Patience can pay off. NFL legend Rob Gronkowski made his first stock purchase in 2014, investing $69,000 in Apple. Today, that investment has grown to over $600,000.
Why He Invested
The former New England Patriots tight end, affectionately known as “Gronk,” received this savvy financial tip from an unexpected source — his home contractor in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Gronkowski was just 25 years old at the time, according to Fortune.
“I [had] never been involved in stocks,” Gronkowski said. “I really didn’t know how stocks work. So I was like, ‘All right, let me do this, man,’” Gronk said.
“Let me tell you, he built my house, and he gave all the money back to me by telling me to invest in Apple.”
The conversation influenced his spontaneous decision to invest in Apple Inc. ($AAPL) in 2014 when the stock was valued between $15 and $25.
Gronk on the “Dudes on Dudes” podcast with former Patriots teammate and current co-host Julian Edelman along with Fortune in an exclusive interview said on Nov. 26, “Every time I saw him, when we were building the house, he kept saying, ‘Get Apple. Get Apple.’”
Gronkowski, whose livestream was featured on Fortune’s TikTok, admitted that he initially made the investment as a joke — hence the $69,000 amount — when he contacted his financial advisers.
“So after the 50th time, I got it. And let me tell you, it’s the best investment I’ve ever had in my life,” Gronk said.
He forgot about the investment until he noticed, two and a half years later, that it was worth $250,000.
According to Business Insider, Gronk’s investment would technically be worth about $740,000; however, the outlet notes that the NFL player did not specify when he invested in Apple.
“Now to this day, I have over $600,000 in Apple stock, all because of the investment I made in 2014 having no idea what I was doing, but just listening to the guy that built my house here in New England,” Gronk said.
The stock price was buoyed that year by the success of the iPhone 6, which proved a hit with consumers and eased investors’ fears the company would not perform well after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011.
As Finurah previously reported, Gronk has publicly stated that he relies more on his endorsement deals than on his NFL salary.
Over his 11-year career, he played nine seasons with the New England Patriots, earning $53,379,507, and two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he made $17,250,000, with Tom Brady as the quarterback for both teams, according to Spotrac.
With earnings exceeding $70 million, and considering the taxes he likely paid on that income, most outlets estimate his net worth to be between $25 million and $45 million.
