James Harden's lavish lifestyle is likely to lead to bankruptcy after he retires, losing $335 million in 15 years, and could be worse off than Iverson in the future. As Harden spends lavishly and enters the final stages of his career, he's more eager than ever to get a multi-year super-max contract from the Clippers.
Harden began his career with the Thunder, his first contract was four years and $18.7 million, and the two sides disputed the difference of $4 million in contract extension negotiations, Harden applied for a trade and joined the Rockets to sign a five-year, $78.6 million contract extension. Harden grew into a superstar with the Rockets and subsequently signed two contract extensions with a maximum salary of $118 million over four years and $169.3 million over four years.
In the 2020-21 season, Harden was traded to the Nets and rejected a three-year, $164 million contract extension offered by Joe Tsai, but the two sides broke up unhappily, only playing 80 regular season games for the Nets and being traded. Harden dropped his $47.4 million player option with the 76ers to accept a two-year, $68.6 million contract extension, a $15 million loss in this trade. Harden's plan is to retreat into advance, take the initiative to reduce his salary to help the 76ers strengthen the lineup and win the championship, and use this as a bargaining chip to reach a five-year super cap salary of $270 million with the 76ers.
Morey refused to give Harden a sky-high contract, and Harden joined the Clippers with an expiring $35.68 million contract, believing that Ballmer, the league's richest owner, was willing to offer a four-year, $200 million max contract. It doesn't look like things are going well at the moment, and even if the Clippers make a historic Finals appearance, it is unlikely that the Clippers management will re-sign Harden with a maximum salary, and Harden desperately needs this deal to solve his financial crisis.
Harden earns more than $300 million in his career and has a bunch of commercial endorsement contracts, such as a 13-year sneaker endorsement contract totaling more than $200 million, about $22 million a year, and the contract expires in 2025. According to Harden's career trajectory and competitive form, it will be difficult to get a new huge sneaker endorsement contract. And Harden's personal expenses are quite staggering, and Forbes recently revealed that as of 2024, Harden's personal assets are $165 million, which looks very substantial, right?
In fact, Harden has squandered $335 million in his 15-year career, salary and endorsement contracts of $500 million. Harden's lifestyle, lifestyle habits, and the need for cash is in dire need of cash, and playing in Los Angeles this season has led to a further increase in personal expenses, and the cost of a luxury life continues to rise.
How did Harden squander $335 million in 15 years?
Harden's property in Houston cost more than $10 million and took three years to build, covering 2,415 square meters, with eight bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a gym, a movie theater, a bar, a wine cellar, and a swimming pool. Harden has at least six luxury cars under his name, including a custom two-tone Rolls-Royce Wraith (red and black) worth $500,000, a Bentley Bentayga, a Range Rover, a Mercedes S-Class white and a Chevrolet Camaro SS. Harden's luxury cars are all customized according to personal tastes and preferences, and millions of dollars have been spent on the purchase of luxury cars. In addition, Harden also has a large number of luxury goods, including watches, clothes, jewelry, etc., and the cost of clothes alone is 800,000-1 million US dollars per year.
In life, Harden also often spends a lot of money for fun, as a regular nightclub regular, he once spent $1.53 million in one night in a well-known strip club in Houston, and the owner retired Harden's jersey in return for the nightclub. Harden rented a $30 million mansion in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, purely for the sake of throwing a party. In short, if Harden can't sign a new contract with an average annual salary of more than $40 million, it will be difficult for him to have cash flow to support his extravagant life.
NBA salary expert Bobby Marks said that at the rate at which Harden spends his money, he will soon follow Iverson's old path after retiring. With a salary of $155 million in his 15-year career, Iverson has a never-ending cash lifestyle, spending tens of thousands of dollars at nightclubs, buying cars, jewelry, luxury goods, and flying on private jets. Iverson owed $1.2 million to the bank when he retired in 2013, and his sneaker contract allowed him to get a sum of money a year until 2030, after which he would face even more difficult financial problems. And Harden is following in Iverson's footsteps.
Harden has earned less than $40 million in salary in the last two years, and has had some cash flow problems, which is why he and Morey have torn up their faces and insisted on trading to the Clippers. Only with the Clippers did Harden have the opportunity to sign a four-year, sky-high contract of more than $200 million to support his lavish lifestyle.