Dwayne Wade’s net worth is $159 million. The Miami Heat shooting guard makes $20 million a year. He signed a one year contract extension for that amount in 2015 and makes an estimated $15 million yearly from endorsement deals. His biggest endorsement so far is a ten year contract with China’s Li Ning shoe company that pays several million a year and gives Wade a $60 million dollar stake in the business.
Wade’s salary in his 2003-2004 rookie year with the Heat was $2.6 million. Since then, the player’s yearly pay has increased on average 27% per year. That said, there have been two years when Wade took pay cuts: an 11% cut for the 2010-11 season and a 20% cut in 2014-15. Wade reportedly volunteered for those cuts so the team could afford to sign other top players. Since 2003, Wade has earned a total of $270 million.
If net worth and earnings were identical, the story would end there. Instead, expenses chop out $27 million and taxes take another $107 million. That figure could be a lot higher. Florida has no state income tax, capping Dwyane’s tax rate at 39.6%. If he lived in California he would pay an additional 13.3%. Adding back $23 million for investments gives the final Dwyane Wade net worth number of $159 million.
Related: How Much Money Does an NBA Player Make?
Dwyane Wade Net Worth and Earnings Facts
- Dwyane Wade’s net worth is $159,164,743
- Wade’s net worth of $159 million is 28% smaller than LeBron James’ net worth of $223 million.
- Magic Johnson’s net worth of half a billion is three times bigger than Dwyane Wade’s net worth of $159 million.
- Dwyane Wade’s net worth is 6 times bigger than Steph Curry’s net worth of $27 million.
- Dwyane Wade’s salary is $20 million for the 2015-16 season.
- In 2016, Dwayne Wade will earn about $14.6 million in endorsement money.
- Wade makes as much in one hour as most Americans do in four months.
- Dwyane Wade’s current salary of $20 million is about eight times more than most NBA players make.
- Wade’s salary for 2015-2016 makes him the ninth highest paid player in the NBA. Kobe Bryant is #1 with a salary of $25 million.
Dwyane Wade Net Worth Over Time
In 2004, Dwyane Wade’s net worth was $2.3 million. In just 12 years it has climbed to over $159 million. That’s an average growth rate of 45% per year. The average growth rate of the S&P 500 is 6%. If Dwyane Wade’s net worth were a stock, it would easily beat Apple, Walmart, Coca Cola and Disney combined.
Dwyane Wade Net Worth Over Time | |
|---|---|
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2003 | $0 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2005 | $4,853,197 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2007 | $11,300,157 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2009 | $36,481,916 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2011 | $65,638,359 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2013 | $99,478,739 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2015 | $136,769,806 |
| Dwyane Wade net worth 2016 | $159,164,743 |
The slight downturn in the chart above for 2016 is artificial. The line jumps two years at a time until the final year. Need proof Wade is more than just a rich, dumb jock? The video tweet below shows the sports star and businessman discussing leadership and with Harvard Business School Professor Anita Elberse.
Hear first-hand what is was like for @DwyaneWade to experience #lifeatHBS in @AnitaElberse's court—the classroom.https://t.co/0DaTZHOPA5
— Harvard Business (@HarvardHBS) March 24, 2016
Dwyane Wade Salary and Earnings
More than half of Dwyane Wade’s earnings come from his NBA salary. The Miami Heat shooting guard makes $20 million a year. His salary’s biggest jump came in from 2007 to 2008, when it more than doubled. Its smallest jump came in the 2014-15 season, when it actually shrank by 20%. Wade reportedly took a voluntary pay cut in that year to free up more money for the team to sign top players.
Year | Dwyane Wade Salary |
|---|---|
| 2003 | $2,636,400 |
| 2005 | $3,031,920 |
| 2007 | $13,041,250 |
| 2009 | $15,779,912 |
| 2011 | $15,512,000 |
| 2013 | $18,673,000 |
| 2015 | $15,000,000 |
| 2016 | $20,000,000 |
Dwyane Wade Endorsements
Salary may be the biggest part of the Dwyane Wade net worth story, but endorsement deals aren’t far behind. The player’s biggest deal to date is a ten year deal with China’s Li Ning sneaker brand. Estimated at $4 million a year, the deal also cuts Wade in for a $60 million dollar slice of the Li Ning company pie. Never heard of Li Ning sneakers? That’s OK, the Chinese have. The company had revenue of over a billion dollars in 2012.
Wade works hard at pulling lots and lots of product money. The NBA star has signed deals with Nike, Converse, T-Mobile and Gatorade. He has also worked with Pepperidge Farm, Mission. Sports Center and Hublot. He has his own line of socks through the Stance sock company and his own necktie collection.
Wade is expected to make $14.6 million from total endorsement deals in 2016. All together, endorsement deals add $114 million to the Dwyane Wade net worth sum.
Related: LeBron James Net Worth
Dwyane Wade Net Worth Calculations
All the Dwyane Wade net worth math is in the table below. After his rookie season in 2003-2004, Dwyane Wade’s net worth went from $0 to $2.3 million. With an average growth of 27% per year his net worth will sit at $159 million after the 2015-16 season ends. Wade can thank a high salary and his hard work ethic at landing lucrative product endorsement deals.
Dwyane Wade Net Worth Calculations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total Dwyane Wade Earnings | Taxes | Expenses | Investment Income (after tax) | Dwyane Wade Net Worth |
| 2004 | $4,560,972 | $1,806,145 | $456,097 | $0 | $2,298,730 |
| 2005 | $4,903,097 | $1,941,626 | $490,310 | $83,306 | $4,853,197 |
| 2006 | $5,245,222 | $2,077,108 | $524,522 | $175,880 | $7,672,668 |
| 2007 | $6,645,696 | $2,631,696 | $664,570 | $278,057 | $11,300,157 |
| 2008 | $22,561,363 | $8,934,300 | $2,256,136 | $409,518 | $23,080,601 |
| 2009 | $24,930,305 | $9,872,401 | $2,493,031 | $836,441 | $36,481,916 |
| 2010 | $27,299,248 | $10,810,502 | $2,729,925 | $1,322,105 | $51,562,841 |
| 2011 | $24,220,000 | $9,591,120 | $2,422,000 | $1,868,637 | $65,638,359 |
| 2012 | $26,835,760 | $10,626,961 | $2,683,576 | $2,378,734 | $81,542,316 |
| 2013 | $29,724,860 | $11,771,045 | $2,972,486 | $2,955,094 | $99,478,739 |
| 2014 | $32,304,290 | $12,792,499 | $3,230,429 | $3,605,109 | $119,365,210 |
| 2015 | $25,950,000 | $10,276,200 | $2,595,000 | $4,325,795 | $136,769,806 |
| 2016 | $34,600,000 | $13,701,600 | $3,460,000 | $4,956,538 | $159,164,743 |
| Totals | $269,780,812 | $106,833,202 | $26,978,081 | $23,195,214 |
Taxes, Expenses, Investments
People often make the mistake of equating salary with net worth. The trouble is, a player’s salary is only part of the story. It’s true that Wade has earned a total of $156 million from his Miami Heat salary since his rookie year in 2003. However, adding endorsements puts another $114 million in the pot. That makes a total of $270 million in career earnings for the star.
Taxes chop out 39%. Wade is lucky enough to live in Florida, one of the few states without a state tax rate. That means Wade pays $0 in state taxes every year. He does pay 39.6% in federal taxes. That’s the top U.S. tax bracket, reserved for those who earn more than $413,201 per year. Compare that with Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers. Bryant also pays 39.6% in federal taxes, but he also pays another 13.3% in California state tax. That means for every $1 million Wade and Bryant make, Wade keeps another $133,000 more than Bryant.
Expenses take their cut as well. Dwyane Wade has to pay for cost of living just like everybody else, but he also has agent fees and other costs to deal with. With expenses estimated at 10% of annual income, Wade has paid about $27 million in expenses during his career.
Investment income at a conservative 6% per year pumps $23 million back into the tank.
Dwyane Wade: Fast and Steady
Wade combines consistent increases in salary with similar growth in endorsement pay. Between the two, he keeps his net worth jumping by an average of 45% per year. It doesn’t hurt that Wade is a three time NBA champion, NBA finals champ in 2006 and 12 time NBA All-Star. He also was the NBA’s scoring champ in 2009 and is the all time top scorer for the Miami Heat. With skills like that, it’s no wonder his net worth keeps skyrocketing.
What were Wade’s chances of his life working out the way it did? Very, very slim. Wade grew up stuck in a gang environment in Chicago, witnessing police raids and watching his mom do drugs. The odds of any one college student getting in the NBA are about the same as the odds of getting struck by lightning. Add in Wade’s tortured childhood and the chance of his success is on the order of getting struck by lightning twice. The difference of course is that lightning strikes are accidental.