Trading in basketball court for criminal court.

I was never all that much of a pro basketball fan. Basketball was more my husband's thing, and I haven't followed it any too closely since Jim died. 

A few times, when out and about, we - but which I mean he, as Jim was a far better celebrity spotter than I ever was -  spotted NBA players.

Not that I came up empty. I saw Celtic great Don Nelson near the Boston Garden. (Admittedly, guys as tall as the average basketball player are pretty noticeable.)

But mostly it was Jim.

Once, in NYC, we saw a former Knick. I think it was Willis Reed. Or it may have been Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.

We saw Kevin McHale at Logan Airport. And K.C. Jones and his wife in a restaurant once. 

And it was Jim who recognized Celtic (at the time) Tony Allen, cruising Newbury Street in a big, shiny, black, pricey car. Mercedes? Beamer? One of those...

I haven't heard the name Tony Allen in years, but he's in the news now, thanks to his having been implicated in a scam bilking the NBA's benefits plan out of $4M in fake medical and dental claims. From 2017-2020, the players pocketed $2.5M; the "providers" of the faux services got the rest. 

Tony Allen is one of 18 players - another is former Celtic Glen 'Big Baby' Davis - named in an indictment by the US Attorney's office. The other day, the FBI branched out around the country and arrested most of them, including Terrence Williams, who was the mastermind of the scheme. He made the arrangements and got kickbacks from the former players.

[US Attorney Audrey] Strauss said prosecutors have travel records, email, and GPS data that proves the ex-

players were sometimes far from the medical and dental offices at the times when they were supposedly getting treated.

In one instance, she said, an ex-player was playing basketball in Taiwan when he was supposedly getting $48,000 worth of root canals and crowns on eight teeth at a Beverly Hills, Calif., dental office in December 2018.

...Williams was also charged with aggravated identity theft, which carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison, for trying to frighten a co-defendant into paying a kickback by impersonating a health plan employee. (Source: Boston Globe)

None of these guys were ever household name superstars. Tony Allen probably had the best career. 

Still, the 18 combined to make $343 million in their on-court NBA careers, not counting outside income, endorsements, or what any may have made playing overseas.

It's likely that most of these men have little to show for their years on the court, rather than before the court. One of them is so broke he qualified for the services of a public defender.

A very sorry story about a lot of professional athletes is that they don't handle the financial side of the business very well. Total earnings, that should have been enough to provide a comfortable cushion for 'what's next', if not enough to retire and go golfing, evaporate. Agents scoop out a hefty sum. Many of the athletes come from poor backgrounds, and the expectation when a son/brother/buddy makes it to the pros is that he'll take care of the folks he knew back when. A house for mom. And everyone else. An entourage of schoolyard buds. Not to mention the quite natural (but - easy for me to say - sad) desire of a young man - especially one who grew up with precious little - to buy the flash car, the expensive clothing, the bling. 

So, there they are. In their thirties, maybe forties, with little to show for their life's work. And here's someone they know, someone who's maybe a lot like them in terms of background and career, promising them some walking-around money. And that money's easy. And no doubt positioned as a "no one gets hurt" kind of thing. Who cares if the NBA takes a hit? The league is rich. They won't even miss it.

What the NBA 18 might end up missing is their freedom.

Trading in basketball court for criminal court may turn out to be a really stupid play - a play that gets them fouled out of the game for as many as twenty years. Sad...