Constant attention is the drawback of being a pro athlete. With the big paycheck comes a spotlight so bright that even a former D-Leaguer gets exposed by the media when he shoves his fingers up a non-consenting butt. That spotlight is the reason you get the big paycheck, the adulation and the prestige. But people like to see public figures fall. Some of these men were targets for groupies. Others were merely criminals. Most of the others lay somewhere in-between. Either way, they make Tim Tebow look pretty smart right about now.
Everyone wants their legacy to be dictated by their actions on the court. But the only way that happens is if they behave themselves off of it. When you live in a world where sex sells, a bad decision can get you on the front page. Here's a History of the Craziest Sex Scandals in NBA History.
Image via Rolling Out
Tom Payne doesn't even try to stay out of prison.
People involved: Tom Payne
When Tom Payne arrived in Lexington he was being touted as "another Lew Alcindor." But a better indicator of his future may've been his low test scores which kept him from playing for the Kentucky Wildcats as a freshman. After spending his sophomore and junior seasons in Kentucky he faced more academic hurdles and instead opted to leave early for the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks drafted him which, by all accounts, is when his criminal career really took off.
Less than a year in as a professional, police were investigating a string of rapes in both the Atlanta and Lexington areas. He served five years in a Georgia prison, half of which was in solitary confinement due to participating in a prison riot. After that he was extradited to a Kentucky prison where he served five more years.
When he was released he attempted a comeback in the CBA, a boxing career, and got bit parts as an actor on both Night Court, and in a McDonald's commercial. But he just couldn't kick his sexual assault habit. On Valentines Day 1986, he was caught in the act of raping a woman by the LAPD which led to his current incarceration in the Kentucky State Reformatory.
Image via Pro Hoops History
Unworthy.
People involved: James Worthy
In 1990, NBA Hall of Famer James Worthy was about to get down with two call girls at the same time. Unfortunately, the prostitution ring was busted, and the women who came to his room were indeed undercover cops. A true ladies' man would've still been able to make it work, but instead Worthy got arrested and missed the tip-off of that night's scheduled game against the Rockets.
Image via This is why it sucks
He's a biter.
People involved: Marv Albert
It's tough to find out that the man who called NBA games while you grew up was a pervy old man who got caught red-handed in a garter belt and women's panties. He also had to admit that he had had sex with a transvestite. Again, that's what stinks about the spotlight. In 1997, he was accused of throwing 42-year-old Vanessa Perhach on a hotel bed, biting her and forcing her to perform oral sex. Albert claimed that the reason Perhach had gone public was because she was mad that he was getting engaged to someone else.
After being ousted from NBC, he returned three and a half years later showing that, unlike Perhach, Albert's behavior didn't come back to bite him in the ass.
Image via Sports Kings
"The Mailman" delivers three fatherless kids to two women.
People involved: Karl Malone
How would you feel if you found out your hero knocked up a 13-year-old when he was a college baller at Louisina Tech? That evening ended up with a future NFLer being born. Yes, that's the extent of Malone's relationship with his son Demetress Bell who was told by Malone, while in his teens, that it was too late to forge a relationship and he was on his own.
He also played his role in the birth of twins Daryl and Cheryl when he was 17 (one of whom, Cheryl, played for the Detroit Shock in the WNBA). It's unclear if he stayed long enough to come up with the adorably rhyming names.
When it was revealed that he had fathered three kids with two different women, he fought tooth and nail against the $125 a week child support payment. It has been estimated that he made over $100 million in his career.
Image via Seattle Pi
Ruben Patterson attacks his nanny.
People involved: Ruben Patterson
Ruben Patterson attempted to rape the nanny of his children in September of 2000 leading to a $5,000 fine for the man who just penned a five-year/$35 million deal. His sentence was a year but it got knocked down to 15 days. He served 10 due to good behavior. Meaning the above sob wasn't caused by a book being hurled. Later he failed to notify his neighbors that he was a sex offender. From what we understand that's a no-no.
Image via CL Atlanta
The Gold Club business model.
People involved: Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Larry Johnson, Reggie Miller, Jerry Stackhouse, Dennis Rodman
The idea behind Atlanta's Gold Club was simple, get athletes into the door (with free sexual favors) to increase prestige. Then, milk common dupes for all their worth. Owner Steve Kaplan had a vision. And that vision was getting Dikembe Mutombo into the door to wag his dick back and forth like it just blocked a shot.
On the way to the embarrassing front pages, many other NBA stars (and several additional athletes in other leagues) got tugged into the club's mess, including several New York Knicks, most notably Larry Johnson, John Starks and Patrick Ewing. Ewing got blown, twice, while Kaplan and former club owner Ziggy Sicigano watched. That's good to know.
The only NBAer involved who came off looking good was current coach Mark Jackson, who actually declined sexual favors due to being "happily married." What kind of pro athlete is that?
Image via Dilemma X
Michael Jordan accused of doing something we all assumed.
People involved: Michael Jordan
In 2002, Michael Jordan was sued by Karla Knafel, his former mistress. The very un-Space Jam friendly news is something that shouldn't shock anyone, but Knafel alleges that Jordan got her pregnant in 1991 and offered $5 million for her to zip it, lock it and put it in her pocket (a term he may or may not have used according to court documents).
As stated by Knafel, the affair started less than three months after Jordan married wife Juanita. It was looked at as a "business arrangement," and accused Jordan's wife of being "hired help." She also says that Jordan reaffirmed his $5 million commitment when she unexpectedly showed up while he was playing Black Jack at a Las Vegas card table. The story ended happily. And by "happily," we mean with Jordan getting divorced, giving Juanita $168 million and then marrying a supermodel.
Image via Penn Live
What do you get the man who has everything?
People involved: Donald Sterling
This list is not just reserved for players. Donald Sterling, the business magnate that owns the Clippers, has had a run of scandals in his life. From racial discrimination, to fake funding a homeless shelter, to heckling his own players, Sterling has lived his life like a human version of Scrooge McDuck. And like Scrooge McDuck he's also had a controversy regarding high end hookers. Check the document here if you'd like to read about a senior citizen, worth $1.9 billion, talking about "getting sucked all night long," and getting his feet licked by a prostitute whom he boned regularly "in the elevator," of his building.
Image via Top Tenz
Kobe Bryant accused of sexual assault.
People involved: Kobe Bryant
In the summer of 2003 Mamba was finally humbled, and all it took were some very serious rape allegations. Overshadowing the San Antonio Spurs' recent championship, the biggest drama in the NBA that season took place in Colorado. That's because the night before Kobe was to have knee surgery, he was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old hotel staffer. The case was eventually dismissed, after prosecutors spent more than $200,000, because the accuser refused to testify.
Bryant summed up the case with a very inauspicious quote: "Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter." Make of it what you want, but whoever wrote that for him would not get our "PR Exec of the Year," vote.
Two Eddie Johnsons. Two very different paths.
People involved: Eddie Johnson
We're talking about Eddie Johnson, born in 1955 (not to be confused with Eddie Johnson, born in 1959).
It's a very simple mix-up that many in the media made and is kind of a big deal because while the one born in 1959 is a color commentator who doubles as a motivational speaker, the one born in 1955 is a convicted rapist serving life in prison. The Eddie Johnson we're referring to makes this list due to being arrested 100 times. He molested an eight-year-old girl, while he was awaiting trial on raping another woman. If that doesn't scream "Don't give a fuck," we don't know what does. That's when media members plastered the Johnson born in 1959 all over their write-ups. To be fair, he did have a couple traffic violations.
Two years later in 2008, the bad Eddie Johnson was convicted of sexual battery of someone below the age of 12. That carries a mandatory life sentence which is why you can currently find him at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton, Fla. On his conviction Johnson said "The worst thing about this is that because of my charges I'm being treated as a sexual predator." We'll leave it up to you to decide what that means.
Image via Scrape TV
Like coach, like player.
People involved: Stephon Marbury
At the same time his coach was treading the employee-employer sexual harassment line, starting point guard Stephon Marbury was in his own metaphorical bind with the family chef. By her estimate they had gotten together for sex five times, aka five times more than his wife knew about. He offered her a million dollars to keep it from the Knicks and (probably) more importantly his aforementioned wife. After about $600,000 Marbury got sick of keeping it a secret and the case went to an arbitrator who gave her an additional $330,000.
Image via NY Times
Isiah Thomas costs boss millions in sexual harassment suit.
People involved: Isiah Thomas
In the midst of Thomas' less than positive role in the Knicks front office he put Madison Square Garden on the hook for $8.6 million, while Owner James Dolan paid $3 million out of pocket. No matter how crappy a job you do for your employer, at least you don't cost them that much. Apparently Thomas (as the coach) called Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders a "bitch" and "ho" when commenting on marketing commitments (Oh shit, you can't do that?), and made several unwanted advances. She then alleged that Thomas had her fired out of spite. Thomas finished 56-108 with the Knicks after two seasons. Totally worth it.
J.J. Redick's alleged 'abortion contract," spreads all over the internet.
People involved: J.J. Redick
It would be hypocritical and, probably, racist to not include this story after listing George's. We're fine with being one, but not both. J.J. Redick found himself in a similar situation regarding ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Lopez. Putting his Duke education to work, he allegedly had his lawyers draft up a "contract," to have Lopez abort her pregnancy if Redick agreed to try and maintain a relationship "for one year." We have no clue what the fuck that means but all signs indicate it worked from Redick's perspective. Of course, Redick countered that the rumors were false, and if you clicked that link you'll realize that a judge, at least partially, believed him based upon Lopez's lack of credibility. It appear that the kid was likely not Redick's but the contract was a backup plan.
The further stipulations that were stated in the contract said that any contact after the agreed upon dates would be considered "stalking," and furthermore, the agreement was to remain confidential. Unfortunately in real-life, where abortion contracts don't work the way they do in Disney movies, the contract went public leaving everyone to speculate about the situation and whether or not every party involved is a complete dick.
Image via Rolling Out
Alvin Robertson and his girlfriend form two-sevenths of a sex slave ring.
People involved: Alvin Robertson
It's rarely good when your name proceeds the words "busted in an underage sex slave ring." But that's exactly the predicament that former NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson has found himself in. The "ring" in question kidnapped a 14-year-old girl from San Antonio and forced her to have sex with clients and perform at a strip club. While one (of her seven) abductors was in the shower, she bolted for the nearest police station.
Image via Bossip
The selfie seen round the world.
People involved: Greg Oden
Greg Oden has a very distinct look. When you're seven feet tall it's hard to say "That's not me." Like so many failed actors before him, Oden's nudity is plastered all over the internet. This is why you finish your college education.
Let this serve as a life-lesson to anyone thinking of capturing their full-frontal in front of the bathroom mirror. Your body and genitalia will be scrutinized. We now understand what Slam's cover was referencing. Though with an additional leg, we don't understand why Oden can't play through a knee injury.
Image via Gossip Cop
Tony Parker would, literally, cheat on any woman in the world.
People involved: Tony Parker, Brent Barry
Insecure boyfriends everywhere have had their suspicions validated by this story. Tony Parker was boinking teammate Brent Barry's wife, as revealed by text messages that remained, inexplicably, un-deleted. His wife, Eva Longoria, divorced him and vanquished their most sacred bond of all, her Tony Parker wrist tattoo. Just in case you ever date Eva Longoria, you may want to heed our advice. Code your texts, or lock your phone. She's a snooper.
Image via The Examiner
Delonte West screws...Cleveland's title hopes.
People involved: Delonte West, Gloria James
By now we all know the rumor. LeBron James' mom Gloria did her best to make her son the butt of jokes by allegedly sleeping with teammate Delonte West. Fortunately, for all parties involved, every story about the two ends with a '?' meaning it's all conjecture. Regardless, after the rumor went viral, she got her wits about her and moved onto this guy—just so long as it's not a teammate anyone will do.
NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy claimed the rumors were absolutely true and contributed to the Cavs' unexpectedly crappy play in the 2010 Playoffs. If you can't trust Calvin Murphy (who has been accused of beating five of his 14 kids by nine different women) who can you trust? With that last, sarcastic, hypothetical we intended to set the record straight after so many years.
This rumor is bullshit.
Image via Rolling Out
Candy Deepthroat, not as sweet as you'd think with that name.
People involved: Matt Barnes, Lance Stephenson, Ronny Turiaf
You could find her on Twitter, or at least you could before her account got suspended. But she was living the her dream of having sex with athletes and getting paid for it. She was very boisterous about it (which may explain the suspension). As she states "I just enjoy myself and I'm a very sexual person so I sleep with sexy guys and I get paid for that. A lot of girls do it for free. I just have the mindset that if I'm gonna be boning somebody sexy, why not benefit more than just getting my orgasm on?" We got to say, she makes a strong point.
She bragged about being the reason that Matt Barnes delayed his wedding and put Lance Stephenson on blast for not paying for an alleged threesome. Word to the wise, if you're going to pick up a prostitute on Twitter, read a few past tweets to figure out her MO. If she's one of those users with 100,000-plus tweets, then she literally tweets everything and will definitely point out your discretion. Lesson learned. Do the honorable thing and pay for your threesome.
She also called out Ronny Turiaf for not getting back to her. He responded as eloquently as any athlete we've ever seen on Twitter. Somehow it got six retweets.
Image via Uptown Magazine
Lamar Odom raps about how he cheated on Khloe Kardashian.
People involved: Lamar Odom
No longer will Khloe Kardashian have to be known as Kim's sister. Now she'll be known as the person Lamar Odom cheated on and then rapped about in an alcohol-induced haze. We don't mean to Monday morning quarterback, but maybe get to know your next husband for a little longer than a month. You know, just in case of some red flags.
Image via BLOUIN BEAT
Don't touch the merchandise.
People involved: Paul George
As tempting as it can be to indulge your sense of feel at the strip club, just don't, lest you become someone's ticket out of there. In a rapidly ascending career, Paul George's pro days may have hit their first unexpected bump that developed on a stripper's stomach. Her name is "Daniela," and she hails from Miami. He's allegedly offered her $1 million to get the kid aborted, which isn't going to win him any fan favorite votes. Obviously, he denied this.
We're not sure how this sits with his girlfriend Callie Rivers, or her dad Doc, but we're going to out on a limb and say very poorly. A Clippers-Pacers Finals could be like that awkward Thanksgiving you had with your weird uncle. Provided that your uncle might have offered your parents $1 million to abort you.
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