Marcin Gortat made his NBA debut on March 1, 2008 for the Orlando Magic. Later, he was a player of the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. He was not the first Pole in the best basketball league in the world, but he spent the most years in it and earned the title of a valued center. He played his best seasons in the “Wizards” team.
Gortat’s retirement. That’s how much he gets per month
Gortat did not share the fate of 60 percent of basketball veterans. According to statistics, this is the percentage of former players who declare bankruptcy five years after the end of their career. However, the situation is improving thanks to the actions of the trade union representing NBA players (NBPA). He has developed a pension system thanks to which former players can count on regular money – $700 for each year spent in the NBA. It is worth noting that an NBA basketball player cannot take up paid work after retiring.
In one of the interviews, Gortat directly revealed how much his pension is after 12 years of work in the NBA. – How much is my pension? Regulation – 8.4 thousand dollars per month (approximately PLN 30,000). It’s enough for all the bills and even for gas for the car. […]. Every NBA player is obliged to save part of his current income in a pension fund. You only have a free hand to choose what a given fund should invest in. I was lucky that at the beginning of my presence in the NBA I asked my older colleagues what was the most profitable and in the end I chose well – he said in an interview with Przegląd Sportowy Onet.
The total value of the Gortata pension fund in 2022 was PLN 4.5 million! The player will be able to use this money after turning 50.
Only four Poles with the right to an NBA pension
Marcin Gortat is among a very small group of Poles who can count on retiring from the NBA. Cezary Trybański and Maciej Lampe receive similar benefits, but they played in the NBA when different rules were in force. They will have to wait until they are 60 or 65 to withdraw these funds. And they are much smaller, because they played overseas for a shorter time than Gortat.
The fourth Pole on the list is Jeremy Sochan. He has already met the three-year requirement to play in the NBA, but there is still a long way to go before his career ends. He’s only 22 years old.
