Walk Through the Article
Introduction
Jose Calderon is a Spanish professional basketball player currently associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association(NBA). Calderon is at the twilight of a very successful career and his current role is that of a mentor to the new generation.
Early Life
Calderon was born on September 28, 1981, in Villanueva de la Serena, Spain. Calderon has Basketball in his genes. His father was a basketball player as well which definitely had an impact on the upbringing of a future champion. Calderon has mentioned that he is very grateful for his father who gave him the mentorship that was needed to see exponential growth in terms of his professional skills as a player and at the same time help him to develop the mindset needed to play at the highest level.
After winning a junior team championship, Calderon decided to pursue basketball as a career fulltime and began intensive training. He started off by competing in the Spanish First Division which is called ACB. He had an edge over anyone in his age group because of his background that soon landed a role in the Spanish national team in 2002.
Career
The majority of his career in the highest level, which is the NBA, has been serving the Toronto Raptors. Fans have a special place for Calderon who has provided his services to the franchise for a number of years. The majority of his years spent here were very fruitful and full of amazing experiences for the Spaniard.
Raptors had scouted Calderon a long time before they had eventually signed him in 2005 as the main man playing in the guard position. The first season was the toughest for Calderon as he was finding it difficult to level up to the high expectations and standards present in the NBA. The coaches too realized this fact and gave Calderon the time and resources needed to fully adapt to the league.
He’s performances improved dramatically as he got more acquainted with the pace of the NBA. His contract was set to run out in 2008 but looking at the value that Calderon was providing, the Raptors agreed to renew his contract on a multi- year deal that was worth around $8.5 million. The multi-million dollar deal was a statement from the franchise that showed their belief in the point guard.
Some in the media even criticized the Raptors for such an extravagant deal but Calderon has showed that it was a very good investment as today he holds Raptor’s all-time franchise record for most career assists.
During his time at the Toronto Raptor’s, Calderon made a name for himself for his assists. Till today, he holds Raptor’s all-time franchise record for most career assists. He consistently made it in the top 5 for most assists per game during this time there.
Jose Calderon Net Worth
Calderon has an estimated net worth of $25 million. Calderon, who has spent the majority of his professional career playing for top NBA boasts a very impressive bank account. This is not a surprise as the multi-billion dollar league rewards its top performers accordingly. His peak years provided a lot of value in the team’s results which led to him signing many multi-million dollar deals. It has been estimated that Calderon has had career earnings of a whopping $81 million during his time so far in the NBA.
Recently, false rumors started circulating in the internet that Calderon was worth $2.2 billion having a family stake in Coca Cola. This was apparently a mistake by Google’s Algorithm but many started believing that the rumors were true, even his basketball colleagues who teased him for such rumors.
Personal Life
He is currently a senior player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the management has set Calderon’s role both as a player and a mentor to the new tribe of players. He has earned two gold medals for Spain in the international arena which is a very big achievement and something to be proud about.
Calderon was associated with the Right to Play Athlete Ambassador program. He once even donated $14,000 for the program that helps the poorer youths of the world pledging $1000 for every assist he made. Along with his wife, Ana Hurtado, they co-own an organic pig farm and introduced a son named Manuel to the world in 2010.