the red wine brand he invested in being highly sought after in the market, becoming a representative of high-end consumption. More notably, James also holds shares in the English Premier League team Liverpool. For 11 consecutive years, James has been the highest-paid player in the NBA, not only excelling as a basketball player but also as a successful businessman.

Magic Johnson

As one of the greatest point guards in history, Magic Johnson's career spanned only 13 short seasons. However, with his outstanding business acumen and accumulated network, he established a massive commercial empire after retirement. His decades-long ventures in the catering and real estate industries have amassed over $1 billion in assets. Moreover, he is a minority owner of the professional baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, earning tens of millions of dollars in dividends each year.

Michael Jordan

As the greatest player in NBA history, Jordan's skills and honors are beyond dispute. But Jordan's legend extends beyond the basketball court; his achievements in the business world are equally remarkable. Jordan not only signed a sales royalty agreement with Nike for the AJ brand but also spent $270 m i l l i o n i n 2010 t o a c q u i r e t h e C h a r l o t t e H o r n e t s, b e c o m i n g t h e f i r s t p l a y e r - t u r n e d - o w n e r i n N B A h i s t o r y . T h i s d e c i s i o n m a y h a v e b e e n c o n t r o v e r s i a l a t t h e t i m e, b u t a f t e r s e l l i n g a m a j o r i t y s t a k e i n 2023 f o r a b o u t$ 270millionin2010toacquiretheCharlotteHornets,becomingthefirstplayer−turned−ownerinNBAhistory.Thisdecisionmayhavebeencontroversialatthetime,butaftersellingamajoritystakein2023forabout3 billion, everyone praised Jordan's excellent business acumen. To date, Jordan's assets have reached $3.75 billion, making him the wealthiest athlete in the world.

Wesley J. C. Bridgeman

Most fans may not have heard of Bridgeman. He played 12 seasons in the NBA, earning only $1 m i l l i o n i n s a l a r y a n d a c h i e v i n g n o t h i n g s i g n i f i c a n t b e f o r e r e t i r i n g i n 1987. Y e t, t h i s o r d i n a r y p l a y e r b u i l t a m a s s i v e c o m m e r c i a l e m p i r e a f t e r r e t i r e m e n t, i m p r e s s i n g e v e r y o n e . U n l i k e J o r d a n a n d M a g i c J o h n s o n, w h o d i v e r s i f i e d t h e i r i n v e s t m e n t s, B r i d g e m a n f o c u s e d s o l e l y o n t h e c a t e r i n g i n d u s t r y . A f t e r y e a r s o f e f f o r t, h e o w n s m u l t i p l e r e s t a u r a n t c h a i n b r a n d s, w i t h a t o t a l o f 450 c h a i n s t o r e s u n d e r h i s c o n t r o l w o r l d w i d e . H e a l s o e s t a b l i s h e d a p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h g i a n t s l i k e C o c a - C o l a, w h i c h b r o u g h t m o r e r e s o u r c e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o h i s c o m m e r c i a l e m p i r e . T o d a y, B r i d g e m a n^{'} s a s s e t s h a v e r e a c h e d$ 1millioninsalaryandachievingnothingsignificantbeforeretiringin1987.Yet,thisordinaryplayerbuiltamassivecommercialempireafterretirement,impressingeveryone.UnlikeJordanandMagicJohnson,whodiversifiedtheirinvestments,Bridgemanfocusedsolelyonthecateringindustry.Afteryearsofeffort,heownsmultiplerestaurantchainbrands,withatotalof450chainstoresunderhiscontrolworldwide.HealsoestablishedapartnershipwithgiantslikeCoca−Cola,whichbroughtmoreresourcesandopportunitiestohiscommercialempire.Today,Bridgeman′sassetshavereached800 million, less than the aforementioned individuals, but his story is more inspiring and legendary.