Professional athletes are notorious for blowing some, if not all, of their fortunes on outrageous purchases, from over-the-top mansions and luxury yachts to tricked-out sports cars and epic sneaker collections.Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen once bought a Gulfstream jet, then found out it didn’t fly. Boxer Mike Tyson spent $2 million on a solid gold bathtub for his first wife. Former NFL wide receiver Andre Rison went broke after a spending spree that included $1 million on bling. But Kelly Olynyk is not at all interested in flashing his substantial wealth. Quite the contrary.The Toronto-born NBA player leases a Toyota Tundra pickup truck and uses an iPhone 5 while in Canada, though he just signed a contract worth an estimated $50 million (U.S.) with the Miami Heat.Wearing a plain white t-shirt and ball cap over his trademark long mane after a workout at U of T’s Goldring Centre, the 26-year-old former Boston Celtic (who spent his teen years in Kamloops, B.C.) exudes a chill vibe. “I don’t wear designer clothes or shoes. I don’t drive a fancy car,” the frugal player says matter-of-factly. “I’ve never taken a vacation. I wouldn’t know what a vacation is.” Olynyk has an accounting degree, is two semesters shy of his MBA, and even did a two-week internship two years ago at his financial advisor’s firm in San Francisco. But in a world where obscene wealth can tempt people to do some strange stuff, the seven-foot-tall player has some pretty simple tastes: he always opts for a nice sushi dinner over chillin’ in the clubs, capped off with a good night’s sleep in his California king-sized bed. We chatted with him about managing wealth and fiscal prudence in the era of multi-million-dollar pro sports contracts.What’s your financial background?I went to school at Gonzaga (University in Spokane, Wash.) and I wanted to do accounting because I thought it would be a great bac ...
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