San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard is incredibly frugal despite the fact that he makes several million dollars a season.
A Tuesday Sports Illustrated feature story shed light on one of the most secretive stars in all of professional sports. While lots of pro athletes are buying big cars and mansions, it’s unlikely you’ll see Leonard participating in any of that.
The rising NBA star lives in a two bedroom apartment and drives a 1997 Chevy Tahoe. Sports Illustrated wrote in part:
Leonard spends his summers in a two-bedroom apartment in San Diego, where he hangs a mini hoop over one door so he can play 21 against Castleberry. He carries a basketball in his backpack even when he isn’t going to the gym. He often drives a rehabbed ’97 Chevy Tahoe, nicknamed Gas Guzzler, which he drove across Southern California’s Inland Empire as a teenager. “It runs,” Leonard explains, “and it’s paid off.”
He is the only star still rocking cornrows, an outdated tribute to Carmelo Anthony, and he shrugs when friends claim he’d expand his endorsement portfolio if he shaved the braids. He is happy to sponsor Wingstop, which sends him coupons for free wings, so he can feed his Mango Habanero addiction. This winter, after his $94 million contract kicked in, he panicked when he lost his coupons. Wingstop generously replenished his supply.
Leonard is in the middle of an NBA caliber season averaging 21 points per game and almost 7 rebounds.
The soft-spoken Spurs player isn’t the only pro athlete breaking the trend of flashy spending. Former Detroit Lions receiver Ryan Broyles made news when it was revealed he was living off only $60,000-a-year despite making millions. (RELATED: NFL Player Reveals The Common Sense Financial Advice Most Pro Athletes Don’t Understand)