I ran a thread on LeBron James, and he would have given up over $10 million in taxes alone had he signed with the Knicks instead of Miami.
Sounds racist to me. You are assuming that young black athletes would rather live in a decaying nightmare city with out of control crime and violence such as NY, Detroit, Atlanta or Houston, simply because they have abnormally huge percentages of blacks living there (mostly gangbangers in ghettos)? They all think alike, right? More likely they want to escape such places and live in a clean, safe and healthy environment that embraces cultural diversity. See new horizons, meet people of other cultures. Portland is more diverse than most cities, a closer representation of overall America. And it has a thriving black cultural community. http://www.travelportland.com/communities/ethnic-communities/african-american/
He would have recouped it many times over in advertising royalties, and been a far bigger star than he'll ever be now. Dumb move.
I do agree a certain type of person would not like living in Portland; if someone seeks bright lights & big citites. But to say all "them" want the same thing is absurd. I am sure there are NBA players who appreciate clean air, being able to go to dinner or to hear music without being mobbed, sellouts every game. Hell, maybe even Powell's Books. Fact is, a lot of NBA players have been happy in Portland. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant would not be. Brandon Roy seems just fine here.
