Walter Robert Szczerbiak, born on the 5 March 1977, is a former American professional basketball player, who became well known while playing for various teams in the National Basketball Association(NBA).
So how much is Szczerbiak’s net worth? As of late 2016, based on authoritative sources it is reported to be over $35 million, acquired from his years as an athlete, and later on as a sports commentator.
Wally Szczerbiak Net Worth$35 million
Born in Madrid, Spain, Szczerbiak is the son of Marilyn and Walt Szczerbiak – American of Polish descent – and he has two siblings, Will and Wendy. During their time in Madrid, Walt used to play for the basketball team Real Madrid and led the team to win three European League Championships. When Walt retired from playing basketball, he took his family back to the United States and settled in Long Island, New York.
During Szczerbiak’s younger years he attended Cold Spring Harbor High School where he began to excel in basketball. With his consistent performance, he was rewarded with Nassau County’s outstanding boys’ basketball player – the Richard Sangler Award, but despite his efforts, he was unable to impress any colleges, and failed to be recruited.
Szczerbiak decided to study at Miami University, where he took a marketing degree at the university’s Richard T. Farmer School of Business. While studying he also played with the school’s basketball team, and once again excelled. During his time with the RedHawks, Szczerbiak won multiple accolades including being named as the MAC Player of the Year, second-team All American by the Associated Press, and first-team All-American by Basketball News and Sports Illustrated.
With his outstanding performance in college, in 1999 Szczerbiak decided to enter the NBA Draft and was picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves as their sixth overall. This became the beginning of his professional career in basketball, and also started his net worth.
Szczerbiak played with the Minnesota Timberwolves for eight years and enjoyed some memorable feats like being the coaches’ selection in the 2002 Western Conference All-Star team. However, in 2006, he was traded to the Boston Celtics along with Dwayne Jones and Michael Olowokandi. During his time with the Celtics, he suffered several injuries and was unable to play for a couple of months. The following year, Celtics decided to trade him to the Seattle SuperSonics but he only spent one year with the team and was then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite the multiple transfers, Szczerbiak continued to excel in the sport. While with the Cavaliers, he played well and helped the team get past the first-round of the 2008 playoffs. Unfortunately he experienced another injury and decided to retire formally from the sport after 10 years. His years with the NBA not only catapulted him into the spotlight but also tremendously increased his wealth over the years.
Today, Szczerbiak works as a basketball analyst for CBS College Sports, and also joined the MSG Network for which he covers the New York Knicks post-game broadcasts.
In terms of his personal life, Szczerbiak is married to Shannon Ward whom he met in college. The couple married in 2000, and together they have five children.
