What is Anderson Varejão's Net Worth and Salary?
Anderson Varejao is a retired Brazilian professional basketball player who has a net worth of $40 million.
Anderson Varejão played 14 seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Cleveland Cavaliers. During his NBA career Anderson earned $83 million in salary alone. In 2007 he signed a two-year $11.1 million deal and in 2009 he signed a $42.5 million extension.
A Brazilian native, he also played in the Novo Basquete Brasil for Franca and Flamengo, and for the Brazilian men's national team at various international championships. Additionally, Varejão played for FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague and Liga ACB.
Early Life
Anderson Varejão was born on September 28, 1982 in Colatina, Brazil. He has an older brother named Sandro who also became a professional basketball player.
Franca Basquetebol Clube
Varejão began his basketball career in 1998 playing for the Franca Basquetebol Clube in Franca, Brazil. He played with the team until the 2001-02 season, leaving midway through that season to go play in Europe.
FC Barcelona
In early 2002, Varejão signed with FC Barcelona. He played in nine EuroLeague games in his first season with the team, averaging 4.7 points per game. Varejão also played in two regular-season Liga ACB games, averaging four points per game. In his second season with Barcelona in 2002-03, he averaged 8.2 points per game across four regular-season Liga ACB games. Although Varejão did not play in the playoffs that year, Barcelona won the Liga ACB championship. The team also won its first-ever EuroLeague championship. In his final season with Barcelona in 2003-04, Varejão played 27 regular-season Liga ACB games, averaging 7.5 points per game. Barcelona went on to win its second-consecutive Liga ACB championship, although Varejão once again did not appear in the playoffs. He also played in 18 EuroLeague games that season.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Varejão entered the NBA draft in 2004 and was selected by the Orlando Magic. That summer, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with which he would go on to play for 13 seasons. In his rookie season, Varejão averaged 4.9 points per game over a total of 54 games. After missing the first 32 games of the next season due to a dislocated shoulder, he returned to play in 48 games. Varejão went on to contribute to the Cavaliers' 2006 playoff run, averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He helped the team considerably in the playoffs again the next year, averaging six points and six rebounds across all 20 of the Cavaliers' playoff games. The team made it to the 2007 NBA Finals, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. The following season, Varejão recorded a number of career highs throughout his 48 regular-season games, including for points (17) and assists (6). He once again helped lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs. In the 2008-09 season, Varejão posted a new career high of 26 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls in January.
Varejão had another solid season in 2009-10, averaging 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 76 regular-season games. Once again, the Cavaliers reached the playoffs, where they fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. For the 2010-11 season, Varejão took over the starting center role, and averaged 9.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in January. His 2011-12 season was also curtailed due to injury, although he had managed to set a new career high of 20 rebounds about a week before his exit. Varejão topped that number the following season, posting 23 rebounds in a win over the Washington Wizards. However, for the third season in a row, an ailment truncated his season. Varejão returned in 2013-14 to play in 65 games, finishing the season with averages of 8.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He started the 2014-15 season on a strong note, but was ruled out in late December after sustaining an Achilles injury. The Cavaliers went on to play in the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors. Varejão came back for the 2015-16 season, and played with the Cavaliers until he was traded in February.
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Golden State Warriors
Varejão spent his final seasons in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors. He made his debut for the team in February of 2016 to finish the regular season. That season, the Warriors had set an NBA record with 73 games won, and advanced to the 2016 NBA Finals. Coincidentally, the Warriors lost the championship to Varejão's former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavaliers offered him a championship ring, as he had spent most of his season with the team, Varejão refused it. He went on to re-sign with the Warriors in the summer of 2016. After playing in 14 games in the 2016-17 season, Varejão was waived in early February. The Warriors went on to advance to the NBA Finals again, this time winning. As a result, Varejão was given a championship ring.
Final Playing Years
In early 2018, Varejão returned to Brazil and signed a 20-month contract with the team Flamengo. He played in the second half of the 2017-18 season and then in the full 2018-19 season, winning the Brazilian League championship in the latter. Later, in the spring of 2021, Varejão came back to the NBA and signed a 10-day contract with his former team the Cavaliers. After that contract was up, he signed another 10-day contract. At the end of the season, Varejão announced his retirement.
National Team Career
Beyond his professional league play, Varejão had a successful career as a regular member of the Brazilian men's national basketball team. He made his debut with the team in 2001, winning the silver medal at the FIBA AmeriCup. In 2003, Varejão helped Brazil win gold at the FIBA South American Championship and the Pan American Games. He and the team later won gold medals at the 2005 and 2009 AmeriCups.
