Lash Extensions 101: Faux And Fabulous
Happy Birthday, Mr. T!
Antoine Walker has been having a few tumultuous years: He blew $110 million in an NBA salary, he's in debt for millions of dollars and he can barely get a job playing basketball. He opened up about his gambling, spending and investment problems with ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and it sure ain't pretty."When I was younger I used to travel with probably eight or nine guys, which is a very expensive lifestyle to live because you traveling the world," Walker told ESPN. "That's eight, nine rooms. That's eight, nine flights."
"It was very hard for me to say 'no' to people when they come ask me for something," he continued. "A lot of friends I grew up with would have a business venture and hit me with a sob story, and I would say 'yes,' and I got burned a lot of times that way. People say, 'I need to borrow $200,000 for this deal and I'll give it back to you,' and then I never hear from them."
Besides the money lending and lavish living, he's made poor investments in real estate that have him owing banks millions of dollars, and the city of Chicago a mass amount of fines. He's also had a major gambling problem, where casinos in Vegas have come after him looking for their money.
"I was a big gambler. I mean, I would bet a couple thousand dollars a hand playing blackjack. I betted big. I won big at times, and I lost big," Walker said. "I established credit lines back in 2001. I had a credit line up to half a million dollars, so you got a chance to lose a half a million dollars, and sometimes they would increase the half a million to 750 [thousand]. Like anybody else when you're in a competitive mode, you ask for an increase to chase your money, and it gets to a point where it gets out of control, until they cut you off."
Check out clips from the "Outside the Lines" episode below.
Comments: (29)
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By: Damien on 3/27/2010 8:36AM
He blew $10 MILLION and he's in debt for MILLIONS more??
My daddy had a term for that kind of rich, and I'll bet y'all know what it is.
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By: M. Alexander on 3/27/2010 8:50AM
The main issue with Black pro athletes is the fact these guys go, in most cases, from being dirt poor to instant millionaires and along with that comes the hangers-on and shady pretend friends, relatives that think you owe them something and above all the leeches i.e. sisters, brothers, aunts etc etc etc !
Add to the mix that these guys have never ever seen this amount of money in their lives and they aren't used to managing money !
College never taught them anything because most left school long before they ever attended a class !
Some of these guys do not attempt to educate themselves financially so they end up buying houses with 40 rooms and enough yard to construct 3 football stadiums and they forget the upkeep and taxes alone can eat away at their millions not to mention the costs of maintaining a home for their moms !
Your professional athletic career is at best 10-15 years and that's if injury doesn't cut it short so you need to prepare for the day when you can no longer shoot a jump shot or run a football because in all likelihood, most of these guys only have one skill and that's athletic !
Sadly when the money is gone so are friends, hangers-on, relatives etc etc etc ! It's not a pretty sight !
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By: Alan on 3/27/2010 1:40PM
"College never taught them anything because most left school long before they ever attended a class !"
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The ONLY reason the vast majority of these black athletes are allowed anywhere NEAR a university classroom is that they're adept at playing with various kinds of balls.
But when they actually get INTO the classroom, they're so hopelessly clueless that only sympathy (and an eye on the athletic department's bottom line) keeps them from flunking out within a week.
This policy allows the school to keep revenues up AND allows them to boast of a 'diverse' student body.
So the REAL crime here ISN'T that the dimwits aren't getting a big enough piece of the pie...it's that the dimwits are allowed to steal a classroom seat away from young people OF ALL RACES who are actually qualified to sit in them.
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By: sandra on 3/27/2010 5:22PM
This story is why there should be some kind of nabdatory financial counseling available to these guys when they go into the NBA, NFL, etc. Coming from poorer backgrounds, they see money only in terms of what it can BUY for them as opposed to what it can DO FOR them. This is such an unfortunate story but one that doesn't apply to just athletes. The same story can be told by singers, actors, comedians (Katt Williams), as well as business executives and other high money makers.
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By: Tre on 3/27/2010 5:30PM
I don't think I could have said it better myself. I partly blame the league for not teaching these athletes how to handle their money. Also, it makes my point that they shouldn't be allowed to play pro sports until they have that college degree.
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By: Stephanie on 4/15/2010 3:13PM
Ok you were on target with everything that you said except the Dirt Poor thing. I know its crazy but a lot of black people work!! Maybe you have never ever encountered then in your work place but its true. I can't tell you about all of the families I know who work and scrape so that their children can attend Basketball camps and private schools like christ the king. So say the poor poor black boy thing. A lot of these White Ball Players came from the crops.
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By: M. Alexander on 3/27/2010 8:17PM
The main issue with Black pro athletes is the fact these guys go, in most cases, from being dirt poor to instant millionaires and along with that comes the hangers-on and shady pretend friends, relatives that think you owe them something and above all the leeches i.e. sisters, brothers, aunts etc etc etc !
Add to the mix that these guys have never ever seen this amount of money in their lives and they aren't used to managing money !
College never taught them anything because most left school long before they ever attended a class !
Some of these guys do not attempt to educate themselves financially so they end up buying houses with 40 rooms and enough yard to construct 3 football stadiums and they forget the upkeep and taxes alone can eat away at their millions not to mention the costs of maintaining a home for their moms !
Your professional athletic career is at best 10-15 years and that's if injury doesn't cut it short so you need to prepare for the day when you can no longer shoot a jump shot or run a football because in all likelihood, most of these guys only have one skill and that's athletic !
Sadly when the money is gone so are friends, hangers-on, relatives etc etc etc ! It's not a pretty sight !
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By: SEAN SCHULTZ on 3/27/2010 10:24PM
Good point M.Alexander,
Could have scratched the "moms" sarcasm though.
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By: oooozzzzz on 3/27/2010 11:09AM
Quote by M. Alexander: "The main issue with Black pro athletes is the fact these guys go, in most cases, from being dirt poor to instant millionaires and along with that comes the hangers-on and shady pretend friends, relatives that think you owe them something and above all the leeches i.e. sisters, brothers, aunts etc etc etc !"
Add to the mix that these guys have never ever seen this amount of money in their lives and they aren't used to managing money !
College never taught them anything because most left school long before they ever attended a class !
Some of these guys do not attempt to educate themselves financially.
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I agree and you hit the nail on the head but just like Antoine Walker and the other ex pro-baller in the interview, sadly, their stories of not educating themselves, not being able to say "no", gambling, in addition to legal troubles, going to prison, having multiple children, divorce, bad investment deals, giving the money away, and not understanding anything about business and leaving college early will not translate to many current NBA players and possible aspiring college players who will turn pro, that as of this moment, will have the same exact problems because just like people who drink and drive they all believe that "this will never happen to me".
And this trend has become the environment & culture of the NBA, NFL & the MLB and it seems that many of these highly paid athletes can't seem to learn until they screw up like Antoine Walker & Michael Vick and suddendly "get it" or find themselves begging to get back into the sport to make some money to try and paid his debts but in Antoine's case, he has no other skill but playing basketball (no college degree, no businesss acumen, no reputation) and father time has caught up with his playing days.
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By: jeromequigley on 3/27/2010 12:34PM
oooozzzzz, as many of times that you and I have disagreed on issues I have found some of your most resent posts that we seem to be on the same page. It is very sad that these guys do have that "it wont happen to me" attitude!! I do understand the broke to rich example. I can only imagine what I would of been like in my mid-20's if I was dumped on with Millions!! My god what a ride that would of been. So I try not to be too harsh on them but then again they did not lose the money in a minute. So after a short time you would think that they would of had some one tell them whats up?? And then be smart enough to not only listen but also see what it has done to others. It is sad that they don't learn the lesson till it's all gone and they are way deep in debt! But that is the price people pay for not taking advantage of the gifts they are given. You mentioned he had no college degree, so he did not attend college?? Sorry not a big B-Ball fan so don't follow careers. See this is where I have a huge issue with Dr. Watkins. He is always talking about how college players (the black players of course, his words not mine) are being used up by college and given nothing in return. My issue is the are getting a free college education, any one still paying off their loans will fight him tooth and nail about how that is very valuable. And then he complains that even when they get one the coaches and every one else guides them into taking crap courses. Well who's fault is that? I am sure any student getting a scholarship for sports is good enough to where they can call most of their own shots. If the person wants to get a good degree I am sure the coaches will make sure it fits their schedule. So I just don't get where Dr Watkins comes up with this crap. Now are the colleges making a ton of money off college sports, yes they are!!! No doubt, but they also invest that money back into the schools and students. Yes the salary they pay coaches is way over the top but they do what they feel they need to do to continue winning and getting that money! But any half smart student knows that they can get a very good education out of their time in college, IF THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT!!! If they have parents and role models that are guiding them to securing the degree as well as a pro career. Cause both are just as important in the real world!! So hopefully parents and students alike will start to prepare for these things if they get on the pro sports career train!!! Have a good one oooozzzzz!!!!
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