Afraid of Losing Millions to Lawsuit, 7x Grammy Winner Prince Bribed Kobe Bryant’s Teammate with $500k

NBA is one of the most charismatic leagues in the world. The high entertainment value added with exceptional athletic performances brings in audiences from around the world. In fact, the charm of the NBA is so high that even superstars and legends in their own fields cannot help but be enamored by the players and the games.

So, naturally, these celebrities and many famous athletes befriend each other. Take Dwyane Wade and Kevin Hart’s friendship for example. However, there are also instances when athletes end up butting heads for one reason or the other. One such instance involved the legendary musician Prince and former Utah Jazz star Carlos Boozer.

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Prince bribed Carlos Boozer with $500k

A 7-time Grammy award-winning musician, Prince is perhaps one of the greatest musicians of the last century. The gifted musician was not just a pioneer in his field but also a flamboyant trendsetter. His fashion and enticing on-stage antics made him a fan favorite. But like all other greats, Prince had his own flaws. One of those flaws almost caused him millions of dollars.

Back in 2004, Boozer bought a fancy house in LA. His 12-13 bedroom house in Bel Air was a prime property and many celebrities wanted to rent the accommodation. However, Boozer was not interested in renting out his house until a certain somebody made him an offer too good to refuse. Prince, who was still touring back then, offered to pay $95,000 as rent. Boozer, obviously, agreed to the deal.

However, in 2006, Boozer injured his hamstring and had to head back to LA for rehab. He informed Prince he’d be dropping by but when he reached his prized mansion, he found everything about it had changed.

Boozer: “I go to the street where my house is at, and I pull up and I go to what I think is the property and I’m like, ‘Is this my house?’ I know I haven’t spent much time here, but this doesn’t look like my house. So I type in the passcode to the gate, and it opens up right away. As I’m driving up the long driveway to my house, it was this big purple rug that was going from the motor court area all the way up to the front door. And I’m like, ‘What the f**k is going on?'”

Carlos Boozer tells the incredible story of the year Prince rented his L.A. mansion. pic.twitter.com/mEFQZiINsj

— Andscape (@andscape) April 21, 2022

Boozer then called Prince to ask about all the changes. But Prince, who was on a tour, didn’t pick up the call. So, Boozer’s agent revealed they could sue Prince. However, the legendary musician called the Jazz star back at 3 A.M. and told apologized for not picking up the call. Prince then wired Boozer $500k for the troubles and promised to put everything back as it was when he was given the keys. Pretty gracious of Prince, in all fairness.

Boozer and Kobe Bryant played a season together

In 2013, Kobe Bryant suffered a devastating Achilles injury. He played only 6 games that season and was out for the remainder of the games. In 2014, the Lakers signed Boozer. The 6ft 9″ big man played 71 games. Bryant returned with the team around the halfway mark of the season and played 35 games. So, Boozer was fortunate enough to play perhaps the greatest player to don the gold and purples.

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