Mike Conley Net Worth: Is It Too High?

The Mike Conley net worth total of $50 million comes from $83 million in salary payouts since 2007 and $12 million in endorsement deals. If the math doesn’t look right it’s because Conley has paid an estimated $52 million in taxes and expenses during his career. He also has about $4.5 million in investment income.

The 29 year-old point guard was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas and went to Lawrence North High in Indianapolis, Indiana. He played ball at Ohio State, averaging 11.3 points per game. Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007, he is a two-time NBA Sportsmanship Award player and he made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2013.

Mike Conley Net Worth Facts

The Mike Conley net worth sum of $50 million is very high for most Americans and even high for most NBA stars. That said, it’s not in the same category as the wealth of stars like LeBron James or even Dwyane Wade. Conley has played in the NBA since 2007. His ten-year career would give him a much higher net worth if it weren’t for his general lack of endorsement deals. He has only entered the endorsement world recently with deals with Nike and Under Armour.

Superstar LeBron James’ net worth of $311 million is seven times bigger than Conley’s. Carmelo Anthony has three times more money and Dwyane Wade has four times more. That said, Steph Curry, arguably one of the best players in the league, has a net worth of $27 million. That makes Conley almost twice as wealthy as Curry and is among the reasons some pundits have called Conley the most overpaid player in the NBA.

Mike Conley Net Worth Timeline

The Mike Conley net worth timeline above shows a smooth upward slope for the past ten years. The apparent dip at the end of the green line is just because 2017 has just started as of this writing. Conley’s earnings steadily increased over the years, starting at $3.3 million in 2007 and then inching their way up to $9.5 million eight years later. In 2016 however Conley’s new contract paid him $26.5 million the first year. That’s a 176% jump in one year. The boost mystified many in the sports world since Conley has never played in an All-Star game and never won a major championship.

GrizzlyBearBlues makes the argument that Conley vastly outplayed the value of his previous contracts. He is one of the NBA’s top point guards and a lynchpin in the Grizzlies’ long-standing successful run. By that logic, the rise in Conley’s net worth is easily justified.

Mike Conley Net Worth from NBA Salary

NBA salary forms the foundation of the Mike Conley net worth edifice. Conley’s first contract in 2007 was for four years and $15.8 million, giving him a salary from $3.3 million to $4.9 million a year. In 2011 he signed his second Grizzlies deal for five years and $40 million. That contract paid the player $6.6 million in year one and $9.5 million by the 2015-16 season. His current contract is for five years and $152 million. He signed that contract in 2016, when his salary will hit $26.5 million. Under it, Conley will earn $34.5 million for the 2020-21 season.

One sports fan on Twitter complained that Conley made just $5 million in salary a year ago and makes $30 million this year. The fan asked “Is he playing six times better than he did last year?” The argument against this logic in GrizzlyBearBlues is that first, Conley doesn’t make six times more but instead about three times more. Second, Conley may not play three times better in 2017, but he did play three times better in 2015-16 than his salary justified.

Salary and Mike Conley Net Worth

Mike Conley Net Worth from Endorsements and Merchandise

Endorsement deals don’t chip in as much to the Mike Conley net worth figures as they do to the wealth of other big NBA stars. Conley has earned an estimated $12 million from endorsements since 2007. The player has had deals with Adidas and Under Armour. He just recently cut a contract with Jordan and Nike that should boost his income considerably in years to come.

Conley also earns about $200,000 a year from merchandise royalties.

Mike Conley Net Worth Calculations

The two charts below show the full Mike Conley net worth data. The first chart shows Conley’s earnings from all sources, including NBA salary, endorsement deals and merchandise royalties.

The second chart shows Conley’s total earnings minus taxes and expenses, plus investments. Conley is in the top U.S. income tax bracket of 39.6% but doesn’t have to pay any state income tax thanks to his Tennessee residence. His expenses include cost of living, agent fees and other payouts. His net worth by year is shown in the final column.

If you liked reading about Mike Conley’s net worth, try this post about Drake’s net worth or this one about Katy Perry’s net worth. All Mike Conley net worth data in this article are based on our analysis of income streams, tax, expense and investment calculations, estimates and media reports and are provided here for entertainment purposes only.

Sources:

Spotrac.com