Former Celtic Ray Williams living in a car

[JSD]

The fishing poles in the picture says it all... I can't stand people like this.  Get a job!

[snowball]

I liked this from the Globe article:

Times have changed since Williams joined the NBA. As the 10th overall pick in 1977 out of the University of Minnesota — he played there with Kevin McHale — Williams signed a four-year, $500,000 contract with the Knicks. He received no significant endorsements.

By contrast, 19-year-old Brandon Jennings, the 10th pick last year, received a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Bucks after landing a $2 million deal with Under Armour and playing a season in Italy for $1.65 million.

Hey Boston Globe, how about, instead of using a current NBA rookie contract as a basis for comparison, you compare that 500k contract in 1977 with what a plumber, nurse, truck driver, etc. would have made in a four-year period in 1977.

Obviously you were not around in 1977 or just have no idea how much things have changed in pro sports pay scales. It's not even close to being related to mere inflation. In 1997 roughly 15-20k a year was decent salary money. I mean like today's 50-75k. Go ahead and do the math. Jennings contract is still well over 5 times what Williams made, inflation adjusted.

[Papatrichs]

 A man whose in dire straits, whose very soul has taken its toll might bite the bullet.

[Bahku]

This is very sad, and not at all uncommon, but Cousey is right ... the primary role of anyone lending help, should be to help the players help themselves in these situations. That said, you'd think there'd be a bit more money behind this, and a bit more awareness and assistance coming from today's players ... these are the guys who built the NBA into the mega-salary place that it is, and they should give something back, IMHO.

[dooyork]

Times have changed since Williams joined the NBA. As the 10th overall pick in 1977 out of the University of Minnesota — he played there with Kevin McHale — Williams signed a four-year, $500,000 contract with the Knicks. He received no significant endorsements.

By contrast, 19-year-old Brandon Jennings, the 10th pick last year, received a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Bucks after landing a $2 million deal with Under Armour and playing a season in Italy for $1.65 million.

Hey Boston Globe, how about, instead of using a current NBA rookie contract as a basis for comparison, you compare that 500k contract in 1977 with what a plumber, nurse, truck driver, etc. would have made in a four-year period in 1977.

Obviously you were not around in 1977 or just have no idea how much things have changed in pro sports pay scales. It's not even close to being related to mere inflation. In 1997 roughly 15-20k a year was decent salary money. I mean like today's 50-75k. Go ahead and do the math. Jennings contract is still well over 5 times what Williams made, inflation adjusted.
 

Yeah, and?  As I made pretty clear in my original post (or so I thought), who gives a crap that Ray Williams earned less than a current NBA player?  Practically every human being on earth earns less than a current NBA player.  The Globe made that comparison as though, on the basis of it, we're supposed to feel sorry for him.  I don't.

Oh, wait.  I just did the math like you told me to do.  Adjusting for inflation, Williams's 1977 contract was only worth about 1.8 mil in 2009 dollars, and his 1981 contract was worth a mere 3.5 mil in 2009 dollars.  Well now, that changes everything!  Now I can see how wrong I was about his plight, now it is perfectly understandable that he should be reduced to living in a car and begging for a handout.  I can almost hear the sad violin music playing in the background. 

Thanks for setting me straight, buddy.

[Cman]

The fishing poles in the picture says it all...

Agreed, they could have chosen a better picture.

[screwedupmaniac]

I liked this from the Globe article:

Times have changed since Williams joined the NBA. As the 10th overall pick in 1977 out of the University of Minnesota — he played there with Kevin McHale — Williams signed a four-year, $500,000 contract with the Knicks. He received no significant endorsements.

By contrast, 19-year-old Brandon Jennings, the 10th pick last year, received a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Bucks after landing a $2 million deal with Under Armour and playing a season in Italy for $1.65 million.

Hey Boston Globe, how about, instead of using a current NBA rookie contract as a basis for comparison, you compare that 500k contract in 1977 with what a plumber, nurse, truck driver, etc. would have made in a four-year period in 1977.

Obviously you were not around in 1977 or just have no idea how much things have changed in pro sports pay scales. It's not even close to being related to mere inflation. In 1997 roughly 15-20k a year was decent salary money. I mean like today's 50-75k. Go ahead and do the math. Jennings contract is still well over 5 times what Williams made, inflation adjusted.

Yeah, how much did Bill Russell get paid back in the day? He's still doing well for himself. I can't feel sympathy for someone who made more per year in the 70's than I may ever make per year.

That said, I think that the NBA should incorporate a mandatory fiscal wisdom class of some sort for every NBA retiree. That way, if/when things go sour financially for these players, the NBA's hands are entirely clean of the matter.

I don't get it, don't most of these guys have college educations from when they played college ball? Join the rest of society, Williams...we all have to work til' we're 75, you do too.

[Finkelskyhook]

Hard to feel sorry for the guy...  I guess the solution is to find a job and work for a living.  But to expect today's NBA player to give him a handout is ludicrous.

More "athlete entitlement" stuff.  Sounds like he's too [dang] lazy to make a phone call or fill out some paperwork...

+1


That said, I think that the NBA should incorporate a mandatory fiscal wisdom class of some sort for every NBA retiree. That way, if/when things go sour financially for these players, the NBA's hands are entirely clean of the matter.

They actually do....For rookies. 

I don't get it, don't most of these guys have college educations from when they played college ball? Join the rest of society, Williams...we all have to work til' we're 75, you do too

    My degrees are in business management (one step above PhysEd in the basket weaving degree food chain of relevence) and accounting.  I can't remember one meaningful thing from those 4 years to everyday life skills that I got out of it....Other than having to pay my own way.  It probably wasn't quite like it is now with the "student athlete"  of today when Williams was in college.  But to think that playing college basketball as a "student"  is the gateway to financial security when most don't come close to graduating is a real reach.

Since Stern runs the league like a tyranical dictator, I'd propose he negotiate with the union a mandate that 10% of the players salary goes into an interest bearing trust fund that the player can access 3-5 years post-retirement on an amortized basis.

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, this is sad, to me. It somewhat places this Free Agent Frenzy in perspective, to me at least.

I cannot lie and say I know a solution for this - some here in this thread have offered thought-provoking ideas.

For me? I pray he gets his life back somehow. As with Neurotic Guy - I feel for anyone who is down, no matter how they got there. And Bahku mentioned the giving back - that is a worthy idea, to me.

[Finkelskyhook]

Well, this is sad, to me. It somewhat places this Free Agent Frenzy in perspective, to me at least.

I cannot lie and say I know a solution for this - some here in this thread have offered thought-provoking ideas.

For me? I pray he gets his life back somehow. As with Neurotic Guy - I feel for anyone who is down, no matter how they got there. And Bahku mentioned the giving back - that is a worthy idea, to me.

Agree with some of that.  But I disagree with mandating "giving back".  Society is doing too much of that already and we have a growing welfare state as a result.  At some point, the Williams' Walker's, Latrine Sprewell's, Tyson's, Pippen's, and Canseco's etc etc of the world have to be expected to be grown ups.

If the players want to do it voluntarily, fine.  Most NBA players are already giving lots to communitys.  Shouldn't be mandated.

I still think the union and the NBA could negotiate a mandated deferral of a percentage of a current player's salary to help plan for their future beyond basketball.  We're seeing it way too much for it not to be addressed in some meaningful way.