Biography & Early Wealth Journey
Martin ultimately played for the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs. His career included a 24.6-point-per-game season in Sacramento, a starring role in Houston, and a season with Oklahoma City alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. He was also a central piece of the 2012 trade that sent James Harden to Houston.
Martin earned $79.4 million in NBA salary. After basketball, he built a substantial second career buying, selling, and developing real estate, particularly in Florida.
Early Life and College Career
Kevin Dallas Martin Jr. was born on February 1, 1983, in Zanesville, Ohio. He developed into a standout scorer in high school and was a finalist for Ohio's Mr. Basketball award in 2001, losing to future NBA superstar LeBron James.
Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts
Martin attended Western Carolina University, where he quickly established himself as one of the Southern Conference's best players. Across three seasons, he scored 1,838 points while averaging more than 23 points per game. During his junior season, Martin averaged nearly 25 points per game, ranking among the country's leading scorers.
He earned multiple All-Southern Conference honors before declaring for the NBA Draft. His college career was later recognized with induction into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2024.
NBA Career
The Sacramento Kings selected Martin with the 26th pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. He played sparingly as a rookie but steadily carved out a larger role. By the 2006-07 season, he was averaging more than 20 points per game and finished second in voting for the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
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Real Estate, Luxury Assets & Personal Investments
Martin averaged 23.7 points in 2007-08 and a career-high 24.6 the following season. His scoring relied on an unusual but effective jump shot, strong three-point shooting, and an exceptional ability to get to the free-throw line.
In February 2010, Sacramento traded Martin to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team transaction involving Tracy McGrady. Martin averaged 23.5 points per game during his first full season with Houston.
In 2012, he became a pivotal piece of one of the era's most consequential NBA trades. Houston sent Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and draft assets to Oklahoma City in exchange for James Harden and other players. Martin shifted into a sixth-man role with the Thunder and averaged 14 points while shooting more than 42% from three-point range.
He joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013 and remained a productive scorer, averaging 19.1 points his first season and 20.0 the next. Minnesota bought out his contract in 2016, allowing him to sign with the San Antonio Spurs for the final stretch of his career.
Wealth Trajectory & Future Earnings Projections
Martin retired later that year. In 714 regular-season games, he averaged 17.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 38.4% from three-point range and 87% at the free-throw line.
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Contracts and Career Earnings
Kevin Martin earned $79,403,668 in NBA salary.
After completing his rookie contract, Martin signed a five-year, $53 million extension that covered the most lucrative seasons of his Sacramento and Houston careers. His next major agreement was a four-year, $27.755 million contract with Minnesota.
His annual NBA salary exceeded $12 million at its peak, and even after leaving Minnesota he continued receiving payments resulting from the structure of his contract and buyout.
Real Estate Career
Martin's post-basketball career has centered heavily on real estate. Interestingly, his interest in the industry grew partly out of a financial setback. During the housing crash, a Sacramento-area property he owned declined sharply in value and ultimately went through foreclosure.
Martin later began investing in Florida real estate, starting with a house that cost $275,000. From there he progressed into larger acquisitions, sales, and residential development projects.
Martin has said his real-estate operation went on to invest and develop more than $100 million worth of projects and completed more than $100 million in transactions. His projects have included multimillion-dollar residential developments in Florida, while he has also owned substantial homes in Ohio.
Rather than simply retiring on his NBA earnings, Martin has described real estate as his second professional career, applying the same competitive mentality that took him from a lightly recruited college player to one of the NBA's leading scorers.
Martin
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