$100 Million-Earning NBA Stars Spend $150K, Reveals Gilbert Arenas As Players Go Broke

Gilbert Arenas played in the NBA for 11 seasons. Drafted by the Golden State Warriors as a second-round pick in 2001, Arenas was a three-time All-Star and was also named the Most Improved Player in 2003.

Although he started with a lower salary as a second-round rookie, he earned hefty contracts as he improved with each passing season. During the course of his career, he made around $164 million in the NBA.

It has been 14 years since Arenas last played in the NBA. Since then, the contracts have taken a huge jump, with Stephen Curry expected to earn as much as $62.5 million in the 2026-27 campaign.

Despite the bumper contracts and players earning hundreds of millions of dollars, there have been several cases of former players going broke just a few years after retirement. The average NBA salary is close to $12 million; however, the luxurious lifestyle of ex-players can come back to bite them after they hang up their boots.

Arenas has done a good job in transitioning into sports media post-retirement. He is well known for his hot takes, but he has built a successful career in sports media.

Speaking on the We Said What We Said podcast, Arenas explained how players who earned over $100 million could face at least $150,000 in monthly expenses after retirement.

It’s really the hard bills. You are talking about most guys have two or three houses, about six cars at the lowest end. Most people that retire, they sitting at… depends on how much money you made….over a $100 million, your monthly is probably about a $150k at the lowest.

Gilbert Arenas on We Said What We Said

Gilbert Arenas says NBA players who earned over $100 million could face at least $150,000 in monthly expenses, pointing to Paul Pierce’s reported $96,000 in bills for mortgages, car payments and child support Arenas explains that players forced into retirement often have little time to prepare for losing their NBA salaries, leaving them with expensive lifestyles they cannot immediately adjust. He points to multiple homes, mortgages, payments on as many as six cars and child support as major expenses that continue long after a player’s career ends. The conversation then turns to Pierce’s reported $96,000 in monthly expenses, with the hosts questioning whether the figure fully reflects his actual spending.

— Bassey (@0xBassey) October 30, 2026

The former All-Star spoke about how players struggle to maintain their luxurious lifestyles even after their income has dropped post-retirement. Hence, it is common to see players nowadays invest in various businesses and expand their business ventures.

Gilbert Arenas on Paul Pierce going broke

While talking about former players struggling to maintain their luxurious lifestyle, he gave the example of former NBA champion Paul Pierce. The former Boston Celtics star reportedly claimed he is drowning financially after losing his Fox Sports income despite massive NBA earnings.

According to TMZ reports, Pierce is spending around $75k per month, including $28k per month in child support and another $20k in spousal support. He reported earning around $23k last month through his other business interests. Hence, he is losing over $50k in monthly expenditures.

Gilbert Arenas shifted the conversation to Pierce’s reported $96,000 in monthly expenses.

When did he retire? 2017? That’s nine years ago. His expense is $96,000. That alone every month, he’s losing a million dollars a year. So whatever you got, he’s losing because some of that is just hard bills.

Gilbert Arenas on We Said What We Said

Gilbert Arenas explains why retired NBA players go broke, saying car payments, mortgages, child support and family expenses can leave them paying nearly $100,000 a month long after their careers end Arenas says the problem goes beyond reckless spending. Many former players are still dealing with expensive cars, mortgages, child support and family responsibilities even after their NBA income stops. He argues that loyalty and the pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle make it difficult to cut costs, leaving players struggling to keep up with expenses they can no longer afford.

— Bassey (@0xBassey) October 30, 2026

The reason why Pierce’s situation has gained so much traction is that he has earned nearly $200 million during his NBA career. But as Arenas said, the relevant questions concern current resources and ongoing obligations.

Gilbert Arenas on why players continue to maintain their lavish lifestyle

It can be mind-blowing to many that despite earning hundreds of millions of dollars, NBA player often go broke a few years after their retirement. Some of their expenses, like child support, car payments, and mortgages, can’t be avoided because they are hard bills.

Gilbert Arenas gave the main reason as to why players continue to maintain the luxurious lifestyle even when they are not playing anymore.

Our loyalty makes us broke. Once we are done, all the people we are taking care of, we don’t want to see that we failed somewhere. ‘You can’t stay in this house no longer. You can’t keep doing this’, so it’s like ‘I am gonna sit here and struggle so you can keep living till I figure something out’. But in reality, no matter how much money you have, the lifestyle cannot stay the same.

Gilbert Arenas on We Said What We Said

The point Arenas was trying to make is that retired players do not live like regular retirees. Beyond their families, they have to take care of their close friends and everyone else in their entourage. That loyalty ends up costing these players more than they expected.

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