Gilbert Arenas has never shied away from uncomfortable conversations, and his latest comments pulled back the curtain on just how extreme life can get after superstar money disappears. Speaking on the Drop the Lo Podcast, the former NBA All-Star revealed that at one point, he was paying $244,000 every single month in child support for four children. That number did not even cover everything.
Arenas explained that the monthly figure alone was staggering, but it was not the part that bothered him most. On top of the $244,000, he was also paying for private school tuition, housing, and a nanny.
“So, you know, during my battle, the number was 244. So $244,000 a month.”
“It was four kids. It wasn’t even the bad part, but it was, and then I paid for school, and then I paid for the house, and then I paid for nanny. So I was like, what is the 244 for?”
“Once my income dropped, I went in there like, I don’t make that kind of money to support the child support. So right off the jump, it dropped from $244,000 to about seven overnight. There was no decline. It was just 44 to seven and then boom. And then from there, it was just the kids.”
“So the youngest, so always if you have multiple, the youngest kid is always worth the most. So if you have more than one, eventually whoever the youngest is, they’re going to be worth the most of it. And it just drops off when they turn 18.”
Arenas is the father of five children. He shares four with his former partner, Laura Govan, and one daughter with Lindsey Faulk. In spite of all the drama and legal issues that have troubled Areans throughout his career, he has made one thing clear: His focus has always stayed on his kids as he deepily involved in their lives, especially when it comes to sports.
We can see in the case of Izela and Alijah Arenas, both of whom have followed in their father’s footsteps.
The story also highlights how fast money can disappear for professional athletes. Arenas once signed one of the largest contracts in NBA history as he made over $163 million during his NBA career. During his playing days, the payments were easily manageable. But once that NBA money stopped coming, the child support payments also dropped drastically.
The courts and system adjusted, but by that time, the damage was done.
This is not a headline meant to shock for the sake of shock. It is a reminder of how extreme life can become when fame, finances, and family collide. Gilbert Arenas lived it in real time, and now he is honest enough to explain how quickly everything can change once the money slows down.
