View Full Version : Larry Sanders: Why I Walked Away From the NBA
T_L_P
02-25-2015, 01:48 PM
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/larry-sanders-exclusive-interview/
Everyone’s come up with their own theories about why I’ve been absent since leaving the Bucks. I knew people would speculate, but the crazy thing to me is that people are making it about the money. As a person who grew up with nothing, I know money is important. I’m incredibly grateful to have had the chance to play in the NBA. But at the same time, that’s not what fuels me. I’ve never chased money. It’s never been how I define success. Happiness isn’t behind a golden gate.
Everyone has to make a living. I’m no different from the person whose 9-to-5 isn’t their dream job. It’s a scary thing to walk away from security but I’m more afraid of living with the “what if.”
I love basketball, and if I get to a point where I feel I’m capable of playing basketball again, I will. I’ve had to make the difficult decision to follow my intuition, and allow myself the space and time to explore my true purpose in life.
Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhnCna8DtEg
LosBulls
02-25-2015, 01:51 PM
So what IS his true purpose in life? lol.
JerrySeinfeld
02-25-2015, 01:58 PM
So what IS his true purpose in life? lol.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DkVe4YZVllI/hqdefault.jpg
Haymaker
02-25-2015, 02:03 PM
Dude got serious emotional issues.
Akhenaten
02-25-2015, 02:10 PM
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DkVe4YZVllI/hqdefault.jpg
:roll:
dunksby
02-25-2015, 02:12 PM
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DkVe4YZVllI/hqdefault.jpg
Exactly :oldlol:
FireDavidKahn
02-25-2015, 02:14 PM
What the hell did he actually say here?
Looks like being an NBA player isn't his cup of tea...
Good for him, hope he finds what he's looking for
GreggPopazit
02-25-2015, 02:29 PM
What the hell did he actually say here?
Yeah, so vague. It really didn't clarify anything.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/170/376095999_304272ee6e.jpg
Done_And_Done
02-25-2015, 02:37 PM
He looks to me like a relieved man. A very rich + relieved man...
kurple
02-25-2015, 02:42 PM
What the hell did he actually say here?
that he doesnt want to play basketball. and that is OK, since everyone else in the world can quit their ****ing job
Milbuck
02-25-2015, 02:44 PM
:rolleyes:
oarabbus
02-25-2015, 02:46 PM
I heard that he's starting an inter-sport business: Gordon and Sanders' Used Car Dealership for Green Vehicles Only
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 03:11 PM
that he doesnt want to play basketball. and that is OK, since everyone else in the world can quit their ****ing job
Exactly. I dunno what everyone's problem is with him quitting. People are too stupid to understand that money isn't everything to everyone. Just because most of us here would like to get paid to play basketball for a living doesn't mean that someone who actually has the talent to so should. Well put:cheers:
dubnation
02-25-2015, 03:17 PM
Exactly. I dunno what everyone's problem is with him quitting. People are too stupid to understand that money isn't everything to everyone. Just because most of us here would like to get paid to play basketball for a living doesn't mean that someone who actually has the talent to so should. Well put:cheers:
I agree, but I have to admit it does irk me that he walks away with near $20M. Wish him the best of luck though.
Milbuck
02-25-2015, 03:20 PM
Exactly. I dunno what everyone's problem is with him quitting. People are too stupid to understand that money isn't everything to everyone. Just because most of us here would like to get paid to play basketball for a living doesn't mean that someone who actually has the talent to so should. Well put:cheers:
So give up the big majority of your contract. It's okay to have problems that prevent you from doing your job...but that doesn't mean you deserve to get paid. If money truly doesn't matter, don't take half of your $44 million contract and try to act like you don't give a shit about the money.
SpanishACB
02-25-2015, 03:45 PM
Exactly. I dunno what everyone's problem is with him quitting.
pity maybe?
do you think such a bum is going to succeed at anything else after a life of being a NBA player?
Demitri98
02-25-2015, 03:49 PM
So...
Basketball was just my job.
I'm a normal guy.
I love basketball but I don't feel like I can play anymore.
Basketball is not my true purpose in life.
I would have quit and kept the 44 million.
Walking away with $30+ million. Dam. Can't go wrong.
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 03:56 PM
pity maybe?
do you think such a bum is going to succeed at anything else after a life of being a NBA player?
I don't really care what he does. He's free to do anything he likes. I'm not sure even how to define success. Success to him may be sitting around and painting and feeling like he did a good painting in a month. To others it may be selling three shitty paintings a month. It's all relative.
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 03:57 PM
I agree, but I have to admit it does irk me that he walks away with near $20M. Wish him the best of luck though.
Hey man, the Bucks could have negotiated to pay him less I imagine.
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 03:58 PM
So give up the big majority of your contract. It's okay to have problems that prevent you from doing your job...but that doesn't mean you deserve to get paid. If money truly doesn't matter, don't take half of your $44 million contract and try to act like you don't give a shit about the money.
As i said in another reply (sorry I don't know how to reply to multiple people in one response), the Bucks didn't have to pay him that. They could have been stingy but they weren't and that's on them.
I have no problem with him walking away from the game, but taking a boatload of millions with him is highway robbery.
"Sanders wil receive approx. $15.2 of remaining, spread over 7 years per stretch provision.
Contract buyout reached on February 21, 2015."
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sandela01.html
Why did he even sign a 4-year extension in the first place if he knew this isn't his passion anymore?
dubnation
02-25-2015, 04:09 PM
As i said in another reply (sorry I don't know how to reply to multiple people in one response), the Bucks didn't have to pay him that. They could have been stingy but they weren't and that's on them.
Just close the quote and open a new one, like:
[QUOTE=dubnation]"..."[endQUOTE]
---
[QUOTE=Milbuck]"..."[endQUOTE].
Back to your point, though, I wonder what goes on in the process. I imagine -- and I have no idea how it really works -- the process involves a lot of lawyers on Larry's side using the CBA to extract as much $$$ as they can out of the Bucks, rather than the Bucks being charitable. If anyone has more info on the buy-out process I'd be interested.
AirTupac
02-25-2015, 04:11 PM
I have no problem with him walking away from the game, but taking a boatload of millions with him is highway robbery.
"Sanders wil receive approx. $15.2 of remaining, spread over 7 years per stretch provision.
Contract buyout reached on February 21, 2015."
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sandela01.html
Why did he even sign a 4-year extension in the first place if he knew this isn't his passion anymore?
He may be an idiot, but he's not a retard
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 04:15 PM
I have no problem with him walking away from the game, but taking a boatload of millions with him is highway robbery.
"Sanders wil receive approx. $15.2 of remaining, spread over 7 years per stretch provision.
Contract buyout reached on February 21, 2015."
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sandela01.html
Why did he even sign a 4-year extension in the first place if he knew this isn't his passion anymore?
It's these kind of questions that really show immaturity and lack of understanding. Again, who knows what was going on in his head when he signed it. Maybe he was thinking that he was going to get better and get things under control. Maybe he hadn't really been having a lot of issues yet. You don't know. But saying that " I would do X so I can't understand why he didn't do what I would do" is totally foolish. I don't know why he signed that extension. Maybe he was thinking "shit, this is a ton of money, I have a lot of people depending on me, I can suck it up and play out this extension." Did that ever occur to you? Maybe the pressure of having even more money just made him crumble that much faster. Like it or not no matter how much money, fame or whatever is at stake, people aren't robots, they're humans and have problems just like people without money.
Again, I'm not saying he's some great guy or I wanna be his best friend, I'm just looking at this objectively.
He may be an idiot, but he's not a retard
But it seems like he's expecting people to feel sorry for him.
He comes off more like a jackass and a contract thief than anything.
I wouldn't be mad if he donates a lot of that to charity.
It's these kind of questions that really show immaturity and lack of understanding. Again, who knows what was going on in his head when he signed it. Maybe he was thinking that he was going to get better and get things under control. Maybe he hadn't really been having a lot of issues yet. You don't know. But saying that " I would do X so I can't understand why he didn't do what I would do" is totally foolish. I don't know why he signed that extension. Maybe he was thinking "shit, this is a ton of money, I have a lot of people depending on me, I can suck it up and play out this extension." Did that ever occur to you? Maybe the pressure of having even more money just made him crumble that much faster. Like it or not no matter how much money, fame or whatever is at stake, people aren't robots, they're humans and have problems just like people without money.
Again, I'm not saying he's some great guy or I wanna be his best friend, I'm just looking at this objectively.
His personal issues, personal life is on him. He's free to do whatever he wants in life. However, his contract is a partnership and a commitment between him and his employer, the Bucks. And the guy just got away with $15 million to do nothing.
This would never happen to everyday working folks like us, we wouldn't be able to command a buyout like this (getting 34% of your salary to do nothing) because we have personal issues at home or whatever.
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 04:37 PM
His personal issues, personal life is on him. He's free to do whatever he wants in life. However, his contract is a partnership and a commitment between him and his employer, the Bucks. And the guy just got away with $15 million to do nothing.
This would never happen to everyday working folks like us, we wouldn't be able to command a buyout like this (getting 34% of your salary to do nothing) because we have personal issues at home or whatever.
That's true but the Bucks aren't absolved of any guilt in this either. They signed him to an extension, no one put a gun to their heads to do that. They also agreed to a buyout no one forced them to do that. I assume they did this to avoid some protracted legal battle but they could have played hardball had they wanted to. Sanders can command anything he wants in a buyout, it's the Bucks who have to decide whether or not they want to capitulate to his demands. Again, given the stretch provision and the salary cap increasing, they probably figured it was more hassle than it was worth to play hardball but again, it was their decision.
That's true but the Bucks aren't absolved of any guilt in this either. They signed him to an extension, no one put a gun to their heads to do that. They also agreed to a buyout no one forced them to do that. I assume they did this to avoid some protracted legal battle but they could have played hardball had they wanted to. Sanders can command anything he wants in a buyout, it's the Bucks who have to decide whether or not they want to capitulate to his demands. Again, given the stretch provision and the salary cap increasing, they probably figured it was more hassle than it was worth to play hardball but again, it was their decision.
Bucks signed him to the extension because they were rewarding him for a breakout year he had for 2012-13. I don't know how they could be blamed for anything other than being very charitable to Sanders.
It's just hard to sorry for the guy when you don't know him personally or his personal struggles and only see the situation from a worker-employer stand point. And in this case, it's Sanders who is at fault as a worker who can't commit.
chocolatethunder
02-25-2015, 04:57 PM
Bucks signed him to the extension because they were rewarding him for a breakout year he had for 2012-13. I don't know how they could be blamed for anything other than being very charitable to Sanders.
It's just hard to sorry for the guy when you don't know him personally or his personal struggles and only see the situation from a worker-employer stand point. And in this case, it's Sanders who is at fault as a worker who can't commit.
I don't feel sorry for him or the Bucks. I'm just being objective and not demonizing either side of this situation. Again, they weren't forced to sign him yo an extension and they weren't forced to meet his demands in a buyout. They chose to do both of those things and if they were questions about him at the time the extension was signed, then they took a calculated risk that didn't pay off for them.
christian1923
02-25-2015, 05:02 PM
No amount of money is worth living in Wisconsin
KyrieTheFuture
02-25-2015, 05:33 PM
So a physical injury is a good excuse to collect money for doing nothing but a mental one isn't? Y'all are idiots.
So a physical injury is a good excuse to collect money for doing nothing but a mental one isn't? Y'all are idiots.
An injured player will still rehab and stay with their team.
Sanders isn't gonna be part of the team anymore. I'm sure the Bucks would have helped him at any capacity. The Rockets tried to help out Royce White after drafting him.
bluechox2
02-25-2015, 05:48 PM
take his money away and send him to work at mcdonalds for a week...dude will be back in a jiffy
Knicks101
02-25-2015, 05:50 PM
People are really criticizing Sanders for this?
Meticode
02-25-2015, 05:53 PM
No amount of money is worth living in Wisconsin
I moved from Ohio to Wisconsin when I was 19. I love it and I'm glad I moved.
In any case, whatever he wants to do I hope he remains happy and healthy, whether it be in the NBA or not.
RedBlackAttack
02-25-2015, 06:09 PM
Watching the video presents a much clearer picture of the situation than trying to read the transcript. I've been curious about the Sanders situation all year and now I feel like I better understand his struggle. It's sometimes hard to get past the obvious line of thinking. Here you have what was one of the best defensive bigs -- maybe the best -- in the entire league a couple years ago and he's still in his early 20s. He should be entering his physical prime. What's he doing?
Well, none of us truly know how we'd handle fame and the scrutiny that comes with being a professional athlete. Only those people who have experienced it can understand. And, if you're stepping into that situation with pre-existing emotional and/or anxiety and depression issues?
I can see how that could be overwhelming. I sympathize with him. Now, everyone is disappointed in his career and he's become a sort of punchline. Money doesn't take care of everything.
It's probably best if he just quietly steps out of the spotlight. That kind of public life is not for everyone.
Burgz V2
02-25-2015, 06:35 PM
His personal issues, personal life is on him. He's free to do whatever he wants in life. However, his contract is a partnership and a commitment between him and his employer, the Bucks. And the guy just got away with $15 million to do nothing.
This would never happen to everyday working folks like us, we wouldn't be able to command a buyout like this (getting 34% of your salary to do nothing) because we have personal issues at home or whatever.
so why no blame on the Bucks? Why does the team that negotiated the buyout WITH HIM get exonerated, but everyone acts like Larry Sanders is such a scum bag in this situation. But the Bucks look like such a caring and generous organization...
Sorry I'm not buying that. At least acknowledge the Bucks' role in this. i'm not saying someone can't have that motive to take the money and run, but you base your assumption on speculation. At the very least, if you watched the video, he explains it pretty bluntly what it was about the NBA specifically that exacerbates his problems, yet you compare it to your mundane in no way exceptional life. Yet, being an NBA player, a good one and very well paid one at that, is somehow comparable? No. Not the same thing.
jamal99
02-25-2015, 06:37 PM
I have no problem with him walking away from the game, but taking a boatload of millions with him is highway robbery.
"Sanders wil receive approx. $15.2 of remaining, spread over 7 years per stretch provision.
Contract buyout reached on February 21, 2015."
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sandela01.html
Why did he even sign a 4-year extension in the first place if he knew this isn't his passion anymore?
**** bitches, get money.
chazzy
02-25-2015, 08:02 PM
An injured player will still rehab and stay with their team.
http://cdn.niketalk.com/0/0f/0f45d57d_nashsmellslikethevault.gif
He looks to me like a relieved man. A very rich + relieved man...
This...Good for him...
keep-itreal
02-25-2015, 09:52 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn9AeUK-jG4
RoseCity07
02-25-2015, 09:55 PM
I don't know why but something about the end of that makes me think he is gonna convert to Islam or join ISIS. I just hope he doesn't become a religious nut.
I don't know why but something about the end of that makes me think he is gonna convert to Islam or join ISIS. I just hope he doesn't become a religious nut.
You're a d!ckhead. But I'm sure you've heard that before.
CarlosBoozer
02-25-2015, 10:54 PM
You're a d!ckhead. But I'm sure you've heard that before.
Calm down brah
Anyways, that nigguh just got paid and decided to leave? F*ck, he better donate that sh*t
Calm down brah
Anyways, that nigguh just got paid and decided to leave? F*ck, he better donate that sh*t
Look, another d!ckhead.
Milbuck
02-25-2015, 11:30 PM
Look, another d!ckhead.
And this is why I said....you are so mad right now :yaohappy:
I know MCW and the Bucks shat on your franchise but you don't have to be so upset about it :oldlol:
Collie
02-25-2015, 11:34 PM
How much money do you really need to live comfortably? He's made $30m in his career, I'm sure he still has at least half of that. He can practically stop working and live off some smart investments and travel the world or do whatever the hell he wants.
JUDGE WITNESS
02-25-2015, 11:36 PM
:rolleyes:
:lol :lol youll be alright buck
CarlosBoozer
02-26-2015, 12:07 AM
Look, another d!ckhead.
:wtf:
Joyner82reload
02-26-2015, 12:24 AM
How much money do you really need to live comfortably? He's made $30m in his career, I'm sure he still has at least half of that. He can practically stop working and live off some smart investments and travel the world or do whatever the hell he wants.
Smart investments from a guy that has failed several drug tests and just gave up 100 million to "be at peace" aka get high. He's an idiot who will be broke within 5 years.
Is there a contract void in the NBA due to suspensions via failed drug tests? If so, that is why the guy quit. He realized he was going to lose his entire contract because he couldn't lay off the grass.
Jasper
02-26-2015, 01:45 AM
I'll never forget after the extension , he thanked the Bucks, and stated : It will help feed his family.
Sprewell 101:sleeping
Last year when he stepped on the court I thought to my self , will we see the same enforcer as the defensive stopper or ....
Answer occurred before the season started when he was in a night club and got into a fight...
2 years before that - he was hanging with his family , and thankful he could support them...
Kind of showed it was his time to step out and be the thud he truly is...
No tears from me ... nor should any Bucks fan.
The guy is a twerp..
I'd laugh if he comes out of the closet.
He's got plenty of cash to support his sheguy and his dope head. :pimp:
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