Interesting story that I never knew:
Hoops and drug dealers
Carter dropped out of high school at 15 and turned pro.
Well, just about.
Carter, who would later earn his General Equivalency Diploma and enroll at Saddleback College in Southern California in 1994 when he was 19, spent his late teenage years playing in high-stakes games on the playgrounds of Atlanta.
"The dope man would put up the money, and we would play," Carter said. "We used to play for the drug dealers. That's how we were going to make our money. We didn't sell the drugs."
Carter said local drug dealers would spot each team an amount from $400 to $2,000 (usually on the lower end) for five-on-five games. The winning players would split the take, meaning Carter would get $400 for a high-stakes win.
"The one who put up the money, he didn't get any (if that drug dealer's team won)," Carter said. "He just wanted the bragging rights."
Carter said games were watched by 25 to 75 people. The full-court battles were not for the squeamish.
"There was blood, elbows," Carter said.
Carter played for the Kirkwood Boys, named after his neighborhood. He said his team won more than 100 games in several years, losing only once, and he pocketed more than $10,000.
"(I used the money) to buy shoes and food," said Carter, who grew up poor. "That was the only way we could eat."
Carter has made millions in the NBA. But when he plays outdoors again Saturday, his mind will drift back to his first gig.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/oct/09/nuggets-ready-for-historic-outdoor-preseason/?partner=RSS
I like this guy. He's scrappy and a confident player. He'll be a needed 3rd small guard once the playoffs roll around.
DONNIE STRIKES AGAIN!
3/9/2011 3:03 AM