Let me break down some facts for you. The average age of an NBA player is 26.7 years old, nearly a full year younger than it was 20 years ago despite high school players now being ineligible for the Draft. Every year, the NBA Draft dumps a new crop of fresh-faced, would-be college sophomores into the league. At this moment, there are 24 players on teams who still can't legally drink. Which is wild when the average salary of an NBA player is $4,584,080. That's a lot of responsibility for someone that age.

What were you doing at their age?

Even more, what would you be doing if you were them? What would you be doing with paychecks that heavy, women that inviting, and with little knowledge that a significant percentage of your past, present, and future acquaintances are trying to hustle you? Let me tell you—you’d be partying.

When a young player dreams of playing in the NBA, that dream rarely comes with downsides. The tradeoffs of achieving that dream are hard to understand and even harder to accept. Reaching what many thought was an unattainable level of success yet having to be constantly conscious of your safety when out enjoying yourself or interacting with a lady can be a lot for a young player to process.

When I have the opportunity to meet a young athlete, the first chance we get to sit and talk, I share everything I know about their new life. I’ll touch upon the risks that they are briefed about in the rookie symposium—but then it gets real. I go into hours of stories to help them understand how real things are about to get.

For example, I’ll talk about the time a player I was close with in the early ‘90s ignored my warnings, got hustled by some girls I knew, and in a matter of six months was on TV in court in jeopardy of losing everything. He was having too much fun to see the truth.

Or I’ll tell them about the industry girl who had a paid relationship with a well-known player. She convinced herself they had a relationship while, at the very same time, he was trying to keep things quiet and not personal. I spoke with someone very close to this player to send the warning that needed to be sent, but still, I am sure to this day he lives in fear knowing she saved every message, every hotel receipt, and has a false sense of what their relationship was about.

At any moment it could crumble for him and his family. No hookup is worth all of that. That is the lesson I teach these young men.

I’ll also share examples that they may have heard about in the news and then fill them in on the behind-the-scenes details of what really happened, as my previous career gives me access to many of those untold truths.

There are quite a few girls in the adult industry who have purposely placed themselves into a situation that ended up being very profitable for them. It isn’t a fun conversation to have with an excited millionaire in their early 20's, but I think coming from me these warnings have a much greater impact. As much as I want to join young players in their optimism, with my knowledge it’s my responsibility to tell them how at-risk they are and, most importantly, what to look out for. It’s crucial they have a clear understanding of what is real in order to avoid the pitfalls of celebrity.

