Michael Beasley’s career progression often brings up the darker side of NBA fame and money. After going 2nd overall in his draft in 2008, he played for a slew of teams, ultimately never making the impact that was expected of him, given his talent. He’s cited as one of the main reasons for younger players not to give up on hard work despite being talented, and recently, after his Big3 Championship win, he sat down and opened up about what he’d change in his NBA career.
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Beasley was drafted into a Pat Riley-coached team, and the Godfather made sure to give the young rookie some advice before he ever set foot on the court. According to Beasley, Riley advised him to get a condo for him and his mother to stay in, and to keep his circle of friends as small as possible, to avoid falling in with the wrong crowd.
He claimed that Riley even bought him a condo, but that felt like he was “being caged,” and so he ended up buying a 6-bedroom house instead.
“Pat Riley told me to get a condo. Two bedrooms, one for my mom when she came in town, and everybody else could get out,” Beas said. “I went the polar opposite. My excuse to him was that I grew up in an apartment, so I need some space. 6 bedroom house, got three dogs, got 3-4 of my n***** staying there, and then that’s where all the problems came from,” Beasley said.
Of course, with age came maturity and Beasley now knows that Riley just wanted what was best for him. Beasley admitted that had he listened to Riles at the time, he would’ve made mistakes, sure, but they would’ve been his own mistakes to make.
Michael Beasley opened up on what he’d change about his career: “If I could do it all over again, I would have just listened to Pat Riley. Pat told me to get a condo for me and my mom. I got a 6-bedroom house, dogs, homies staying in… that’s where the problems came from.”
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“My f***-ups would’ve been my f***-ups. Most of my, most of the f***-ups people know me for was me taking the rap for other people around me, and me just being a famous person,” he said.
“If I could do it all over again,” he continued, “I’d have listened to Pat. Lance Blanks, RIP, he tried. I thought it was intrusive, but Lance Blanks literally came to my house, he moved me out of my house, and moved me into a condo right across the street.”
He continued that both Blanks and Riley, despite having his best interests at heart, had people watching over him in said condos, and that made him feel he “was in a cage.”
Beasley may not have had a memorable NBA career, but his resurgence after retirement has been fascinating to watch. After beating Lance Stephenson in a 1v1 contest a few weeks ago, he went on to secure the Big3 MVP and win the championship along with former teammate Mario Chalmers.
