I’m an NBA No. 1 overall pick and earned $61million – I lost my fortune and at lowest point had just $3,000 to my name
JOE Smith has opened up on losing the majority of his NBA fortune.
The former basketball star, 48, revealed at his “lowest point” he had just $3,000 left in his bank account.
Former NBA star Joe Smith has opened up about losing the majority of his $61m fortuneCredit: Getty
The former No. 1 overall pick had just $3,000 in the bank five years agoCredit: YouTube/DJVlad
Smith was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft.
He earned over $61million in his nearly two-decade career in the league, where he played for 12 teams.
Standing 6-foot-9, Smith became one of the most traded players in NBA history.
Since retiring from basketball in 2011, the power forward has attempted to forge a coaching career.
But he struggled with his finances, appearing on the CNBC reality TV show Back in the Game five years ago, per the New York Post.
The show featured ex-MLB star Alex Rodriguez helping former athletes who had “fallen on hard times and needed help getting back on their feet financially.”
During a recent interview with Vlad TV, Smith revealed his finances had dipped to less than $3,000 at the time of filming the show in 2018.
He also admitted to being “in debt” at the time and added: “It was a very low point.
“When I say I was in a deep, deep, deep depression, like mentally messed up, I’m telling you I was there.
“But that TV show, I thought would help more with the stuff they were saying they would do, and saying that they would help me with.
“Once we finished shooting that was it. I couldn’t get in touch with anybody at the TV show. So I was kind of just left out to dry after that show aired.”
Smith started a basketball academy teaching skills and development training in 2015 and claimed he was living “paycheck-to-paycheck”.
He added that his NBA pension “has yet to kick in.”
Smith hit the headlines last month after finding out his wife Kisha Chavis ran an OnlyFans account.
The 16-year NBA veteran caught his wife scrolling through her profile, leading to a viral video of their resulting argument circulating on social media, per TMZ.
Following the release of the video, Smith reportedly left the family home.
Smith continued: “It’s a real issue. The video hurt, but then also, the fact that the way I had to find out about the OnlyFans page, that’s another thing on top of that that hurts as well.”
