Athletes Who Spent Their Paychecks In Ridiculous Ways

Professional athletes are paid a hefty sum for the work they do on the court, on the field, and on the ice. Some athletes choose to invest their money in property or business ventures, some athletes put their money in a savings account, and others choose to live life dangerously.

Keep reading to see how some of the most famous athletes in the world chose to splurge on big purchases. Hopefully, these sports stars are putting some of their cash away for a rainy day.

Mike Tyson Bought Tigers

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The Ring Magazine via Getty Images
The Ring Magazine via Getty Images

It's not easy to obtain a pair of white Bengal tigers, but leave it to Mike Tyson to get the job done. Tyson asked his car dealer to help him purchase the endangered animals, and the car man definitely delivered.

He secured three white Bengal tigers that cost $70,000 and another $4,000 a month to maintain. Tyson had to give up his big cats in 2003 when he went bankrupt. We're not sure where the tigers are now.

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Pure Gold Teeth For Chris Johnson

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Back in 2009, NFL player Chris Johnson was very into his gold dentures. At one point, he almost missed the team bus to a game because he had to run back into his hotel room to retrieve the dentures he had left inside.

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Ever since then, Johnson decided that he never wanted to be without his gold teeth. He put his dentures away and opted to have gold teeth permanently implanted into his mouth. It cost him around $8.1 thousand for the six teeth.

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Tom Brady Bought A Luxury G550

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Obviously Tom Brady has a lot of money, but did you know that he has enough money to be able to spend $50 million on a luxurious Gulfstream G550. Brady earns $26 million a year from the NFL, so the plane only cost him his earnings from two years of football.

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Now, Brady and his model wife, Gisele Bündchen can fly wherever they want in style. Is a private plane the best investment in the world? Probably not, but Tom can do what he wants with his money.

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Al Jefferson Spent A Lot Of Money On A Bed

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NBA star Al Jefferson is one tall man. A man of his stature just doesn't fit into a normal king-sized bed. Jefferson decided to go all out and buy a custom bed so that he could finally get a good night's sleep. He spent $23,000 on a bed that measured ten by twelve feet.

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That bed is bigger than some studio apartments. Jefferson is no longer in the NBA, but we hope he's enjoying his room-sized bed!

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Kobe Bryant Spent A Lot Of Money Of Champagne

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Ok, before you judge Kobe to harshly for this one, remember that he was one of the highest-paid basketball players in the NBA at the time, so he had some money to spare. Back in 2007, Kobe and his wife, Vanessa traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate the opening of the night club BLUSH.

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Antonio Esfandiari ordered two bottles of Cristal ($1.4 thousand each), but Bryant decided to one-up him. He asked for five bottles. Then Esfandiari then requested ten. Bryant wanted to outdo him, so he asked for 15. In the end, he ended up paying $21 thousand, and Kobe didn't even drink any champagne.

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Antonio Garay Bought A Hello Kitty Smart Car

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Who would ever expect this burly football player to have a soft spot for Hello Kitty? Do you think this man can even fit in a Smart Car?

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Antonio Garay, an NFL player who's known for his wacky hairstyles, spent $22.7 thousand on a custom Hello Kitty Smart Car Fortwo. Clearly, this guy is a softie at heart. Smart Cars without any custom design work aren't all that expensive, but Garay wanted to go all out with that adorable paint job.

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Scottie Pippen's Private Jet

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NBA champion Scottie Pippen wasn't having a great year in 2002. He decided to cheer himself up by purchasing a $4.3 million Gulfstream private plane.

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When Pippen bought the plane, he didn't know that it needed to be repaired. In order to get the plane in working order, Pippen would have had to shell out an additional million dollars. The plane never left the ground and Pippen was livid. He hired a lawyer and sued the people who sold him the aircraft. In the end, Pippen won the case and was awarded $2 million.

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Shaquille O'Neal Owns A Lot Of Shoes

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Speaking of large men, let's move on to the one and only Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq knows how hard it can be to find clothing that fits, especially when you're as big as a house. His shoe size just doesn't exist in normal stores, so he has to get all of his shoes custom made.

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Shaq is also a very charitable man. In 2019 he helped a man by the name of Zack Kieth purchase some shoes for his size 18 feet.

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Michael Jordan Bought A G550

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NBA superstar Michael Jordan got a better deal on his custom G550 jet than Tom Brady did. Jordan only paid $30 million for his private plane. I bet that's the first time you've seen the word "only" so close to "$30 million."

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Michael Jordan had his logo emblazoned on the aircraft, and in 2017, he gave it a complete color change to an elephant print motif. Nobody can say that Michael Jordan doesn't travel in style.

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Aaron Rodgers Supports The NBA

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Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers is a huge sports fan. he loves football, obviously, but he also appreciates a good basketball game. He is especially fond of Kobe Bryant. When Bryant played his final game in the NBA, Rodgers just had to be there.

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Rodgers bought a courtside ticket to the game which cost him over $11,000 according to SeatGeek. You could get a kid through a year of college with that kind of money.

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Alfonso Soriano Bought A Custom Hummer

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The former New York Yankee Alfonso Soriano had a 2005 model Hummer H2 that he absolutely adored. He purchased it new for $50,000. After that, he took things to a new level with customizations.

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After four years of work, he ended up spending $100,000 to give it a complete makeover. It got to the point that you could literally spot Soriano from a mile away. He just might've been the one who invented that expression.

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Johnson Really Bought A Very Expensive Semi

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Chad Johnson was one of the better wide receivers in the NFL during his prime. In 2011, during his last season, he purchased a semi-truck. Even if it's a bit head-scratching, there's no harm in that purchase.

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The vehicle was no less than $100 thousand, but then you have to toss in the expenses of tricking it out. Johnson had his name put on the side, which we're sure cost him a pretty penny. For his sake, let's hope it kept some of its value.

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"Iso" Joe Johnson Loves His Shoes

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"Iso" Joe Johnson loves shoes. You probably have friends who say they're sneakerheads, and they probably are. But none of them compare to Johnson. There probably isn't anyone alive who has dedicated as much time to sneakers as Johnson.

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He has more than one thousand pairs, and they're seriously taken care of. The hooper puts them in a closet that can fit about seven people. There's a bed, mirrors on the ceiling, TV, and a basketball hoop. You also have to use a fingerprint ID to gain access.

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Allen Iverson Is All About That Bling

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Usually, the adornment of jewelry rests solely in the hands of music artists. Allen Iverson was that at one point, but at the end of the day, he was a basketball player. At one point, Iverson was really short on money, primarily because he tried to live like he was still in the NBA after he was out.

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When he played overseas, he made around $60,000 a month, but his expenses were $350,000. Iverson was still buying a lot of jewelry during this time and at one point, was forced to cough up $900,000 in court for the unpaid expenses.

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Evander Holyfield Bought A Mega Mansion

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Evander Holyfield didn't get a portion of his ear bitten off for no reason! During his boxing career, Holyfield earned $250 million. When he bought this mega-mansion for $14 million in Fayette County, Georgia, it was one of his biggest mistakes.

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He had 235 acres of farm property to himself, so you can imagine how hard it was to maintain that much. In 2012, he got evicted, despite the thousands he spent trying to keep it.

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Michael Vick Spent Way Too Much On A Koi Pond

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At one point in his life, Michael Vick wanted a fish pond at his home. The pond would cost him $85,000 to have it customized and installed, but that wasn't the end of it.

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Vick also spent $48,000 on landscaping. The issue was that he was going through tough financial times at that point in his life, but he was still spending at an alarming rate. He blew through $3.5 million in six months.

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Floyd Mayweather Went All Out For A Fancy Engagement Ring

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53-0 champion boxer Floyd Mayweather was in an on-again-off-again relationship with Shantel Jackson. If you're familiar with Mayweather, then you know he doesn't mind spending a few million in a matter of moments.

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When the pair became engaged, he gave her a $10 million engagement ring. Sadly, they broke up shortly after he made the purchase. It's unclear if she returned it, but with a net worth as high as Mayweather's we're sure he didn't mind too much one way or another.

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Michael Jordan's Yacht Has A Basketball Court

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As of 2018, Michael Jordan is the fourth-wealthiest celebrity thanks to his impressive playing career and Air Jordan line of shoes. With all that money means not only can you afford a $30 million jet, you can also afford an $80 million yacht.

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The 230-foot-long yacht has eight cabins, a dining room, a full gym, and even a full-sized basketball court so he can fit in a game of hoops. According to TMZ, the costs don't stop there. He pays $840,000 a week just to maintain it and keep it operational in dock.

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Vince Young Bought Out An Entire Flight

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Before the start of the 2012 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills decided to release the former college star, Vince Young. Sadly, he had money problems because he would spend it in strange ways.

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One example of this is when he wanted a "quiet, stress-free flight." Young decided to buy 120 of the 130 total seats available on a Southwest flight. It wasn't a private flight at all and ended up costing him at least $22,000.

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Kyrie Irving Has An Extensive Jewelry Collection

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Kyrie Irving is an all-world talent. He helped LeBron James secure an NBA title for the Cleveland Cavaliers in what was one of the most exceptional performances we've seen from a duo on the court. He's earned his way to a fat paycheck.

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With those checks, he likes to spend a large amount of it on jewelry. Reports are that his jewelry collection is worth at least one million dollars now. With all of his business ventures, you can expect that number to grow.

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Arian Foster Bought Ten Segways

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When Arian Foster was still in the NFL, he made a pretty questionable investment. In March 2012, Foster signed a healthy contract extension that made him $43.5 million richer. His first thought: buy ten Segways.

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He gave them all to the offensive linemen as a token of his appreciation for blocking guys so well for him. They were top class Segways that cost him a little under $7 thousand each! The thing is, they could only carry up to 270 pounds, and these linemen weighed at least 300!

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Tiger Woods Bought A Very Expensive House

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Tiger Woods was the most prolific golfer on the face of this planet. He won many tournaments and earned a ridiculous amount of sponsor money. With those funds, Woods decided to buy the priciest home an athlete could have.

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Woods purchased a Jupiter Island, Florida mansion that sits on two waterfronts. It cost him $40 million, but after adding on to it, the total was around $60 million. He has four gold greens, a 6,400 square-foot gym, and an oxygen therapy room.

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Lionel Messi Didn't Want Any Neighbors

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Lionel Messi has a boatload of cash thanks to being a top-three soccer player in the world. Reports are that if any team wanted to buy him out, he's worth $340 million alone — a man this important can't have bothersome neighbors.

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One time, Messi found his neighbors to be too much trouble, claiming they disturbed him and his family. What he did was buy out their house and made it an extension of his million-dollar estate.

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Darius Miles' Very Unique Car

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Once upon a time, not too long ago, Darius Miles was a pretty good basketball player. He once put 30-inch wheels on his car, but that doesn't compare to his wildest purchase.

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Miles had the $100 bill Benjamin Franklin painted on the side of his vehicle's hood. That already sounds wild, but the craziest part was what Franklin had in his mouth. He made Franklin have a lit joint, which was very controversial at the time.

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Gilbert Arenas' Shark Budget

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The former NBA All-Star, Gilbert Arenas was a funny individual. Now that he's out the league, he's showcasing his humorous side on social media, but something insane that he did while in the NBA was get a shark budget.

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Documents from a settlement from his ex-girlfriend, the ridiculous things Arenas spent his money on came into the light. Arenas had a $6,500 monthly shark budget. He spent $5,000 on the food and an additional $1,500 on the keeper.

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Serena Williams Invests In Property

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Tennis superstar Serena Williams' guilty pleasure when it comes to spending isn't something you'd usually expect to see or hear. She isn't treating herself to special new rackets or candy, but instead, she buys property.

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When Maverick Carter asked her how much she owned, her response was, "I don't know, a lot." She has properties in Paris, Manhattan, West Palm Beach, and many other luxurious destinations. She even regrets when she sells them according to her.

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Darnell Dockett Bought A Baby Alligator

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Former defensive player Darnell Dockett likes to play with danger, it seems. While he may be a pretty large guy, there are some things or animals you don't mess with unless trained.

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Not long ago, the player tweeted, "I'm out here messing with these gators in everglades!" Then he said one of them almost bit him! Still, this wasn't enough to prevent him from spending $500 on a baby alligator that he would end up naming Nino.

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Marquis Daniels' Custom Bling

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Former NBA player Marquis Daniels might've taken the term "invest in yourself" a little too far with this one. He ordered a piece of jewelry in the shape of his head.

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The jeweler went to extra lengths by mapping out the dimensions of the basketball player's head using 3D laser technology. The final cost of this pendant is unknown, but the necklace is 1,300 grams of 14-karat gold. You can do the math and know that it's not cheap.

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Owens Made A Bad Decision

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Terrell Owens made a fortune but lost way faster than he made it. He would learn from his mistakes, but not before he made an unpredictable investment in a bingo hall and entertainment complex.

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The NFL policy said that players couldn't spend their money on entities like that, but Owens spent $2 million of his money anyway. To add insult to injury, the electronic bingo devices were illegal in Alabama. Owens would sue the attorney that encouraged him to make the investment.

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Granger Is Very Into Superheroes

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There are millions of ways to blow through your money. We'd never imagine that building a Batcave would be one of them. Former Indiana Pacer All-Star, Danny Granger, put together a Batcave at his house.

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"I was telling my fiancee I wanted to have — once again with the superhero thing — you know how Batman drives into a hidden cave? I'm serious. [The Superhero stuff] is just a big thing I've been a part of. I love Superman, love Batman. It's just the way I've been always," Granger said.

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Shaq Is A Superman Fan

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Shaquille O'Neal has a ton of money. He's a savvy investor, and he made a boatload while in the NBA. That gives him a little freedom to spend his cash on unnecessary things like customized Superman luxury items.

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The total amount he shelled out for this isn't public knowledge, but rumors are that he spent $15,000 on the bed alone. The custom SUV set him back around $45,000 as well. You don't come between a man and his love for Superman.

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Tyson's Pricey Bathtub

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Mike Tyson has a reputation for being wild. The legends of Tyson range from biting an opponent's ear (which is true) to buying Bengal tigers (also true). Something he wasted big cash on was a bathtub.

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Out of all the blown money he's thrown out the window, we can't imagine that he'd want anything back faster than the $2 million he spent on his ex-wife Robin Givens. That all went towards a bathtub for her.

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J.R. Smith Keeps Spending

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Not long ago, NBA player J.R. Smith purchased a Jesus pendant that put him $50,000 in debt with the jewelry company. They brought him to court because he wasn't paying the balance, which is odd because his NBA salary was pretty high.

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He had to pay up $48,000, but not long after that, he purchased the armored truck from Fast Five. That cost Smith around $450,000! He had the money; he was only saving it for the vehicle.

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Aaron Rodgers Is A Generous Man

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Aaron Rodgers makes the list again, but this time it's for purchases he did for others. Yes, he's one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, and he still gets sponsorships. You still have to be somewhat responsible, but we trust Rodgers.

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In 2017, Rodgers decided to gift each offensive lineman with an ATV! They protect the quarterback as best as they can, so its the least he could do. It only cost him $20,000 for each one, no big deal.

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Hardy's Self Tribute

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Professional wrestler Matt Hardy gets his fame from the notorious Hardy Boyz. Wrestlers spend their money different from other athletes, so keep that in mind. Matt Hardy took a step further from Marquise Daniels and got a statue of his head made.

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He admires himself so much that he got the bust put in his home. There's no word on how much the thing cost, but it couldn't have been cheap. He has wrestling money, so he had enough.

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Nelson Cruz Has A Big Heart

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We've heard of people buying the same model cars that police officers drive and making them look like cop cars. We haven't heard of anyone purchasing a fire truck for their hometown!

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While the gift may be kind, it's also unusual. In 2012, baseball player Nelson Cruz said his hometown lacked any fire trucks and ambulances. Cruz felt that since he had the means to help, he would contribute to his community. The deed inspired American Medical Response to donate some ambulances as well.