Larry Bird Made $20 Million In The NBA — But Wouldn't Spend $60,000 On A Mercedes

NBA great Larry Bird once hesitated to spending $60,000 on a Mercedes even after earning roughly $20 million during his Boston Celtics days. 

The frugal stance—quietly delivered four decades ago—has returned to the spotlight, sparking fresh debates about how modern superstars juggle wealth and values.

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Frugality Flashback Still Resonates

"I can't see putting $50,000 or $60,000 into a car when our house was worth $10,000," Bird said, contrasting his small-town upbringing with NBA paychecks that, even then, dwarfed the median U.S. salary.

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HoopsHype lists Bird's career on-court earnings at just over $24 million—solid money for the 1980s and early '90s, yet a rounding error next to today's contracts. 

Data compiled by Sports Illustrated show that the average NBA salary for the upcoming season is $11.9 million, a jump of 22 % since 2020 and nearly 600 times the price of Bird's childhood home.

Context matters. When Bird made his anti-luxury comment in 1985, the NBA salary cap stood at $3.6 million, and only Magic Johnson had cracked the $10 million mark. 

Fast-forward to today: five players will earn over $50 million this season, Stephen Curry will take home $55.76 million, and the league projects its television deal to top $70 billion over 11 years. Against that backdrop, Bird's stance feels almost quaint—and perhaps instructive.

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Yet Bird's mindset remains consistent with research into millionaire habits. According to a Rich Habits study, 92% of self-made millionaires do not own luxury automobiles, and 55% purchase used cars—suggesting a preference for financial prudence over flashy spending.

Modern players occasionally channel that prudence. According to MarketWatch, Lakers guard Austin Reaves—who lived frugally on team-provided resources before signing a four-year, $54 million deal—says he's "not a big spender," avoiding new cars or houses and focusing on financial stability for his family, having taken to heart advice from actor Will Ferrell to save diligently. His anecdotes suggest Bird's philosophy hasn't vanished—it's just harder to spot amid sneaker deals and private-jet selfies.

"All my donations are sort of made under the table. I don't need the publicity — I'm not doing it for publicity," Bird said at the 2014 Indianapolis Pacers' Masquerade, according to Indianapolis Monthly, underscoring his reluctance to seek the limelight.

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