Jayson Tatum plays for the Boston Celtics. Born and raised in St. Louis by Brandy Cole, a single mother who was 19 years old, they struggled to make ends meet. At a point, they almost got evicted from their home.
However, Tatum’s talent in basketball, which was discovered at an early age, saved the family. He was in second grade when he became aware of his talent. However, it was not until he arrived at Chaminade College Preparatory School as a seventh grader that he went all in, according to Forbes.
He would go on to feature for a season at Duke University, and by 2017, he became the third overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
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In early 2024, he signed a historic deal in the NBA after he agreed to a five-year, $315 million contract extension. The deal was said to be the largest contract in NBA history, surpassing his previous contract in November 2020, a five-year, $195 million max extension.
Before Tatum’s contract, Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown held the record for the richest contract in the history of the NBA. He signed a five-year Supermax contract extension that ends in 2029 and will pay him up to $304 million.
Despite the money he makes, NBA star Tatum tries to avoid being financially indisciplined like others before him. It is not uncommon to hear stories of NBA players literally going from millions to being bankrupt. This challenge is largely due to a lack of sound financial advice or poor management. In the case of Tatum, to avoid being financially indisciplined like others before him, he struck a deal with his mother not to touch his earnings.
Today, he has managed to secure on and off the court successes. He has partnerships with more than 10 companies, including Gatorade, New Era and SoFi, and has a signature shoe deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand.
What is more, he is the co-founder of candy maker Enjoy Small Wins. He is also gravitating towards becoming an investor to bring a potential WNBA team to his hometown of St. Louis. As per Sportico, Tatum is joining two billionaires in their bid to bring the league’s 16th team to Missouri City.
As per Black Enterprise, Tatum wants to contribute behind the scenes to the group’s pitch to other potential investors and the league itself.
Also, Tatum has published a children’s book, starred in Netflix’s documentary series Starting 5 and landed on the cover of video game NBA 2K25, as per Forbes. According to the business magazine, the 26-year-old superstar earns $13 million annually before taxes and agent fees from this rich collection of business endeavors.
