What Current Players Can Learn From Darius Miles
What former Trail Blazers forward Darius Miles’ bankruptcy can teach the current crop of players.
A story from the Belleville News-Democrat has recently shed light on a former Trail Blazers player’s trouble with money. According to the story, Darius Miles is now bankrupt. Even though his career came to an abrupt end, it is still shocking that the 61 million dollars he earned as a NBA players is gone (courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com).
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Miles’ plight should be a strong reminder to the current crop of Trail Blazers players that recently received a pay raise over the summer. Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, and Maurice Harkless are just three examples of players on the current roster that are about to enjoy a solid pay raise (a massive one in Crabbe’s case). Miles was just 23 when he signed a nine million dollar a year contract with the Trail Blazers, which shows how quickly fortunes can change.
Luckily for Rip City fans, the team has built around solid character in the post Jail Blazers era. Miles had his fair share of trouble with authority during his professional career, which likely contributed to his current financial situation. Unlike the teams of the early 2000’s, the roster of today is built around chemistry and accountability.
Despite having a roster made up of high character guys, the Trail Blazers can still use this as reminder of how important personal responsibility is. All of Miles’ talent on the court couldn’t help him outrun his poor decisions off of it.