<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It was a decade ago Kenny Anderson, then a Boston Celtics point guard, set a standard that has helped define the filthy-rich silliness of NBA players. With the league two months into a lockout, Anderson lamented times were so tight, he might have to pare down his fleet of luxury automobiles. He confided to The New York Times he owned eight cars, including a Porsche, a Lexus and a Range Rover. He was thinking of shedding a Benz. Seen 10 years down a prosperous road, Anderson's parking garage looks downright quaint. With the average player's salary having approximately doubled in a decade to $5.36 million (U.S.), the definition of NBA excess has become, well, more excessive. "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? It's one thing if Bill Gates wants to do that. But when you're 22 years old and you don't even have kids yet, it's not good." Kapono, then, wasn't the least bit surprised when a representative of the NBA Players' Association addressed the Raptors recently on matters of financial prudence. A statistic was cited during the meeting that startled some of the hoopsters. It was said that 60 per cent of retired NBA players go broke five years after their NBA paycheques stop arriving. "How could that be?" said Jamario Moon, the Raptors rookie. "I don't want to believe that stat."</div> Source
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Joker @ Feb 13 2008, 06:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It was a decade ago Kenny Anderson, then a Boston Celtics point guard, set a standard that has helped define the filthy-rich silliness of NBA players. With the league two months into a lockout, Anderson lamented times were so tight, he might have to pare down his fleet of luxury automobiles. He confided to The New York Times he owned eight cars, including a Porsche, a Lexus and a Range Rover. He was thinking of shedding a Benz. Seen 10 years down a prosperous road, Anderson's parking garage looks downright quaint. With the average player's salary having approximately doubled in a decade to $5.36 million (U.S.), the definition of NBA excess has become, well, more excessive. "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? It's one thing if Bill Gates wants to do that. But when you're 22 years old and you don't even have kids yet, it's not good." Kapono, then, wasn't the least bit surprised when a representative of the NBA Players' Association addressed the Raptors recently on matters of financial prudence. A statistic was cited during the meeting that startled some of the hoopsters. It was said that 60 per cent of retired NBA players go broke five years after their NBA paycheques stop arriving. "How could that be?" said Jamario Moon, the Raptors rookie. "I don't want to believe that stat."</div> Source </div> This just reaffirms what happened to Sprewell a few days ago. -Petey
... after reading the article... has no mention of the average salary of the players that fall in this bracket. It's a rather deceiving article. -Petey
The next victim: good old Gin Baker! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>A bank is foreclosing on the Old Saybrook restaurant owned by former Celtics [team stats] forward Vin Baker. TD Banknorth N.A. holds a nearly $1 million mortgage on Vinnie’s Saybrook Fish House and claims the restaurant’s owner has defaulted on it. The bank has filed a lawsuit in Middletown Superior Court. Officials say the restaurant has been closed for weeks. Baker, who grew up in Old Saybrook, played for the University of Hartford before playing in the NBA for 14 years. Baker has had other problems. He was arrested last June and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Last month he pleaded guilty in Norwich Superior Court to the lesser charge of reckless driving.</div> Source
