When you see the mountains of ice on guys’ necks, the designer clothing, the cars, the Cribs-worthy … uh, cribs, and all the rest of it, you don’t think it would be possible for NBA ballers to run out of money. But it very much is.
According to the Players’ Association, it is estimated that about 60% of players go broke just five years after leaving the League.
“Sixty per cent is a ballpark. But we’ve seen a lot of guys who’ve really come into hard times five years after they leave the league,” said Roy Hinson, the former NBA forward who’s a representative for the players’ association. “The problems are, for a lot of guys, they have a lot of cars, they have multiple houses, they’re taking care of their parents. They’re taking care of a whole host of issues. And the cheques aren’t coming in anymore.”
“I’ve seen (an NBA player) having two cars a day to drive. You know, 14 cars,” said Raptors sharpshooter Jason Kapono the other day. “Think about how absurd it is. You say 14 cars. All right, you may have some kids, a family of nine. But a single guy having 14 cars?
Now, that’s just incredibly sad.
Here’s what I’m curious to find out: After living the high life for a few years in the League and then hitting rock bottom, what do these guys do? Do they go and apply for real jobs like everyone else? I would probably go and find a ledge somewhere, but hey, that’s just me.
