Posted on 06/14/2026 4:34:15 PM PDT by dennisw
NBA champion and 18-year veteran Trevor Ariza has left fans shocked after detailing his precarious financial position in the wake of a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife.
Ariza, who was drafted by the Knicks and won a ring with the Lakers in 2009, made an eyewatering $116 million during his career, but now his money troubles have been laid bare in court four years after he hung up his cleats.
While many would perhaps have expected a player of his caliber to be set for life, Ariza - now 40 - made just $2,316 last month as a trainer for the disabled.
According to an income and expense declaration filed in court, which was first reported by TMZ, Ariza earns an average of $6,000 per month in his current role.
In addition to his earnings - which appear to fluctuate from month to month - he reported $667 in earnings from an investment in Buffalo Wild Wings.
Ariza says he had $50,000 in cash and bank accounts, and $2.5 million in real estate property, bought during his lucrative playing career.
His expenses, meanwhile, have also been laid bare in the documents: $2K on healthcare, $2K on groceries, $2K on utilities, $500 on cleaning and laundry, $2K on education, $500 on clothes, and $2K on auto expenses and insurance.
That $11.6k in expenses quite clearly dwarfs the $2,316 he claims he made last month, as his bitter legal battle with ex-wife Bree Anderson Ariza continues.
Earlier this year, Ariza spoke out about his financial struggles, admitting he is broke and in need of help. At the time, he claimed he had a bank account sitting at negative $230,000.
My bank account doesn't work like that.
The gold diggas are circling him like vultures. They think he is still some rich NBA man. Not some broke has been.
It’s cheapa to keep er
I really shouldn’t say he is a victim of FAFO, but he probably is.
Are ‘cleats’ something different in the UK?
Well, I had a lot of money, but to the city I went
I met a lot of good looking girls and that’s where my money went
Now I know just what they meant
I ain’t broke but brother, I’m badly bent
“...four years after he hung up his cleats”
____________________
Basketball has really changed
Johnnie Taylor - Cheaper To Keep Her (Official Visualizer)
Stax Records
Stax Records
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCLHRLVJlh4&list=RDaCLHRLVJlh4&start_radio=1
“Are ‘cleats’ something different in the UK?”
You really opened up a good one there. According to the Cambridge dictionary, a cleat is:
a small, pointed part on the bottom of some shoes used for particular sports or activities to stop you from sliding
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/cleat
In the UK, people call cleats boots (e.g., football boots, rugby boots). The protrusions on the bottom of the shoes are referred to as studs. In the UK, Brits call basketball shoes trainers.
But this entry of the daily mail came for the US edition so they didn’t get any of it right.
wy69
Wot ‘cleats’? 🙄
Maybe he should try cutting back on groceries a bit and do his own laundry, and do like I do, wear the same clothes year after year.
Cleats?
Oh. Daily Mail. Prolly call ‘em “rubbers” or “wellies” or “jumpers” (or whatever) over there.
Easy come, easy go.
“Because I Got High” lyrics from “Afroman”:
I was gonna go to court before I got high
I was gonna pay my child support but then I got high (no you wasn’t)
They took my whole paycheck and I know why (why man?)(yeah eh eh)
‘Cause I got high
Because I got high
Because I got high
He still owes NBA teams $137,000 in floor repair bills. I remember my high school basketball coach going off on people wearing street shoes on "his" floor. I can't imagine if the whole football team dropped by.
Before I feel too sorry for him, I would have to know his mortgage situation on his property. If he owns it free and clear, then all of this is just an act to get alimony or child support reduced because of his low pay. If his property is heavily mortgaged, he is financially screwed.
While many would perhaps have expected a player of his caliber to be set for life, Ariza - now 40 - made just $2,316 last month as a trainer for the disabled.
According to an income and expense declaration filed in court, which was first reported by TMZ, Ariza earns an average of $6,000 per month in his current role.
> $2.5 million in real estate property <
Whoa! He could sell the property and buy some relatively safe bonds paying 5% annually. That’s $125,000 a year before taxes. I could get by on that.
But maybe his ex-wife’s lawyer would put a big dent in that plan.
he reported $667 in earnings from an investment in Buffalo Wild Wings.
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