The Sports Brewery

Train Wreck Athletes

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 at 9:55 am by Meerkat in Basketball, NBA Basketball, The Fermenter

Looks like Antoine Walker is the latest athlete that can be labeled a train wreck.  The dude is apparently in serious debt, owing up to $4 million.  I  enjoyed watching Walker play as a Celtic, only because (as a Sixers fan) you can count on him to do something galactically stupid each game.  But I get no pleasure hearing about how this clown seemingly threw away millions.  Seriously, he had earned over $110 million in his NBA career.  How do you blow that? And now he’s in debt?  Wow.

Here are some excerpts (from boston.com’s Shira Springer piece) that detail how Antoine got himself where he is:

The entourage and mom:

He liked to move in an outsized entourage; his mother estimates that, during his playing days, he was supporting 70 friends and family members in one way or another. And speaking of his mother, he built her a mansion in the Chicago suburbs, complete with an indoor pool, 10 bathrooms, and a full-size basketball court.

10 bathrooms?  Did mom have a bladder issue?  Supporting 70 friends? I’m gonna go out on a limb and think maybe 5 friends and 65 parasites.

The cars:

Living at the Bishops Forest condominium complex in Waltham during the Celtics season, Walker turned the pavement surrounding his home into a virtual luxury car lot – two Bentleys, two Mercedes, a Range Rover, a Cadillac Escalade, a bright red Hummer. Often, the vehicles were tricked out with custom paint jobs, rims, and sound systems at considerable added expense. He also collected top-line watches – Rolexes and diamond-encrusted Cartiers.

Did his collection occupy half of the condo complex parking lot?  Seriously, 7 vehicles?  I guess he had a system where he drove a different vehicle each day of the week.

The clothes:

Then, there were the custom-tailored suits – closets full of them, including the set he ordered for his first playoff run in 2002, enough so he wouldn’t wear a suit more than once during the postseason run. When the Celtics officially hired Jim O’Brien as head coach in 2001, Walker had his tailor make three suits and presented them to O’Brien.

Nothing wrong with looking good … but it’s really stupid to wear a nice suit just once.

The nights out:

When it came to his Celtics teammates, Walker took good care of them on the road. It wasn’t uncommon for Walker to hire limos to take out groups of teammates. And Walker always paid for the big dinner bills.

If I were a Celtics rookie when Walker was in Boston, I’d buddy up to him and leave my wallet at home on party nights.

The gambling:

Gambling has long been a favorite form of entertainment for Walker. After a 2001 exhibition game at Mohegan Sun, Walker once reportedly played $15,000 hands with Michael Jordan during an all-night gambling session where estimates of money lost and won totaled several hundred thousand dollars. Prior to the 2003-04 season, when Celtics general manager Danny Ainge called Walker to tell him he had been traded, Walker was engrossed in a high-stakes blackjack game at Mohegan Sun.

Seems like there are several NBA players with high-stakes Jordan gambling stories.

The investments:

Walker has also tried his hand at venture capital investing with Walker Ventures LLC and in real estate with AW Realty LLC. Walker Ventures appears on court documents as a co-defendant in the American Express and J.P. Morgan Chase civil cases. Walker’s realty company is listed as the owner of several Chicago-area properties, including his mother’s home, once valued at $6 million but now worth a quarter of that, or less, according to more recent estimates.

Was Antoine getting investing advice from Lenny Dykstra?

The gifts:

He also rewarded loyal family members and friends with expensive gifts. Shortly after being drafted, he gave his best friend a new car. A Mercedes sport utility vehicle parked in the driveway of his mother’s home was a gift from Antoine to his younger sister. And early in his NBA career, he paid off the debt his mother accumulated sending him to Catholic schools. He finally received his high school diploma when he took care of his overdue tuition.

How did Walker Christmas shop?  Did he just drive up to a Mercedes dealer and say “I’ll take the red one, the silver one, the blue one …”.

So where is Walker now?  He’s down in Puerto Rico playing to pay off his IOUs.

According to reports coming out of the island, Walker’s deal with the Guaynabo Mets is for one month, guaranteed, as they want to see what kind of shape he’s in. He is reportedly being paid $7,000 a week. Another former NBA player, Marcus Fizer, also joined the Mets at the same time. They started the season 4-0 according to the standings posted on Latinbasket.com.  (Peter May, Yahoo Sports)

So it looks like Walker is destined to be a journeyman baller for various international leagues.  No way in hell Antoine will grace the courts of the NBA again.  Besides, who would want him?  Not any sane GM, that is for sure.  The dude is no role model for any 20 yr-old NBA rook to look up to.

So the question arises … “Where does Antoine Walker rank in all-time Train Wreck Athletes?”

With John Daly being #1 … how would a list compile after him?

So help me out … who is #2?  Or is Tyson #1?

1. John Daly
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???

Where would these guys rank???

“Iron” Mike Tyson, Shawn Kemp “the Father of our Country”, Travis Henry (apparently took lots of notes from Kemp), Dennis Rodman, Ryan Leaf, Lenny Dykstra, Evander Holyfield, Terrell Owens, Adam “pacman” Jones, and on and on …

Tags: Basketball, NBA, NCAA, tournament