NBA
Anthony Davis Just Signed a $190 Million Contract With the Lakers, but He Saves His Money for a Life Beyond Basketball
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished08 Jan 2021
While LeBron James may get most of the headlines, Anthony Davis is a key part of everything the LA Lakers do. The big man was already talented in New Orleans but has taken his game to the next level in Hollywood; he’s already helped the Lakers claim an NBA championship and earned himself a $190 million contract extension.
Although it’s easy to imagine a young celebrity with millions of dollars in the bank living it up in Hollywood, Anthony Davis takes a much more measured approach to money. While he does admit that he loves cars, the big man tries to save most of his fortune for the days when he can no longer play basketball.
Anthony Davis finally won an NBA title with the LA Lakers
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During their rich history, the LA Lakers have seen plenty of stars don the iconic purple and gold. Anthony Davis is the latest big name to head to Hollywood and join that impressive cast list.
Davis hails from Chicago and made a name for himself on the AAU scene but took his talents to Kentucky when it was time to play college basketball. While he only spent one season with John Calipari’s Wildcats, the big man still managed to make an impact; he averaged 17.7 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per game, took home multiple National Player of the Year awards, and won an NCAA title before entering into the 2011 NBA draft.
Davis joined the then-Charlotte Hornets as the first-overall pick and, despite some injury issues, developed into a legitimate star. While he managed to guide the rebranded Pelicans into the playoffs on two occasions, that wasn’t enough.
In January 2019, Davis requested a trade to a championship contender; while it took until the offseason, he got his wish. The big man, of course, joined the LA Lakers and, teaming up with LeBron James, lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of an unconventional 2019-20 campaign.
Signing a $190 million contract extension with the LA Lakers
RELATED: Anthony Davis’ New Lakers Deal Cost Him $60 Million
For better or worse, professional sports are now a big business, with the best players earning massive sums of money. While some fans might not like that reality, Anthony Davis probably won’t be complaining.
During the 2019-20 campaign, the Lakers offered Davis a max-extension that would have been worth just under $150 million; the big man, however, declined the deal and chose to enter free agency. That move was only a formality, though, as he inked a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers in December 2020.
While that number alone is pretty impressive, it isn’t the entirety of Davis’ wealth. According to Spotrac’s financial data, the big man had earned roughly $120 million in salary before the 2020-21 season ever tipped off; CelebrityNetWorth also estimates AD’s fortune at about $60 million, and that number will only continue to grow.
Anthony Davis may be rich, but he saves his money for life beyond basketball
RELATED: The Lakers’ Anthony Davis Even Says No To His Mother When It Comes To Money
Given his sizable fortune and the fact that he’s a young, famous man living in Hollywood, you might imagine that Anthony Davis has no problem breaking out his wallet and buying whatever he wants. While the big man does have plenty of money and is partial to cars, he also lives with his future in mind.
“If it’s not a car, I’m, like, nah,” Davis explained during an interview with Josh Martin shared on CloseUp360. “Because my thing I look at is life after basketball. You’re not gonna play this game for a long time. I wanna be able to put myself in a position for my future where I can sit around and maybe do nothing for the rest of my career. When you finish when you’re 35, 40 years old, you got another 40, 50 years to live. Now, what are you gonna do with this time if you don’t save your money? So everything else, I save, I don’t spend at all.”
If you’re a long-time sports fan, you’ve probably heard all too many stories about former athletes who went broke in retirement. Anthony Davis, however, is already taking his steps to avoid becoming a cautionary tale.
