Courtside Cribs: Inside the NBA’s Most Expensive Homes

July 04, 2025

Welcome to Buckets and Riches — where NBA stars don’t just shoot threes, they stack Gs. From tunnel fits worth mortgages to endorsement empires and crypto hiccups, we break down how basketball’s elite earn it, flex it, and sometimes… brick it. 🏀💸

The latest edition of our newsletter covers:

  • The priciest pads in the NBA

  • Ballers who treat property like a business

  • GOATs making un-GOAT-like purchases

  • The craziest cribs in the NBA

💸Flex That Bread

Most Expensive Homes Owned by NBA Players

The nine-figure salaries NBA players earn have to go toward something, and in most cases, a dream house is the perfect purchase. Three of the league’s biggest stars, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, weren’t modest when it came to forking over the cash for their mansions.

Durant hasn’t been a one-team player, which makes it hard to put a lot of money into a house near where he plays. He invested in a $12 million Malibu estate in 2018. The expensive home featured 5,100 square feet and sat on the beach. Durant didn’t own it for too long, though. He sold the house a year later for $13.495 million.

LeBron knew the Los Angeles Lakers had a high chance of being the last team of his career. So he invested in a massive $37 million mansion designed by Paul MacLean, who has crafted properties for such celebrities as Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Calvin Harris.

James’ home features a long list of amenities: A pool, sauna, hydro tub, six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and an in-house movie theater. It has become the perfect oasis for himself, his wife, and their three children.

Unlike James and Durant, Curry has spent his entire career with one team. He has no plans to leave the Golden State Warriors, and his $31 million mansion reflects his loyalty. He purchased the home in Atherton, California, in 2021. It is a bit secluded, located around a 45-minute drive from Chase Center.

Curry’s house boasts seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, as well as a beautiful lounging area in the backyard. For the past 10 years, Atherton has been named the USA’s wealthiest zip code, which speaks volumes about Curry’s financial status.

💰 Big Money Moves

Real Estate ROI: Which NBA Stars Use Property as a Wealth Strategy?

The average length of an NBA career is around 4.8 years. Even for players who spend 10+ years in the league, their tenure with the NBA consumes only a small portion of their lives. Many people venture into various business opportunities, with some stars picking real estate.

Hakeem Olajuwon used his Dream Shake to get past defenders during his 18-year NBA career. In retirement, he has used his savvy business mind to build a $300 million real estate portfolio.

Olajuwon didn’t wait until he stepped away from basketball to pursue this opportunity, though. The two-time NBA champion invested $14-16 million of his annual salary in real estate while he was still playing. Olajuwon’s domain now stretches throughout the city of Houston.

Someone who has imprinted his presence on all facets of business is Shaquille O’Neal. Although many of his ventures feature his face at the front of the deal, his real estate transactions remain on the quieter side.

In 2002, O’Neal made a massive deal to acquire $100 million worth of housing in Denver, Colorado. What did he get the housing for? Thousands of low-income residents in the state. O’Neal has a passion for using his wealth to help others, and he does so through real estate as well.

A player who pursued real estate, who didn’t quite have the fame of Olajuwon and O’Neal, is Josh Childress. The 6-foot-8 forward spent eight years in the NBA, but his career didn’t produce the same earnings as his more notable counterparts. 

Childress earned $44 million as an NBA player, and he has since grown those funds immensely. He cofounded the real estate group LandSpire. Through this business, he has been reportedly involved in $300 million worth of transactions.

💸 Moneyball Moments

Michael Jackson once showed up at Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando mansion, looked around the house, and tried to buy it. Jackson offered $25 million for it, but Shaq wasn’t ready to part with his house and declined the offer.

💰Fumbled the Bag

GOATs Making Un-GOAT-like Purchases

Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal dominated on the court, but off it, their real estate moves proved that even legends can misstep.

Jordan bought his Highland Park mansion near Chicago, Illinois, in 1991 for $2 million, the same year he won his first NBA title. The 32,000-square-foot estate included nine bedrooms, a full-size basketball gym, and the iconic “23” gate. Over the years, he customized it to fit his lifestyle, but the market didn’t care.

In 2012, MJ listed the property for $29 million. After a decade of price cuts and little interest, it finally sold for just $9.5 million, a nearly $19.5 million loss, not including an estimated $1 million per year in taxes and upkeep.

Shaq faced a similar fate with his palatial Florida home in Isleworth, a gated community outside Orlando. The mansion boasted 12 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a home theater, an indoor basketball court, a massive pool, and even a life-sized Superman statue. O’Neal listed the property for sale in 2018 for $28 million. It finally sold three years later for $11 million.

Why the drop? These hyper-customized estates cater to personal taste, not market trends. Most buyers don’t want to inherit full gyms, oversized closets, or celebrity memorabilia. And despite their grandeur, neither property was in the kind of ultra-exclusive zip code where $20M listings move quickly.

Factor in sky-high property taxes, niche appeal, and specialized maintenance, and even the GOATs can take financial Ls.

Turns out, real estate doesn’t care about rings.

🏀 You Bought What!

NBA Players’ Wildest Homes

NBA players don’t just live in luxury; sometimes, they live in complete absurdity.

Look at Dwight Howard’s house, for example. His massive Georgia estate isn’t just another gated mansion. Inside, there’s a full-blown snake sanctuary that once had almost 40 exotic snakes with names like She-Hulk, Mickey, and Minnie.

Then, there is Hassan Whiteside, who took a totally different approach with his Miami mansion. He built a koi pond that loops around his house like a moat. The filtration system was imported from Japan. The water feature allowed him to create not just something fancy, but it also gave him a way to surround himself with calm and tranquility.

And, of course, there's Shaquille O’Neal. His Orlando mansion was on a completely different level. It had 30-foot ceilings, a garage that held 17 costly cars, an indoor basketball court, and a Superman bed that stretched 12 feet wide. The place felt more like a theme park than a home.