Vin Baker works at Starbucks

[manchild98]

Lot of ways to blow a $100 million.

For Vin Baker it was alcohol, bad business moves and too many yes men and women around. When something like that happens and you hit rock bottom all you can do is pull up your bootstraps and go to work.

Baker has bounced around a bit trying to find work in the NBA and he is also an ordained minister now, but he might have found his calling at Starbucks of all places. Here is the story via the Providence Journal.

Now 43, newly married and with four children, Baker is training to manage a Starbucks franchise. He thanks CEO Howard Shultz, the former Seattle SuperSonics owner, with this opportunity. He’s also a trained minister who savors work at his father’s church in Connecticut. Most important, he has been sober for more than four years.

“In this company there are opportunities for everyone. I have an excellent situation here at Starbucks and the people are wonderful,” Baker says.

When athletes and people in general are young, they don’t think long-term and then they get old and realize they have made so many mistakes.

The crazy thing about time is it never goes backwards just forward. There is no rewind button, whatever you do is done and you simply can’t undo it, that is why athletes should heed Baker’s warning.

“When you learn lessons in life, no matter what level you’re at financially, the important part to realize is it could happen,” he said. “I was an alcoholic, I lost a fortune. I had a great talent and lost it. For the people on the outside looking in, they’re like ‘Wow.’ For me, I’m 43 and I have four kids. I have to pick up the pieces. I’m a father. I’m a minister in my father’s church. I have to take the story and show that you can bounce back. If I use my notoriety in the right way, most people will appreciate that this guy is just trying to bounce back in his life.”

“For me this could have ended most likely in jail or death. That’s how these stories usually end,” he says. “For me to summon the strength to walk out here and get excited about retail management at Starbucks and try to provide for my family, I feel that’s more heroic than being 6-11 with a fade-away jump shot. I get energy from waking up in the morning and, first of all, not depending on alcohol, and not being embarrassed or ashamed to know I have a family to take care of. The show’s got to go on.”

http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2015/ ... starbucks/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AtiliusRegulus]

Americans find sick pleasure when wealthy people go broke and when the powerful get humilitated.

[Bush4Ever]

It's easy to let yourself keep sinking when you fall from that great a height.

Credit and props to him for (seemingly) reversing the course. I can't imagine how hard that would be after contrasting that with his former lifestyle.

[Laughing Man]

I had this guy's Rookie card and a few other cards. I was a big fan of him. Doubt those cards are worth shit now.

[manchild98]

It's easy to let yourself keep sinking when you fall from that great a height.

Credit and props to him for (seemingly) reversing the course. I can't imagine how hard that would be after contrasting that with his former lifestyle.

And that's why I posted the story. Clearly he doesn't have a massive ego.

[Bush4Ever]

And that's why I posted the story. Clearly he doesn't have a massive ego.

Bob Love had a similar story, albeit playing with smaller numbers and different challenges. He had a story in "Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan Soul" that I read that was pretty cool.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Love" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Love suffered from a severe stuttering problem from childhood, which prevented him from finding meaningful employment after his playing days were over. At one point, Love was a busboy making $4.45 an hour. Eventually, the owner of the restaurant where Love washed dishes offered to pay for speech therapy classes, and in 1993 he returned to the Chicago Bulls as their director of community relations. One of his duties in this position involves regularly speaking to school children. Love has also become a motivational speaker.

[AbeVigodaLive]

It's easy to let yourself keep sinking when you fall from that great a height.

Credit and props to him for (seemingly) reversing the course. I can't imagine how hard that would be after contrasting that with his former lifestyle.

And that's why I posted the story. Clearly he doesn't have a massive ego.

Vin Baker was this guy from a small college who hit it big. He was a likeable cat. You wanted to root for him.

I remember being surprised when he got fat and drunk. (apparently, I didn't realize that it happens to people who didn't play in the Big 10 or SEC too...)

[elartman1973]

I felt like that once when I blew 50 grand I had in the bank on cocaine, booze, fine dining and a whore girlfriend and was paying for rent in three houses at the same time for a few months...
oh well

[denali4eva]

Can anyone here embellish a story better that Artie?