The Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant is easily the best player in the NBA right now. Media narratives were somewhat successful in tarnishing his image but that did not reflect in his game or the money he made.
The 2x Finals MVP is the most lethal player from mid-range in the NBA. He made the Golden State Warriors unbeatable during his three-year stint in SanFran. After 14 years in the league, he has amassed immeasurable wealth through endorsements, lucrative contracts, and strategic investments.
Although he is quite far away from billionaire status, KD stood at #10 in Forbes’s highest-paid athletes in 2021 with yearly earnings of $85 million. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of his earnings and investments that make him one of the only two NBA players on the coveted list.
What is Kevin Durant’s net worth in 2022?
Celebrity Net Worth has estimated Kevin Durant’s net worth to be $200 million. He is earning close to $41 million from his contract with the Brooklyn Nets this year and a similar figure from off-court investments as well. Although he has been injured for a significant time during his 3-year tenure with the Nets, Durant is the only reason they’re title contenders.
He was single-handedly carrying the team through James Harden’s scoring woes and Kyrie Irving’s vaccine reluctance. He deserves every single penny he is receiving from the organization. When asked about playing 40+ minutes each night, the Slim Reaper asked the media to let him die out there on the court.
Despite his dedication, KD is earning less than John Wall this year, who is yet to make his season debut for the Houston Rockets. Declining his player option, Durant signed a $198 million contract extension with the Nets for four years. It will certainly bump up his position on the highest-paid NBA players list in coming years.
How much money does Kevin Durant make from endorsements?
Kevin Durant earns a whopping $44 million through endorsements with Nike, Google, Beats by Dre, and many more big names in the market.
Basketball players are treated like Royalty in the US. Their fan following is massive and brands never fail to capitalize on it. It started with ‘Be like Mike’ in the 80s and opened up unthinkable avenues for big companies to endorse athletes. Although players are signing multi-million dollar contracts with their NBA teams, it was not the case just a couple of decades ago.
Nike successfully signed almost all big names in the NBA and Kevin Durant is also one of them. In 2007, Durant made headlines after signing a seven-year deal with Nike for $60 million. It was the second-largest rookie-endorsement deal in NBA history behind King LeBron James.
He may have turned his back on OKC, the team that drafted him, but not Nike. He is still endorsing the brand and most likely will continue even after retirement.
In addition to the massive earnings from his shoe deal, he also represents Google, Alaska Air group, Beats by Dre, American Family Insurance, and Gatorade. The fan-favorite NBA-inspired video game NBA 2K also has an endorser and a player in Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant’s investments and real estate
KD has been on the move every three years in the previous decade. As a result, he has been buying and selling houses and real estate quite often. He sold his Malibu beach house and a mansion in Oakland after signing with the Brooklyn Nets. The 11x all-star is rumored to have acquired a house in New York where he currently plays.
He also made some profit-making investments a few years ago that are starting to reap benefits. Durant was smart enough to invest in the Robinhood trading app that saw a boom in 2020-21. He ventured into restaurants and the cannabis business as well. All of this accounts for the estimated $200 million net worth in 2022.