Lafourche bayou boy was a man after God’s own heart
July 14, 2015
A page torn from history: Bayou area’s hidden past emerging from the shadows
July 15, 2015
The world of professional sports is driven by money.
It’s no secret. Athletes come out of college, perform at the peak of their potential and then try and parlay those talents into contracts that can sometimes be as valuable as $100 million or beyond.
Pro sports are commercialized. They are games and leagues where greed is commonplace. It’s an all-out paper chase where the young men and women involved try and squeeze every possible penny out of their team owners as humanly possible, because they know that their earning potential in life will not last forever.
But on the rare occasion, an athlete will go rogue and will stray from the norm. Sometimes he/she will opt for less money to be in a better position to enhance his/her careers.
These are usually players who take less money for a shot at more playing time or other underlying factors that can create opportunities for more success and money in the future.
These are usually younger players looking for opportunities to come into their own and grow into stars. It’s uncommon, but it’s not unheard of. It does happen from time-to-time.
And then there’s David West, who completely rewrote the book on the art of willingly taking a paycut this past week. He is now the gold standard for selflessness in the world of sports.
Folks in Louisiana know West because he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans’ organization for the first eight seasons of his career. He left the team after the 2010-11 season, and has been with the Indiana Pacers ever since.
West is a good, solid NBA player. He was never a star, but he was always a starter – the kind of guy who is always like the third or fourth best player on your team.
As he’s gotten older (West will be 35 when next season begins), the big, physical power forward has slowed down, but is still effective.
West had the option in his contract to be a Pacer in 2015-16 – a player-option that would have kept him in Indiana for $12 million.
He declined that option and became a free agent – free to sign with any team of his choosing.
West signed with the San Antionio Spurs this past week.
The price? $1.5 million per season.
You do the math. West left more than $10 million on the table to join the Spurs.
His reason? He wanted to win the NBA Championship – one of the only honors that West has never earned in his storied career.
So that begs the question. What would YOU be willing to sacrifice to reach the pinnacle of your
given profession?
See, I wouldn’t be able to do what West has done. I know that the dude has made something like $87 million in earnings throughout his career (not counting endorsements or other income), but $10 million is still $10 million. When it’s floating, it’s better to be floating in your bank account instead of someone else’s – no matter how wealthy one may be.
I understand wise and savvy savings. I also understand that $87 million is more money than I will ever make in my lifetime, even if I live to be 180.
But why not shoot for $10 million more while you’re still able to earn it? I am a journalist. Talking to people is part of my job.
Know one thing I have never heard another person say? I’ve never heard anyone complain about having too much money.
Not once.
Know what I have heard many of times from former athletes, though?
I’ve heard tales of folks who once had it all, but made a few poor choices and now have nothing. Those folks would slay dragons for an extra $10 million, but they’re now relegated to living like average Joe’s because of their pasts.
I applaud West’s selflessness, but it’s a level of selflessness that I wouldn’t have been able to have in my own life.
For starters, I’d have taken the money just for the people around me. Agents get 10 percent, right? Can you imagine the look on West’s agent’s face when he learned that his cut was about to be cut by almost 1,000 percent from what it could have been?
I understand the other side of the argument, which is that West REALLY wants to win the NBA Championship, and joining the San Antonio Spurs gives him a very strong chance to do that.
But it’s still no guarantee.
The NBAs Western Conference is brutally deep – so good that the Spurs didn’t even make it out of the first round of the playoffs this past year.
Sure, the team has made additions in the offseason, which makes them one of the favorites to win it all. But it’s still, at best, just a coin’s flip regarding whether or not West will get that coveted ring.
When dealing with that much money, that’s a huge risk to take.
The Spurs had better win the Championship next year. That, or Mr. West will have a lot of explaining to do to his wife, kids, agent and everyone else around him who is probably wondering just what the heck he’s doing by walking away from that-much cash.
