So you are a multi-millionaire. And you are not allowed to go to work or prepare for your job because you do not know when your seasonal employment will begin. You cannot talk to your boss or even the guy that helps you with training and rehabilitation because, well, those are the rules. You try to train and stay in shape, hopeful that your job will start in time.
But you are staring down a few weeks, maybe months, maybe a full year without a paycheck.
With time on their hands, NBA players are taking to the court during the early part of the lockout. They are serving opponents and getting served. Just not in the way you are probably thinking.
The early lockout has seen NBA players going to the legal system for various reasons. Shaquille O’Neal is facing a crazy lawsuit in California and Ben Wallace announced his intentions of pursuing a law degree after he is done playing.
They are not the only ones eyeing the legal system right now.
Dwyane Wade filed suit in U.S. District Court in Texas after some yet unidentified hackers got into his Yahoo e-mail account and Twitter account. Wade is seeking the return of any personal information taken and unspecified punitive and actual damages. Wade alleges the hacking occurred from 2007 into 2011 and involved the hackers changing personal settings and passwords.
And he is attacking these unknown hackers just like he would a full-court press. As Wade says, “Do you know Five Hour Energy? How about a four-hour nap?” Take a look:
All joking aside, if Wade was hacked and had his identity stolen, then he certainly has a right to go after them and protect his private information. Of course, he does not know who they are or how to get to them. That lawsuit should take up his time — and his pocket book — during this lockout.
Former Heat teammate Jermaine O’Neal also could be in court too. Jermaine was recently cited in a countersuit against Charles Oakley from a group of Las Vegas security officers. O’Neal is not directly involved in the suit, which alleges Oakley assaulted Las Vegas security guards on three separate occassions, but could be asked to testify as he was present for one of the incidents.
Sticking with the Heat, former Miami center Alonzo Mourning also has some legal trouble of his own.
A student from Miami is suing Mourning for injuring and nearly killing him in a car accident. Mourning then fled the scene, but returned 45 minutes later. The Heat’s vice president of player programs is extremely involved in the Miami community, but there’s still no getting around an alleged hit-and-run accident.
Inevitably more of these cases might arise. These players have a lot of time on their hands now and plenty of opportunity to get into trouble. The good part is none of these are criminal matters. Nobody is getting in trouble with the law. Well, except for Michael Beasley.
This might be the only court though we see NBA players in for a while now.
