Being an NBA player or any athlete for that matter comes with its own sets of pros and cons. For starters, it feels good to be getting paid millions of dollars for playing a sport that you love with your entire heart.
Additionally, players get immensely popular among fans if they are good at what they do in the league. While that might seem like a huge perk to outsiders, it could be equally dangerous for the players, especially the younger ones.
Since they are young and have access to a lot of money, it is not uncommon to see them get hustled in strip clubs or parties. Former adult industry star Lisa Ann must have seen her fair share of young athletes getting hustled.
Nowadays, Ann has retired from the adult film industry and works as an analyst. Additionally, she also mentors young NBA players and makes them aware of the troubles that could potentially ruin their careers.
In a 2016 article penned by Ann herself, she listed 5 ways that young NBA players can protect themselves from getting into such scams. Although the article is more than six years older, it is currently trending.
Via Complex:
1. No New Friends
It’s not just a song, it’s your new motto after coming into that type of money and fame.
Anyone new has new intentions. Those intentions could be as innocent as wanting to be around the glimmer and flash that surrounds the player or as malicious as looking for a financial investment in something that ends up being little more than a cash grab. The reality is harsh, but once you become a walking price tag to people, common decency is off the menu and everything you least expect is being served.
Friendships will arise just like followers on social media, but with little knowledge of what these new people are really about, your future endorsements are at risk of being affected by their actions. I advise always having someone with you as a buffer; security helps limit how many times you have to say “no” and also gives you a witness to always protect you against the accusations of others.
2. Flush Your Condoms
Always bring your own and don’t forget to flush them.
I have heard of girls poking small holes in condom packaging to try to have their NBA baby. Your future baby is the biggest potential paycheck she will ever get. Don’t take the chance; it is too easy to be prepared.
A confidentiality agreement is common, but the reality is the girl has nothing to lose which, in turn, makes it pointless. A witness that can corroborate that the woman wanted to enter your hotel and share time alone with you, well, that could’ve saved a lot of athletes a lot of money and/or jail time. No cameras, no photos, and no recordings—even sound is enough for blackmail these days.
Consensual sex is her word against yours. If a girl wants more from a player than a baby, like say a relationship that the player himself doesn’t want, the girl may go publicly with your word against hers. This is not a situation you want.
3. Use the Hotel Safe
Lock everything in your hotel safe; don’t leave the option to be got.
Leave nothing out. Computers, phones, or anything with a player’s name on it can be used for blackmail. The ideal situation is a blank room if an additional one can be booked. The player will eventually have to use the bathroom, which gives the woman every chance she needs to grab whatever is in sight. She can easily take pics on her cell phone and use them as blackmail. Always consider something like this could take place, because there’s a decent chance she is plotting with friends by text while you innocently use the bathroom or take a shower.
4. Hotel > Your House
Don’t feel the need to bring a girl back to your place—a hotel is always better.
And safer, as there are cameras in the lobby for evidence if there is an issue. She does not need to know where you live.
As I personally live in a world with endless stalkers, the fear of letting someone know where I live is as real as it should be for all players. A player’s travel schedule is well documented and readily available and there is enough time for someone to go into your home without your permission while you’re gone. No one new needs to know where you live.
Once you invite people into your home, there is a comfort level they may feel that you don’t. Do you actually trust a stranger with everything you have, especially your privacy and safety?
5. Avoid Peer Pressure
Don’t let your old friends make you stay out and do things that you know you shouldn’t.
This is a tough one, as there is a lot of guilt associated with success. This is especially true of a young player who has friends that feel entitled to a piece of everything the player has, including fun. These friends often have nothing to lose, so it comes easy to them to make bad suggestions.
This life can be a dream—don’t let it become a nightmare. Stay on course, stay focused, and remember one day you’ll get to retire young and do all the things you couldn’t do while you were playing. Your real friends will understand, respect, and support that. Let those thoughts and actions define your friendships.
So if you are a young NBA athlete and enjoy the “party culture,” this advice by Ann could really help you.
After all, it doesn’t hurt to be a little careful even if you want to spend the millions of dollars you are earning while playing for any franchise in the NBA.
