Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving recently voiced concern over the transparency of NBA player salaries, raising questions about the potential dangers of having athletes’ earnings so widely known.
“I wonder how much that puts a target on someone’s life,” Irving said during a recent Twitch stream.
Irving pointed out that while the public may know the earnings of high-level executives like Fortune 500 CEOs, the exact details of NBA and professional athlete contracts are often readily available — and widely discussed.
“It is discussed as though there aren’t any real-life consequences to that,” he added.
The Public Nature of Athlete Salaries
Irving, who signed a three-year, $118.5 million deal with Dallas in 2023 and has earned a career total of over $429 million, isn’t alone in his discomfort. While no universal database exists, contract terms are frequently disclosed by teams, agents, or uncovered via collective bargaining agreements, then compiled by websites like Spotrac or Hoopshype.
He suggested that such visibility can lead to social awkwardness — and possibly even danger — for athletes.
“If you know exactly what I’m making, there’s an awkwardness to that where I’m existing in our same society… sometimes it can get a little intrusive.”
Irving may have been referring to the growing number of robberies and scams targeting NBA players. Stars like Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have all been victims of home burglaries in recent years.
What Other Athletes Are Saying
Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers shared similar feelings in a conversation with MarketWatch last year.
“People want me to buy something, and I say, ‘No, I’m good.’ And they say, ‘You’re rich — $200 doesn’t matter to you.’ But I still don’t want to buy it,” said Reaves, who signed a $53.8 million contract in 2023.
Reaves admitted he tries to be frugal, despite his earnings, and sometimes feels uneasy with how openly his salary is discussed.
On the other hand, some athletes appear more at ease with the spotlight. DK Metcalf, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, told MarketWatch:
“This is the life I chose to live… I’m a genuine person, the bad people are going to weed themselves out.”
Metcalf, whose career NFL earnings total $211.6 million, said that only the people he trusts have access to his finances.
Dillon Brooks, now with the Phoenix Suns on a four-year, $86 million deal, accepted public scrutiny as part of the territory.
“It’s weird because sometimes people feel obligated or entitled to my money because they know me… but most of your life is public at this level,” Brooks said.
