If you use Twitter, perhaps you saw this: Delonte West an NBA guard on the Celtics who has collected roughly $14 million in salary during his up-and-down seven-year career, claims to have put in a job application at Home Depot.
Here are his exact words: “Pride 2 the side.. just filled out a application at Home Depot.. Lockout aint a game..”
He’s talking, of course, about the NBA lockout. The work stoppage is expected to cost the league at least half the season — perhaps all of it. If you look at West’s salary, conservatively, he took home $8 million after taxes and paying his agent and lawyer. Obviously $8 million over seven years is still good loot, but we’re talking about the NBA here, and you know how players in the league roll. If you’re not driving a big-body Benz, you might as well be playing in the D-League.
I firmly believe West actually applied to Home Depot. Why not go and play overseas? Some wonder if his September 2009 arrest for driving a three-wheel motorcycle with a 9mm Beretta pistol, .357 Magnum and a Remington 870 arsenal in a guitar case on his back is the reason. Or maybe he’s just not in high demand?
Boris Said what?
Would you believe me if I told you the best trash talk this week didn’t take place on the baseball diamond or the football field … but in the NASCAR infield?
I think Boris Said could win trash talking quote of the year for this smackdown of fellow driver Greg Biffle:
“He is the most unprofessional little scaredy cat I’ve ever seen in my life. He wouldn’t even fight me like a man after. So if someone texts me his address, I’ll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs. He needs a [freakin’] whooping and I’m going to give it to him. It’s not right to wreck cars, but he’ll show up at a race with a black eye one of these days.”
Burn! The threat of a black eye and showing up at Biffle’s house is real talk.
Beauty queen update
Giants pitcher Barry Zito is dating and possibly engaged to Miss Missouri (2007), Amber Seyer. She’s kind of, sort of, a cross between two of his previous celebrity girlfriends (Alyssa Milano, Hilary Duff).
Dallas Mavericks’ guard Rudy Fernandez is dating Miss Spain (2000), Helen Lindes. And, yes, that obviously means that Fernandez is required to go out to dinner with new teammate J.J. Barea … remember, he’s dating Zuleyka Rivera, the 2006 winner of Miss Universe.
– Jason Raj McIntyre covers athletes off the field and runs the popular blog, The Big Lead.
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