Old 08-17-2009, 11:01 AM
  # 5 (permalink)  
Taking5
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LA - Lower Alabama
Posts: 5,068
Basketball players and booze:

Chris Mullin was approached by his then coach, Don Nelson, about his drinking. He cleaned himself up and made the all star team several years in a row, and the 1992 Dream Team with Bird, Magic, Jordan, etc.

This was after he damn near drank his way out of the league. Talk about a powerful disease! Ironically his coach is infamous for after hours bar crawling in NBA circles.

Another basketball player, I don't know if he was alcoholic but he gave up alcohol for his career, was Boston Celtic center Robert Parrish.

John Drew, an NBA player for several years, was an alkie and drug addict, despite a multimillion dollar career. Charles Barkley writes about running into him living on the street (in Atlanta, I believe) and gave him all the money in his pocket, about $600. Charles says he has no idea where John Drew is today. They played in college together.

Eddie Griffin has already drank his way out of the NBA, and he is only 25. He played at Seton Hall in college and the MN in the NBA.

Chris Washburn from NC State was a 7' althetic specimen widely thought to have the potential be the next great player when we was drafted in 1986. He had already shown his alcoholic tendencies and as a result was not drafted until 4th, even though he was clearly the top talent in the draft that year. He drank and drugged his way out of the league in 3 years. Scottie Pippen said he was the most talented player he had ever played against. In case you are not much of a basketball fan, Scottie Pippen played with and against Michael Jordan, who I am sure you have heard of.

Obviously I am a basketball fan, and it is sad that some of these incredibly talented people did not make anything out of their talent.

It is equally sad for all of the nameless drunks and addicts out there that didn't live up to their potential in their chosen careers, or as fathers/mothers, etc.
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