Rockets' Kevin Durant Leads NBA in Net Pay

The topic of money management among professional athletes has become a polarizing one. Many fans believe professional athletes are overpaid.

Especially NBA players, who largely receive fully guaranteed contracts.

Some players receive partial guarantees with performance escalators that drive up their earning potential but that's not the norm.

(Although the Houston Rockets get clever with contract structures more often than not).

Baseball players also receive fully guaranteed contracts. And although NFL players don't all receive fully guaranteed deals, they've taken significant strides on that front.

Football players have also started raking in guaranteed money. Especially the superstar players.

For as many gripes about professional athletes being overpaid, they put their bodies on the line for a living.

And for the entertainment of the masses.

And even in spite of NBA players' fully guaranteed deals, they get taxed at a considerable amount. Just like the everyday employee.

They're still workers, at the end of the day.

Taxes eat up a bulk of their base salaries.

It gets even more unique and complicated for ball players, as they get taxed at higher rates depending on the city and state of their opponent.

Their take home pay isn't nearly the amount that we see them sign for.

For example, Golden State Warriors superstar sharpshooter Stephen Curry is the league's highest paid player in terms of gross pay, topping out at $59.6 million. But his net pay, after taxes, is $30.3 million, as his effective tax rate is 49.1 percent.

(Shout out to the guys at HoopsHype for breaking this down, as always).

Rockets superstar Kevin Durant tops the league in net pay at $31.6 million, although his annual number is $54.71 million.

Durant’s effective tax rate is 42.3 percent and his federal tax deduction is $20.19 million.

This is fairly consistent with what former Rockets wing and Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony said on 7 PM in Brooklyn regarding the topic of money management.

"You're talking about taking 60, 58 to 60 percent. Or 48 percent. Half of your check.

So that ten goes to five. So now within that five, you've got other taxes that you've gotta pay.

You've got taxes alone. You can't do nothing about that."

Durant also spoke about the topic of money management on Fred VanVleet's Unguarded podcast, by first noting that he doesn't advise young players what to do with their financial earnings or how to manage their dollar.

"I'm having a great time being financially stable...I spent alot of money I ain't have my first few years in the league. Like, I remember a year where I spent more money than I made. People was giving me advice too and I was not listening. When you young, turnt in the league with bread, you not trying to hear KD lecture you about financial literacy."

All told, Durant’s total earnings have eclipsed $500 million and he just inked a $90 million deal with the Rockets, which will keep him in Houston through 2028.