How NBA Players Spent Their FIRST Check..

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Now, with contracts in the NBA getting more ridiculous each year, some big names recently revealed what they cashed out on with their first paychecks. Now, Clay recently appeared on an episode of Kneading Dough with Maverick Carter, where they went over many things, including the thing that Clay bought with his first check. With Clay Thompson being one of the best catch and shoot scorers in the league, he's made waves over the years, being a part of the historic run by the Warriors, and recently signed a deal worth five years and $190 million.
But he recently sat down and talked about his money situation, and he said it doesn't matter how much he makes present day, and he'll always remember what he bought with his first paycheck. Back in 2011, the Warriors drafted Clay with the 11th pick, where he eventually made a little over $2 million.
When Clay was asked about his first NBA check that was $35,000, he said, it was incredible. Clay even said, it was more money than I could ever think of. The first item Clay bought was a pool table, and when asked about it, he said, I still have that to this day. And Clay also talked about the fact that his cheap taste made it easy to transition into the league. He said, it's not like the money made me happier. It was always great to see that check, but I lived such a great life at the time on my $1,100 a month stipend. That went so far. I could get as much taco del mar as I wanted. I could go to Target and have a field day. And even after winning three NBA championships, he still doesn't have an expensive taste, and he talked about that saying, I'm pretty simple. My tastes aren't that extravagant. Clay also spoke about a money regret that he had when he got his first bit of money. He said that he went out and bought a lot of clothes to match the NBA style, but he admitted that that was a stupid decision. He even said, I'd only wear about 5% of the closet. But there is one recent purchase that Clay made that he said he doesn't regret one bit. That was a brand new boat. He talked about why he bought it, saying, I know I'm going to get use out of it because the water brings me peace. Plus with my foundation, I might have the ability to take kids out and go fishing, which is really cool to me. Wealth is a mindset. If you have relationships and experiences around you, those are priceless. That's better than any car or big house you can get. And with Amari Stoudemire spending 15 seasons in the NBA playing for many teams, nothing was as unforgettable as his time in Phoenix where he was drafted in 2002 and played for many successful years. But right after he was selected with the ninth pick, he made a lot of money before playing a single game, but spent almost all this first check within weeks. Amari told Wealthsimple, When I got that first check, I saw all the zeros, this for like 300,000. I thought, man, this is like the Richie Rich movie. You wake up and now you're rich. Stoudemire was excited about the money, so he decided to splurge on a few gifts for himself and his family. In addition to getting some new clothes and jewelry, a truck and a nice apartment, he bought his mom her first house and took his brother shopping. Amari spoke about shopping for his family when he said, When you see tears in your mother's eyes and the joy in your brother's face, those moments only come once in a lifetime. But he obviously learned from spending so much at once and matured. Amari talked about the importance of saving, saying, If you save properly, you can live off your interest. It keeps you out of your pocket. You spend the money from the interest before you're spending your actual money. With Andre Aguadala becoming known for his time in Golden State, he too played for many organizations throughout his career. He was initially drafted with the ninth pick of the 2004 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, and his first NBA contract was for four years worth $9 million.
Aguadala often talks about how he never thought nor planned to make it into the league, and that it was something that just happened, and he went along with it. Recently, Andre sat down and talked about what he bought with his first check from the NBA when he was talking to Wealthsimple, which is an online investing service. Andre said, I had no idea I might make it to the NBA. And when Iggy was explaining all the money he received at a young age, he said, I wasn't thinking about the money, the cars, jewelry. I'd never seen that before, so I wasn't looking for it. I just enjoyed playing basketball. You get an advance over the summer, and just before the draft, you get an advance for trading cards, and an advance for a shoe contract. I remember a loan agency floating me until I got advances. They sent me a check for $25,000.