Having been picked with the second overall pick by the Washington Wizards, Alex Sarr is now an NBA player. Of course, with that gig, comes a lot of money. However, being the 19-year-old that he is, the Frenchman didn’t have the clearest of ideas on where his money needs to go as soon as he gets it. Luckily for him, however, Kenny Smith recently sat down with him to help him out.
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In an event hosted by the National Basketball League (Australia’s Official Basketball League), Smith asked Sarr where he thought his money should go first. The now-Washington Wizard answered candidly that he would be looking for a nice place to stay. However, much to his chagrin, Kenny then broke down how things would really go down.
Sarr: “[With my $1 million] I’ll probably get a nice place”
Smith: “Nope! First thing you’re going to do, is give a little bit to Uncle Sam, you give him half! $1 million is now $500,000! Now you have $500,000 with you. What are young going to do?”
Sarr: “Get a nice place?
Smith: “Nope! You have an agent. Now he takes his 5%, now you got $425,000. Now, what are you going to do?! [per The Boardroom]
Sarr then repeated that he would get a nice place. At first, Smith looked as though he was ready to say another ‘nope’, as he asked the 19-year-old if he had a girlfriend. However, when he said no, the former NBA man laughingly agreed that he could finally start looking for a place.
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As per Sportrac, Alex Sarr is expected to sign a four-year, 51.1 million contract, which will bring his yearly salary to $11.2 million. Of course, this figure is quite a bit higher than the $1 million salary that Kenny Smith talked about. However. his advice to Alex Sarr puts the plight of the NBA players into perspective.
Before they can do absolutely anything with their money, a little over 50% is siphoned away by factors that are out of their control. Really, it is no wonder why so many professional athletes are so disgruntled with the money they are forced to pay, despite their hard work.
Coming back to Smith and Sarr, it wasn’t just finances that the two talked about during their time together. Kenny also talked about the player that Alex reminded him of. And suffice it to say, it’s a bit of an eyebrow-raiser.
Alex Sarr reminds Kenny Smith of a smaller Victor Wembanyama
Being an analyst with TNT, Kenny Smith has had plenty of time to watch and understand players in the NBA today. So, with the analyst having seen the almost mythical abilities of Victor Wembanyama, it was a bit shocking to see him compare Alex Sarr to the Frenchman. On the topic, he said,
“When I watch you [Sarr] play, It’s a smaller version of Wembanyama. Defensively, I think that’s where you can make your biggest impact initially, because of your speed, athleticism around the rim defensively” [per the NBL]
Standing at 7 feet and very athletic, Sarr indeed has the potential to be one of the better players in the NBA. However, Victor Wembanyama has proven himself to already be arguably the best the league has seen in a long time in that department.
Comparing Victor to Alex from so early on seems almost unfair to both parties. That said, Smith is seldom inaccurate with his opinions on today’s NBA. So, perhaps fans in Washington have a lot more to look forward to than they ever realized.
