Introduction

Carmelo Anthony is an American former professional NBA player with an estimated net worth of $160 Million.

Melo played 19 seasons in the league, racking up almost half a billion dollars in earnings, including an estimated $145 million from endorsements.

Quick facts

• Earned $262.5 million in salary while playing in the NBA
• Peak annual salary of $26.2 million in 2017
• Signed a 6-year, $40 million endorsement deal with Nike in 2003
• Earned an estimated $145 million from endorsements during his career

Net Worth History

When we first began tracking Carmelo Anthony’s net worth in 2022, he had just retired and was already estimated at $160 million. A significant portion of Melo’s wealth was built between 2012 and 2017, during which he earned $137 million in salary (just over 50% of his lifetime earnings). Based on our research, we estimate that one-third of Anthony’s net worth was generated through endorsement income. In 2024, estimates of his net worth remain at $160 Million.

NBA Salary

Endorsements

Carmelo Anthony stacked a significant amount of cash through endorsements during his 19-season career. It’s estimated that slightly over one-third of his total earnings, $145 million, came from endorsement deals.

Anthony was the first athlete to officially have a signature shoe under the Nike Jordan brand, signing a six-year, $40 million deal in 2003. A year later, Carmelo released his first shoe, the Jordan Melo 1.5, named for blending the styles of the Jordan 1 and Jordan 2. In 2017, Jordan and Carmelo released their final shoe together, the Melo M13.

Anthony endorsed many other brands throughout his athletic career, including Samsung, Foot Locker, and IWC. It’s estimated that during the peak of his career, between 2012 and 2017, he earned approximately $8 million/year from endorsements. After his shoe deal with Nike ended, this figure dropped to a reported $6 million/year.

Divorce Settlement

In 2004, Carmelo Anthony became engaged to Alani “La La” Vazquez, and their son, Kiyan Carmelo Anthony, was born in 2007. Three years later, the couple married at Cipriani’s in New York City, and VH1 filmed the ceremony for its reality series La La’s Full Court Wedding. In the late 2010s, it appeared the couple was separating, with Alani allegedly already having moved out of Anthony’s apartment. She officially filed for divorce in June 2021, citing irreconcilable differences.

This led to extensive media speculation about potential alimony/child support payments. Alani had signed a prenuptial agreement before the couple tied the knot, and thus, a 50/50 split of the couple’s assets was unlikely. At the time, initial reports suggested Carmelo might have to pay as much as $60,000 per month in child support. However, later estimates put the range at $15,000 to $25,000 per month. 

Nonetheless, since their son Kiyan was born in 2007, he would have been around 14 years old at the time of the divorce. Thus, regardless of the figure, Melo would only be required to pay child support for approximately four years. Based on the estimated figures, this would place Carmelo’s total child support obligations at between $720,000 and $1.2 million. That said, this is all based on legal experts’ opinions, and none of the official details were ever disclosed to the public.

Real Estate

Carmelo Anthony has owned several properties over the years, primarily in Colorado and New York City. Unfortunately, none of his real estate purchases has been the wisest of investments. For the three homes we’re about to discuss, he paid a total of $26.5 million. He has since sold all of these homes, receiving a gross sale value of $20.2 million. This figure doesn’t account for property taxes, listing fees, or agent commissions.

Lakewood Mansion

In April 2004, Carmelo Anthony paid $3.5 million for a 12,836-square-foot mansion in Lakewood, Colorado. The seven-bedroom, ten-bathroom property was built in 2002 and overlooks a reservoir. Among the home’s amenities are a wet bar, a game room, a gym, and a home theater. Carmelo ultimately sold this property exactly three years later, for $3.5 million as well. He would have incurred a substantial loss after accounting for agent commissions and property taxes.

Littlewood Mansion

Following the sale, Carmelo upgraded to an even larger mansion in Littlewood, Colorado. This 21,083-square-foot mansion, featuring eight bedrooms and fifteen bathrooms, cost the former NBA player $12 million. It sits on 5.74 acres and features a separate guest house, a 7-car garage, a gym, and a horse-stall barn.

Unfortunately, his timing couldn’t have been worse. His purchase occurred just one year before the 2008 financial crisis, which destroyed property values across the country. When Carmelo returned the property to the market in 2011, he was asking for just $9.5 million. He let it go for $6.18 million in June that year. That’s almost a $6 million loss before accounting for commissions and taxes.

NYC Condo

Finally, in 2015, Anthony paid $11 million for a 4,556-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom condo in New York City. He listed the property for sale at $12.85 million in 2020, with no takers. Two years later, he relisted it at $12.5 million. It sold for just $10.5 million in 2023.

Philanthropy

Along with his expensive homes, Anthony also gave generously to various charities and institutions, including $1.5 million to the Living Classrooms Foundation, $3 million to Syracuse University for its basketball program, and $35,000 to relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Introduction

Kevin Garnett is an American former professional NBA player with an estimated net worth of $120 Million.

Quick Facts

• Earned $334.3 million in salary during his NBA career
• Peak annual salary of $28 million in 2003
• Most valuable contract: 6-year, $126 million deal with the Timberwolves
• Typically earned $2 million per year from his Adidas endorsement

NBA Salary

Kevin Garnett’s 1995 NBA debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves saw him earn $1.6 million. In 1998, Garnett signed a new six-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves worth $126 million. Within just a couple of years, he was earning more than $20 million per season, with his career-high salary coming in 2003 at $28 million.

In 2004, Garnett signed another 9-figure contract with the Timberwolves, worth $100 million. Not many NBA players have signed multiple 9-figure contracts in the league’s history. At one point, Garnett was the NBA player with the most lifetime earnings in the sport’s history.

Kevin Garnett earned a jaw-dropping $334.3 million in salary during his NBA career. His time spent playing in Minnesota accounts for nearly $218 million.

After retiring from basketball, Kevin was looking for business opportunities to join. He was particularly interested in buying a basketball franchise as he felt that players who helped to build the business should get a shot at owning a piece of the action.

Endorsements

Garnett joined Nike after graduating from high school, departed after five years to join AND1, and then joined Adidas. He introduced the first Air Garnett at the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming just the 10th Nike player to do so. His most well-known pair would turn out to be the Air Garnett 3.

Kevin Garnett was the first All-Star player to secure a multi-million-dollar endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear company Anta in 2010. He had previously made around $2 million annually at Adidas when the Chinese sportswear giant approached him with a better offer.

AS Roma Planned Investment

In December 2011, Kevin Garnett had plans to acquire a minority stake in the Italian Serie A soccer team AS Roma. Unfortunately, this deal was blocked by the NBA due to a conflict of interest. James Pallotta, the club’s primary shareholder, also owned a minority stake in the NBA’s Boston Celtics. Since Garnett was playing for the Celtics at the time, the NBA viewed this as a conflict of interest. This is quite a shame, since AS Roma’s valuation has tripled since the proposed deal.

Real Estate

Unfinished Miami Mansion

In July 1997, Kevin Garnett paid $3.6 million for a 7-acre plot of land along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. Garnett spent many years designing and obtaining planning permission to build an 11,000-square-foot home on the property. He began construction but decided to sell before the mansion was fully completed. In 2018, he listed the property for $19.9 million. It sold for $16 million in 2021.

Minnesota Home

In August 2006, while playing for the Timberwolves, Garnett paid $6.05 million for a 12,129-square-foot home in Long Lake, Minnesota. Regarding the sale of this home, most news websites reported that he sold it in October 2022 for $9 million. However, according to public records, the house was also sold in February 2007 for $6.45 million, roughly four months before he was traded. 

Thus, he either bought the property for $6.05 million in August 2006, realized he would be traded, and sold the house for $6.45 million shortly after. Alternatively, he paid $6.45 million in February 2007 and waited until 2022 to sell.

Summary 

Garnett played twenty-one seasons in the NBA and achieved great things with every team he played for. He was regarded as one of the most valuable players in the NBA, and his huge contracts proved this. Now that he is retired, he still tries to help where he can and has invested substantial sums in sports to help others achieve greatness.

Introduction

Joe Johnson is an American retired professional basketball player with an estimated net worth of $90 Million.

Quick Facts

• Earned $215.2 million in salary during his NBA career
• Peak annual salary of $23.2 million in 2014
• Most valuable contract: 6-year, $123.7 million deal with the Hawks

NBA Salary

Joe Johnson earned $1.6 million in his first season in the NBA. A year later, when he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, his salary gradually increased over the next three years.

In 2005, Johnson signed a 5-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks worth $67.4 million. From 2005 to 2010, Johnson averaged $13.5 million annually before signing a new deal with the Hawks. This time, he signed a 6-year contract with the Hawks, worth almost double his last, at $123.6 million.

When Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2012, his annual salary was $19.7 million. In 2015, the Nets waived Johnson on the last year of his contract after agreeing to a buyout. He spent the last several seasons of his NBA career bouncing from team to team, netting another $20 million or so before retiring.

With a career spanning two decades, Joe Johnson made almost $190 million during his pro career. After a long and satisfying career, Joe decided it was time to retire in 2022 and played his last game mid-season before announcing that it was his last time on the court.

Endorsements

When Forbes ranked Joe Johnson as the world’s 77th highest-paid athlete in 2016, his endorsement income was estimated at $1 million per year. However, this wasn’t the first time that Johnson made the list. He was actually one of the world’s highest-paid athletes for four consecutive years. In each of these entries, Johnson’s estimated income from endorsement deals remained constant at $1 million per year. At the time, this equated to roughly 5% of Johnson’s annual earnings.

The only sponsor ever mentioned in any of these lists was Nike. For the majority of Joe Johnson’s career, he was signed to Nike’s Jordan Brand. Based on this information, we assume the $1 million-per-year figure applies solely to his earnings from Nike.

Child Support

Joe Johnson was previously in a relationship with Shannon Becton in the late 2000s, and in 2007, Shannon gave birth to their son, Gavin. However, the situation was somewhat complicated, and in 2012, Johnson filed a lawsuit against Becton, requesting a paternity test to prove that he was the biological father.

A year later, Joe and Shannon signed a child support agreement, in which he would pay $5,000 per month to rent an apartment for her in New York, plus an additional $2,500 per month in child support. At the time, Johnson had just signed with the Brooklyn Nets and wanted to keep his son close. The agreement also stipulated that Shannon’s child support would drop to $2,000 per month upon her arrival in New York City. 

Several years later, with court intervention, Johnson’s child support payments had increased to $6,250 per month. However, in 2019, when Johnson wasn’t quite retired but also wasn’t the same active, high-paid player he had been, he filed another lawsuit. This time, he was requesting a reduction in his child support payments due to a significant decrease in income. The outcome of the lawsuit is unknown.

Real Estate

Atlanta Mansion

In October 2005, Joe Johnson purchased a $3.8 million, 13,860-square-foot, seven-bedroom mansion in Sandy Springs, Georgia. He currently still owns the property, although he’s been trying to sell it for $4.7 million for over a decade. Johnson had also regularly listed the property for rent at $25,000/month.