Gilbert Arenas was the world’s highest-paid American basketball player in the 2013 session. He received a $21.6 million annual salary that aided him in accumulating a net worth of $135 million throughout his twelve years of professional basketball career.
Moreover, Arenas was a three-time member of the All-NBA Teams and was called Agent Zero.
This 6 ft 4 in former basketball player began his professional basketball career in 2001 joining the San Francisco-based basketball team Golden State Warriors as the #31 overall pick.
Gilbert played in the point guard position. Apart from sports, he hosted a sports show and has made a podcast that Arenas named — The No Chill Podcast.
However, Gilbert Arenas retired from professional basketball after playing one year for Shanghai Sharks in 2013.
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How Gilbert Arenas Make Money?
Gilbert Arenas gathered his $135 million net worth throughout his twelve years of professional basketball and endorsement deals.
Gilbert received a $21.6 million annual salary and $100k from endorsements.
Well, let’s be more specific about his earning history:
Earning Through Professional Basketball Career:
After playing collegiate basketball for the University of Arizona, Gilbert Arenas was picked by Golden State Warriors in the 2001 NBA draft as the #31 overall pick.
In the 2001-02 session, Gilbert received a $334k annual salary playing for the Golden State Warriors. He gained the most valuable player title then through his outstanding performance.
Next year’s session, Gilbert was paid a $512k salary. However, his wheel of earning machine was geared towards joining the Washington Wizards in the 2003 NBA draft.
Gilbert received an $8.5 million annual salary in the 2003-04 session playing for the Washington Wizards. Next session, he received $9.4 million.
From 2003 to 2010, Gilbert Arenas played for the Washington Wizards. Below are his salary highlights throughout his basketball career with the Washington Wizards:
| Session | Salary |
| 2003-04 | $8.5 million |
| 2004-05 | $9.4 million |
| 2005-06 | $10.2 million |
| 2006-07 | $11 million |
| 2007-08 | $12 million |
| 2008-09 | $15 million |
| 2009-10 | $17 million |
Considering signing bonuses and others, Gilbert Arenas received a $111 million deal with Washington Wizards.
After the Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas joined Firearms Incident, Orlando Magic, Memphis Grizzlies, and Shanghai Sharks. Gilbert received a $21.6 million annual salary playing for the Orlando Magic in the 2012-13 session.
This giant annual salary made Gilbert the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2013.
Earning Through Endorsements:
Gilbert Arenas received $100k from his endorsement deals in the 2013 session. He endorsed Adidas with a massive contract. He received back-to-back $100k endorsement deals in 2013 and 2014.
What’s more, Arenas received well hosting daily sports shows and podcasting.
Earnings Summary:
In a nutshell, below is Gilbert Arenas’s yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly income or salary:
- Yearly Income: $8.03 million
- Monthly Income: $669k
- Weekly Income: $154k
- Daily Income: $22k
- Hourly Income: $916
Gilbert Arenas: At a Glance
| Full Name | Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | 6 January 1982 |
| Birth Place | Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 98 kg (215 lbs) |
| Spouse | Laura Govan |
| Children | 4; (Aloni Arenas, Hamiley Arenas, Alijah Arenas, Izela Arenas) |
| Profession | Former Basketball Player |
| Nationality | American |
| Net Worth | $135 million |
| Salary | $21.6 million |
Early Life
Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. is the son of Gilbert Arenas Sr. and Mary Francis Robinson. He was born on 6 January 1982, in Tampa, Florida. He is of Cuban descent. Arenas grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles.
Gilbert began playing basketball while studying at Ulysses S. Grant High School. After high school, Gilbert Arenas attended The University of Arizona where he played for the basketball team.
Talking about his basketball session with Arizona, Gilbert aided his team highly to reach the national championship game though they lost to the Blue Devils.
Career
After playing for the University of Arizona, Gilbert was picked by the Golden State Warriors in the 2001 NBA draft. While playing with the Warriors, Gilbert received NBA Most Improved Player Award.
Furthermore, he became the Rookie-Sophomore game’s most valuable player during the NBA All-Star Weekend.
Later, Arenas joined Washington Wizards as a free agent. The Wizards offered him $60 million for six years contract. While playing for the Wizards, Arenas joined his first NBA All-Star Game. He got a chance to play in the NBA All-Star Game three times.
After playing six years with the Washington Wizards, Gilbert joined Firearms Incident. Later, Gilbert joined the Orlando Magic with a salary of $21.6 million. This number was a giant to the athlete; thus, Gilbert Arenas became the highest-paid athlete in the world.
Before retirement, Gilbert Arenas played one year for the Shanghai Sharks. In 2013, he said goodbye to basketball.
If we summarize Gilbert’s career statistics, he is credited with 11,402 points. He assisted 2,909 points. Gilbert was often called Agent Zero, especially for his jersey number 0.
Let’s have a glimpse of Gilbert’s winning awards:
- NBA Most Improved Player Award — 2003
- NBA Regular Season Leader — 2003
- NBA All-Star Rookie Game MVP — 2003
- Cover Player of NBA Live 08
- All-Pac-10 First Team
Throughout his career, Gilbert has set many records. What’s more, he is a podcaster. Gilbert hosted many sports shows on Complex News’ YouTube channel.
FAQs
Laura Govan is the wife of Gilbert Arenas. Laura is a famous actress widely known for her role in Basketball Wives LA, Amazing, and JC The Barber. This couple has four children. They dated from 2002 to 2014.
LeBron James is the richest player in the National Basketball Association. This American professional basketball player owns a net worth of $500 million. As of 2020, his salary is $39.22 million. LeBron made $340 million when he was only 18.
Gilbert Arenas retired from his professional basketball career due to a loophole in the league’s collective bargaining deals. He could have made more money with Washington Wizard in his second-year deal. After a six years deal, Gilbert left Washington Wizards and in 2013 he retired from Basketball.
