Antoine Can't Shimmy Out of This One

Posted by Courtney Fallon in Celtics, Featured Articles on May 9th, 2010 | no responses

In a February 26^th, 1990 issue of Sports Illustrated, then Kentucky head basketball coach Rick Pitino was asked to describe an alignment on his team’s defense.

“That’s our mother-in-law set—constant nagging and harassment.”

One of his former players, ex-Celtics Forward Antoine Walker, has been nagged over the past year by multiple financial institutions and Las Vegas Casinos for unpaid debts.

News broke Wednesday that Walker has reached out to Pitino, in hopes of reviving his NBA career. Word spread that Walker is set to work out with a handful of Pitino’s players over the next few weeks, writes the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Excessive gambling, frivolous spending, and invalid checking accounts put the former All-Star into debt, after he made over $110 million dollars in his 12-year playing career.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Sun back in November of 2009, the bulk of his debt is being financed, after Walker’s defense lawyers agreed upon a $12,835 monthly dividend to three separate Vegas Casinos.

“Employee #8” was the sixth overall selection by the Celtics in the 1996 draft, who went 51-113 over their next two seasons. Drafting Paul Pierce in 1998, Boston had brief success, reaching their pinnacle year in ’01-02. That year, the upstart Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals before getting ousted by Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets. Two seasons later, Walker was traded to Dallas for the priciest white guys in the biz (the Celtics received Raef LaFrentz, Jiri Welsch, Chris Mills and a 2004 first-round pick in the trade).

If Walker gains employment, he will pay $21,391 a month over the course of three years, obliged to eventually return $700,000. Makes sense that he wants to come back to the basketball court.

‘Toine was last seen playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008, and is currently represented on VH1’s “Basketball Wives” by ex-girlfriend Evelyn Lozada.

Antoine needs our help, so I have carefully cultivated a few plays for the Pitino/Walker playbook, to be rehearsed in a Louisville gymnasium later this month.

Big Baby: Lots of dribbling, no turnover.

Full House: Pitino will call the “Full House” after his team has lost, sending Antoine to center court to bargain for a double-or-nothing outcome.

Security!: When someone yells security, all bets are off. That means, stop what you’re doing, run to your phone, call your bookie, and invite him over for a night of light-hearted fun.