Trevor Ariza, the former NBA champion who played in the league for 18 years, recently sat down for the ‘Bootleg Kev’ podcast, where he raised a pressing concern over the increasing costs of playing basketball at the AAU level.
Ariza was discussing parenthood with Kevin Ratliff on the show when the host mentioned that he took his son to an AAU tournament in Vegas, and it cost them upwards of $3,000.
“And that’s just one tournament for the whole summer. You could be spending $20,000- $25,000 you know, so for kids that don’t have that ability or can’t afford that, where do they go? What do they do?” Ariza said.
“And being from a small island like Turks and Caicos, where the resources are limited in that way. Given trying to find ways to bring more resources and give them the opportunity the same way as we had here or the same way that I was afforded, I feel like that’s a duty of mine.”
Despite earning $118 million over the course of his career, Ariza understands how easy it is to spend money in this economy without realizing the value of the resource in front of you. He also understands how tough it can be to make it to the professional level with limited means and resources.
Moreover, following some ugly divorce proceedings, Ariza’s dicey financial situation had also come to light. He reportedly now has $50,000 in cash and $2.5 million in real estate as per court documents. Trevor Ariza is a father of three kids: Tajh, Tristan, and Taylor Ariza.
And in terms of AAU basketball, that means he can only afford two more summers of AAU basketball for his younger son, Tristan Ariza, before he needs to liquidate more assets.
If a professional player is struggling to keep up with the cost of letting his kid play AAU basketball, one can imagine the extent to which a common man would struggle to do so.
Trevor Ariza, who last played in the NBA for the Lakers in 2021-22, reportedly earns $6,000 per month as a retired professional basketball player. Most retired parents who probably earn less than him are further away from being able to afford AAU basketball for their kids.
Hence, it is indeed a pressing concern to note what is causing this inflation. Year-round travel-destination events, heightened corporate involvement, and increased tournament fees are some of the reasons for these rising costs. It remains to be seen how the AAU National Leadership addresses this issue.
