Andrew Bogut isn’t your stereotypical millionaire athlete

EVERY year, NBA superstar Andrew Bogut earns more than an entire NRL or AFL team. That’s a lot of money to spend - and this is how he does it.

NBA basketballer Andrew Bogut is Australia’s richest sportsman.

In the first year of a three-year contract with the Golden State Warriors, which will make him roughly $42 million, the hardworking centre earns more each season than an entire AFL or NRL team.

Given the fact that he’s spent his entire adult life in the United States among high-flying millionaire athletes, you could excuse Bogut for being a little carefree with his spending.

But a sneak peek at his expenses over a five-day period — which Bogut kept for ESPN The Magazine’s Big Money Issue — reveals the Melbourne-born hoops star is (usually) anything but.

Andrew Bogut has six cars in the US and about 10 in Australia.

Bogut admits he does have one guilty pleasure — his car collection.

The seven-footer has 16 muscle cars, including a prized 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 which can sell for upwards of $400,000.

He’s also recently purchased a new home in Walnut Creek, California — paying cash — but outside of that his weekly expenses, which you can read in detail below, don’t contain much excess.

“I’m probably the complete opposite of what you think an NBA player is,” Bogut says.

“I don’t like to do anything extravagant. I like everything to be of a nice quality, but I refuse to be stupid. I don’t spend on material things, really. I like to have a cash surplus at all times, and right now I’m saving for different investments.”

MORE: Bogut, Warriors grant Aussie’s NBA wish

Learn to block shots like this and you can make bank in the NBA too.

Bogut studied for a finance degree externally through an Australian university, for two semesters, to get a handle on how to manage his money.

“I don’t have someone advising me financially, I do it all myself, I pay all my bills, I know where all my money is,” Bogut says.

“I think that’s the point you want to get to towards the end of your career, so when you transition to retirement you know how to pay a light bill, you know how to get money out of a bank. They’re very important life skills to have.”

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man ...”

So what does a week in the spending life of Andrew Bogut look like?

This is a spending diary Bogut kept for ESPN.com journalist Sam Alipour:

October 23

$4.45: Frappuccino, Starbucks

$38.97: Two chicken salads, two iced teas, one soup, Tender Greens

$225: Billiard table installation

“The table weighs like 600 pounds­ — it took two or three guys to take it out of storage and put it together in the living room. I’ll happily cough up the cash instead of hurting my back.”

$149.12: Two tanks of gas

$23: Two burritos, Chipotle

October 24

$10: Two Australia-to-US adaptor wall plugs, eBay

“Why eBay? First of all, you can’t find this adaptor in American stores. Second, I’m a big online shopper in general, because it’s hard for me to go to an actual store. I don’t know if you noticed, but I kind of stand out.”

$101: Billiard cue rack holder, eBay

$38.12: Miscellaneous, Safeway

$33: Dinner, Maria Maria Mexican

October 25

$80.84: Groceries, Whole Foods

“I’m always willing to pay top dollar when it comes to what I put in my body.”

$90.11: Two toothbrush holders, bathroom accessories, fabric samples, Restoration Hardware

“My girlfriend did the shopping. I don’t mean to sound sexist, but it’s better if she picks out fabric.”

October 26

$70.92: Miscellaneous, CVS

$44: Two chicken salads, two iced teas, dessert, Tender Greens

$60: Two car washes

$8.90: Two Frappuccinos, Starbucks

$11: Six-pack of beer

“A few nights a week, I like to have a beer or two and relax before bed. But only European brews. I don’t dig too much into generic American beers.”

$90.11: Dinner, Italian

October 27

$83.17: Groceries, Whole Foods

$11: Burrito, Chipotle

$95: Gas

$3.30: Gum

$500: Deposit on a hot tub purchase

“When it’s a little chilly outside, there’s nothing better than cracking open a beer in a hot tub. It just clears my mind.”

$281: Two bar stools, Overstock.com

Originally published as Andrew Bogut isn’t your stereotypical millionaire athlete