As a young child, my first introduction to the game of basketball was from my mother. Draped in her Los Angeles Lakers’ attire purple and gold, my mother was a die-hard “Showtime” fan. She especially was a fan of their leader and ball magician Ervin “Magic” Johnson. It was game night and after a quick trip to the kitchen, my mother rushed to the couch just in time for the player’s introductions. As I dangled from her left arm stuck between her hip and a Pepsi chilled to a slush like liquid, I was happy to be placed on the couch in a more comfortable position. My mother gently sat me down on the couch as she opened her freshly popped bag of popcorn that she was carrying in her other arm. As I reached for the bag, the closer I got, the more heat I felt so I quickly pulled my hand away as my mother said, “No! It’s hot!” After repeating the word, “Hot?” I returned to my original position on the couch until my mother gave me some after it had cooled down. Right after the announcers finished calling the starting lineups and the national anthem was sung, I could see the expression on my mothers face change instantly. As the referee tossed the ball up for the opening tip between Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Robert Parish, I watched my mother also jump as she scream at the top of her lungs, “Jump Kareem!” This startled me at first and sent chills through my spine. I was confused as a young child and didn’t know whether to cry or try to get down from the couch and try to run away. As the game went on, my mother’s intensity escalated and her screams carried through the whole house. She had acted as if she were at the game live or playing herself. Jumping from the couch after almost every possession weather good or bad, it wasn’t until I got older did I realize and understand why my mother had acted in such a way. It was her way of expressing her passion and love for the game of Basketball!
My love for basketball had developed at a young age. As a child when my mother would have some free time she would take me up the street to the park where the nearest basketball court was located. When my mother would have to leave to cook dinner I would stay and hone my game. Trying to duplicate every thing that I saw from Magic on down the Lakers’ roster to their center Kareem. Basketball would eventually become a type of therapy for me in a sense. Whenever my family and I would be dealing with the harsh realities of life, the basketball court would be my way of escaping. I could forget about everything for those hours on the court and go into my own world of carefree freedom. Sun up to sun down day after day for free without a care in the world, I began to develop a love for the game, and with this love came passion, excitement, and enjoyment. All of these things were what I saw expressed by my mother as a child when I watched her watch the Lakers for the first time. My mother had been consumed by the love of the game, and now so was I. The beginning stages of basketball were so pure and uninfluenced by money, which in my opinion is where I will always hold my best memories of the game.
As I made it up the ranks through college and eventually to the professional level, I would quickly notice how the game of basketball and the purity of the sport would vanish. I noticed almost immediately how the sport went from a game to “Big” business. After realizing what the game of basketball has become, there were some things that would change as time passed. The only good thing is that the most important things in my mind would remain constant. As the game changed my love and passion would never change. Whether or not if I am playing for free on the playground or in front of seventeen thousand, my passion for the game will last forever. Basketball to this day is still therapeutic for me. For those four quarters, my world is competing and facing the challenges that arise during the game. It is very important that in whatever you do, develop a love for it first. If you don’t develop a love for your profession you will not put forth the effort and preparation needed to be successful in that profession.
As I saw the game of basketball turn “Big” business, I knew that the race against time had started. I saw older good players released for cheaper younger players. I saw players suffer season ending injuries and a number of quality players just not lucky enough to find a job. Although most of us athletes are in denial about when our career will come to an end, reality is that injuries are unpredictable and these salaries will not last forever. In Business, the main goal is maximizing profit and productivity and the cheapest expense. An athlete’s window of opportunity is small and some wise words from my father made me open my eyes to this reality instantly. My father told me, “Son your only an injury away from a 9 to 5! What are you doing now to prepare for life after basketball?” Although injuries over time as an athlete are almost inevitable this was something I never thought about or wanted to think about at the early stages of my career. My father’s question would stick in my mind from the first day he spoke those words to me till this very day.
As my years of a professional basketball player passed it was amazing how my responsibilities also changed. The first thing that changed was my financial priorities. As a player you really take the salary you make for granted and subconsciously think that you will make this salary the rest of your life. When you start your professional career, you play like it’s your last year but never really think that it could be over in an instant. Based on factors usually out of our control like injuries, some player’s careers end a lot sooner then others. With this in mind, I had to make sure that each year I was doing with the best of my abilities to make sure my money lasted. Coming from a poor family, when I received my first check from over seas, what I didn’t give to my family for bills, I spent. I know this was risky but it was a chance I didn’t even think twice about taking. My parents had done their best to raise me. They also made a lot of sacrifices for me so that I was able to have the things that I needed which would help me graduate from high school, college, and eventually make it to the pros. With all they had done for me I felt it was only right to eliminate their debts with my first years salary. Once their debts were zeroed out, I felt that I could begin to save and invest in my future. Basketball is just a pit stop, a financial head start for the game of life. Everything eventually ends and many of us wont be lucky enough to play this game long enough to retire and not have to work. You have to have a continued education plan and make sure you are taking the necessary steps to stretch your money and make it last. Ultimately, working to make your money work for you.
My first couple of years as a professional I must admit, I didn’t do my best to prepare for life after basketball but the more players I would see come and go the more I locked in and set goals to prepare myself for a career after basketball. Although I had a Bachelors Degree, I knew that there would be no way I could make a salary close to my basketball salary having just this degree. During my fifth season over seas I decided to start taking masters classes in international business to further prepare myself for life after basketball. I thought back on all the years I had wasted and began to save every penny I could. I began to do research and study investments so that I could create an income stream outside of basketball while I was still playing. The income stream I eventually created was through real estate and rental properties. Every dollar that I would receive from the rental properties that didn’t have to go back into the property towards maintenance would be deposited into a savings account for my future children’s college tuition.
I would eventually find the woman of my dreams and we were wed. We had our first child about a year later. It was now time for me to again shift my financial responsibilities and provide for my immediate family. It was time for me to make my biggest purchase thus far, a house. Although I put down a substantial down payment on the home, if I could go back and do it again I would wait until I had saved enough money to pay for the home outright without a mortgage. If I would have paid for our home outright I could have eliminated the interest being paid on it. Also what you find out after purchasing a home is that you never stop putting money into your home. This is another reason that an income stream other then your job is very important so that your cash flow from your investments can cover your expenses. A home is only an asset if you purchase one, fix it, and sell it for a profit. Many people mislabel a home as an asset but it can’t be an asset if you are constantly putting money into your home to maintain its value.
Towards the end of your career we as athletes need to make sure that after we have all our
priorities in place, purchased all our needs or things that we hold as important to our life, we make sure that if we were no longer able to play that we made the necessary steps to have enough credentials to afford the things that we were able to purchase during our professional career. As I look back on my career thus far, I noticed that although my passion and love for the game of basketball turned “Big” business stayed the same and you realize how small your window of opportunity is to make this kind of money you have to spend smarter. You go from unnecessary spending, and purchasing wants to necessary spending and buying needs. You go from helping your family that helped you get to where you are to providing for you own family. You go from setting basketball goals to setting basketball and life goals. You go from getting what you want and need to putting yourself in a position to keep what you bought. The earlier you are able to prepare and save for life after basketball the more time you will have to make a transition when life after basketball finally arrives.
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