After retiring as a professional basketball player, Tom Tolbert shifted his focus to being a sports radio host.
Tolbert played in the NBA for seven seasons, including three years with the Golden State Warriors from 1989 to 1992.
Highlights
- As of 2024, Tom Tolbert is a millionaire and leads a financially successful life.
- Tolbert’s estimated net worth is around $5 million right now.
- The Charlotte Hornets picked him in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft.
The former NBA star was KNBR’s broadcaster for almost three decades. But before Tolbert could reach that milestone, recent news announced his departure.
Tolbert, along with fellow seasoned sports announcer John Lund, was laid off as part of KNBR’s staffing cuts.
He is famous for hosting KNBR’s afternoon show, Tolbert & Copes with Adam Copeland.
Similarly, Lund was on with his co-host Greg Papa on weekdays with their show Papa & Lund.
Tom Tolbert’s Net Worth Makes Him A Millionaire
Tom Tolbert, a big name in sports broadcasting, has created a strongsolid base throughout his career.
In 2024, people think he enjoys a net worth of $5 million from playing in the NBA and being a hit on the radio.
No one in public knows how much KNBR pays him, but since he’s been a fan favorite for so long, it’s likely he gets paid pretty well to do his thing. Even his listeners have said,
“Yeah, he was the longest tenured host (other than maybe Murph) and in the drive time slot, so he probably had the highest salary at the station.”
IWTLEverything
To that, another Redditor has replied,
“But seriously, he should be the highest paid. He was the best host they had, and it’s not even close, imo. I could take the other cuts, but Tom was the only one I would actively switch stations from something else to KNBR for.”
Similarly, another of Tolbert’s fans added,
“He’s been at KNBR for 28 years; it’s fair to assume he has one of if not the highest salary at KNBR. They’ve been cutting costs everywhere for a while, this was about money.”
PossibleFishing2812
Tom Tolbert has grown his broadcasting career beyond KNBR. He now works with big neextensiverks like NBC, ESPN, and ABC.
Adding a new co-host to the show today
— Tom Tolbert (@byronjr23) August 14, 2020
My sweet granddaughter Camilla! pic.twitter.com/M9hkLe2Sho
These jobs add a lot to his bank account, showing he makes good money in sports media.
Nobody knows the exact numbers, but people think top sports broadcasters can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Some oldtimers in the business might even make millions. People love Tolbert and respect him as a sports expert. In Quora, a post even mentioned this,
“Some of these guys work for major networks like ABC, TNT, and even ESPN. They are most likely in the six-figure salaries ($100,000+), but if we’re speaking about the best of the best, they can make around seven-figure paychecks.”
Bucks Stan
So, though Tolbert says his farewell to KNBR, there is hardly any dent in finances.
Tom Tolbert’s Career Earnings And Achievements As An NBA Player
Tom Tolbert’s time as an NBA player set the stage for his money success. The Charlotte Hornets picked him in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft (34th overall).
He played for seven years, with key stints on the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Clippers teams.
Talking about the number, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Tolbert played, NBA players in his position earned between $300,000 and $1 million a year.
The exact amount depended on what teams could afford and how contract talks went.
However, netizens have pointed out that money in the NBA today is much more than it was back then. In a Reddit forum, one has even pointed out,
“Salary cap didn’t exist until 1984. The cap was $3.6 million back then, or $8.3 million adjusted for inflation. The cap was $30 million in the last season of the ’90s, or about $44 million adjusted for inflation. There were also fewer teams then. Fewer teams means less money.”
aydee123
For Tolbert, sources claim, he started making money with the Hornets, earning $150,000 in the 1988-89 season.
His pay jumped when he joined the Warriors. He made $405,000 there in 1990-91, $506,000 in 1991-92, and $606,000 in 1992-93.
Similarly, in 1993-94, his salary grew to $650,000 with the Clippers. However, he returned to the Hornets in 1994-95, making $325,000.
So, Tolbert racked up about $2.642 million in NBA earnings over his career. This number might be low, as players get extra pay and bonuses.
Additional Information
- In 2019, Tom Tolbert entered into a multi-year agreement with KNBR, reinforcing his status as a critical spcriticals broadcaster at the station.
- Tom Tolbert is married to Lorrie Tolbert and has three children.
- He was taken to Stanford University Medical Center for urgent surgery due to a thoracic artery aneurysm.
