by Micah Hart
NBA players, former and current, are killing it with the blogs they are doing for various publications this season, enlightening us with tidbits about some of the dudes they’ve come across in their years in professional basketball.
Former NBA journeyman Casey Jacobsen, currently hooping for Brose Baskets in Germany, is blogging for SLAM Online this season and doled out some superlatives for his most recent entry, including this bit about the strange savings habits of former teammate Darko Milicic:
It’s nearly impossible to explain the weirdness that is Darko, but he told me one time that he did not keep his money in any bank, nor did he invest in stocks or bonds. “I just keep it,” he told me and then turned away. Looking back, I should have asked a follow-up question. I don’t know if I believe him, but he was making over $6 million that season. That’s a lot of cheddar to stash underneath a mattress! On another note… that was easily the longest conversation we ever had, and that was how he preferred it.
If I may take up for Darko for a sec. The kid has been the subject of much ridicule over the course of his NBA career, which tends to happen to guys who are picked #2 in a draft ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the like. I’m not surprised at all to hear that he is a little strange, or that he could be somewhat antisocial, given that history and given that he got thrust into the NBA spotlight when he was barely 18 years old. I’m no psychologist, but Kwame Brown says being a high-draft-pick bust can make you a little sullen.
As for what he has done with his career earnings? I like to think he’s built himself a pool much like Scrooge McDuck.
My Yearbook Awards [SLAM Online]
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It’s a funny story, but don’t get wrong impression. Darko Milicic is altruist. He helped so many people in Serbia and around, donating money for operations of poor people and organizing charity concerts.
I love Darko. The Pistons screwed him by drafting him when they did not need a big man. If he had been drafted by Denver, he would be a 7-time all star alerady and one of the all-time greats.