Gilbert Arenas Spent Almost $80,000 a Year on His Pet Sharks
Gilbert Arenas had an incredibly successful NBA career on the court, and it translated to even more success in his bank account. Arenas earned over $160 million from his 12 years in the NBA. He was just as skilled at spending his millions as he was at making them, too. One of Arenas’ biggest splurges came in the form of pet sharks. At one point he had a functional shark tank in his mansion that cost him almost $80,000 a year.
Gilbert Arenas made a fortune in the NBA
It didn’t take long for Gilbert Arenas to become a star in the NBA. In just his second year in the league, Arenas averaged 18.3 points and 6.3 assists per game for the Golden State Warriors. He joined the Washington Wizards a year later and his career skyrocketed.
Arenas made three straight All-Star Games from 2004-2007. He was fourth in the entire NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 season when he averaged 29.3 points per game.
In 2008, Arenas signed a six-year, $111 million contract with the Wizards. He played just 55 games in Washington after signing the lucrative deal. It’s still considered today one of the worst NBA contracts in history.
In all, Arenas earned $163.5 million in his NBA playing career.
Arenas had wild spending habits during his NBA career
No athlete has ever had unlimited money to spend, but a ton think they do. Arenas was one of them.
Arenas spent money as if it grew on trees. He bought a $3.5 million mansion in Virginia and filled it with the most extravagant features imaginable. The most impressive was an outdoor pool area complete with a full grotto, hot tub, bar, and water slide.
The landscaping for his mansion cost him $100,000. His spending habits went beyond his beloved mansion, however.
Arenas was famous for paying $675 for car washes. Not total, but for each of the cars he owned. He also spent $600 on groceries every single week. One of his single biggest personal purchases was on an $8,000 electric toy Mercedes-Benz.
The former All-Star also spoiled his children with his NBA fortune. He once took them on a $40,000 shopping spree at FAO Schwartz. He also bought a $60,000 train set for his kids to play with. He even hired someone else to set it up.
Arenas’ most unique splurge was on a functional shark tank
Arenas wasn’t satisfied with just a $3.5 million mansion and a $100,000 pool area. No, he needed something unique to put the cherry on top. Arenas was about flair on and off the court.
So, he installed a functional shark tank with multiple live sharks for his house. The tank was ridiculously expensive to take care of, too. He spent $5,000 a month to feed his pet sharks and another $1,500 a month for someone to take care of them. After all, he was still playing basketball every day and didn’t have time to care for them properly.
Add up the shark assistant and the amount spent on food, and Arenas was paying $78,000 each year on his pet sharks. Sure, it might be a sweet icebreaker at parties, but $78,000 on an icebreaker doesn’t seem like the smartest investment.
But if you have the money, why not go the shark route? You have to respect Arenas for going the extra mile.
