Written by Brandy Smith
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010
After a 10 year career in the NBA, Ray Williams is homeless, living in a car that doesn’t run and eats out of soup kitchens 23 years later. According to the Boston Globe he is not on drugs, doesn’t abuse alcohol and doesn’t gamble. So…how does that happen?
No one has released any documentation to prove excessive spending or extravagant purchases but according to Bob Holer of the Boston Globe, when Williams filed for bankruptcy in 1994, he simply was “no longer able to sustain his NBA lifestyle.” It seems that for the most part his current situation has more to do with bad luck and bad money management.
Williams career lasted from 1977 to 1987 and he reporetdly made over $2 Million. He also recieved about $12,000 from the NBA Legends foundation in which he used to buy a condo on a lease to own contract which fell through.
Williams situation is a bit puzzling to me. I can’t help but wonder if anyone stepped in to help him. I’m sure at the height of his career, he was surrounded by a slew of people claiming to care about him and have his back. Where are they now? This could be a lesson to the new generation of NBA players that feel like they are on top of the world with an infinite amount of money. Although the average NBA player makes substantially more than the players in 1987, Williams proves that the money can run out just as fast as a career in the NBA. Oh and let’s not forget all of those people that surround them that claim to be their friends. Where will they be if it all comes crashing down?
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