Carmelo Anthony breaks down how a $100M contract shrinks to under $50M — and where the rest goes

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In October 2025, the net perfectly erupted aft Odell Beckham Jr. said a $100 cardinal declaration can't past forever, during an occurrence of The Pivot Podcast (1). Now, erstwhile NBA prima and Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony has decided to chime successful with a akin take.

"That's $100 million, but it's not truly $100 cardinal implicit a five-year span," the Knicks fable said connected the 7PM successful Brooklyn (2) podcast, noting that fans were astir apt unaware of however brutal authorities and section taxes tin be, particularly successful a metropolis similar New York.

"You're talking 58 percent to 60 percent oregon 48 percent, fractional your check," Anthony said. "So that 10 [million] goes to 5 [million] implicit 5 years. And wrong that five, you've got different taxes you gotta pay."

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Even if it's heavy taxed, $50 cardinal oregon truthful would inactive beryllium considered "generational wealth" by galore fans. However, Anthony highlights different captious fiscal drain that galore high-income radical face: manner creep.

Here's however manner creep impacts much radical than you mightiness think, arsenic good arsenic immoderate tips for gathering generational wealthiness without ever having to lace up your sneakers.

'You've gotta live'

Although taxes and fees are brutal enough, the abrupt displacement to a high-profile manner that comes with a large windfall is often the "gray country that f—- a batch of athletes up," Anthony said.

"You've gotta live," helium said. "You gotta get a house, instrumentality attraction of your moms, you got your bureau fee, each this s— happening wrong that $5 million."

In different words, immoderate magnitude of money, whether it's aggregate millions oregon billions, is insufficient for fiscal state if you program to walk much than you've got.

Lifestyle creep is the soundless slayer of generational wealthiness accumulation, and it adjacent starts showing up successful the six-figure club. In fact, 25% of U.S. adults earning betwixt $100,000 and $200,000 a twelvemonth said they were surviving paycheck to paycheck, according to a 2025 Goldman Sachs study (3) — but that ratio jumped to 40% for those earning much $500,000.