NBA players make money that most people never even dream of once they make it to the league. This isn’t true for every player that’s drafted, of course, not all of them get massive contracts, but even role players that build a solid career for themselves can make upwards of $50 million throughout their careers easily, although they tend to be quite loose with it as well.
Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson never starred in the league, although both were borderline stars at their best. Barnes played 15 seasons in the NBA, and Jackson played 17 seasons in the league, both earning millions of dollars in salary during that time. They have racked up fortunes that very few people can match, which makes them easy targets for people that need money.
And often, those people are relatives or friends looking for a quick loan or some help to sort them out. NBA players come from normal backgrounds, so their families and friends are normal people. This means that when a player makes it, some ask them for help that’s valid, while others just try to get money out of them. Barnes and Jackson spoke about this phenomenon on a podcast.
Stephen Jackson And Matt Barnes Explained How They Deal With Relatives And Friends Trying To Get Money From Them
Barnes and Jackson are both known for being quite blunt. On their All The Smoke podcast, they call things like they are and have candid conversations about everything surrounding the NBA. So when they were asked about this topic, they had some honest answers as well.
Matt Barnes: “Everyone has their own angle. Some people get right to it, text you like, ‘Hey can I have some money?’ Some people ask how your day is going first.”
Stephen Jackson: “Some people call you Thursday cuz they gonna ask you Monday.”
Matt Barnes: “They plant the seed last week, to as us this week. Everyone has their methods and rhyme and reason in asking and some people you say yes to. Some people, you say yes. Some people, I don’t have it, even if I got it just because I don’t wanna give it to you.”
This is an interesting phenomenon and surely one that isn’t too good for the players. Jackson has some interesting stories about it, and even stars like Shaquille O’Neal are known for randomly giving money away. But all said and done, dealing with these requests from family and friends must get tiring.
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