Some professional athletes must be on another planet — one where it’s hard to feed a family on $7 million a year.
Former National Basketball Association all-star Josh Smith seems to think he’s going to have to strip to the bare necessities after taking a $1.9 million pay cut this season.
Smith announced at a Tuesday press conference that he had signed with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent for the $1.5 million NBA veteran’s minimum, the Detroit Free Press reported.
His former team, the Detroit Pistons, cut him last December but still has to pay him his $5.4 million salary, bringing his total compensation to $6.9 million.
In the previous 10 years of his NBA career, Smith earned an average of $8.8 million, so this year hands him a 21 percent salary chop.
“At the end of the day, you know, I do have a family,” he said. “So, it is going to be a little harder on me this year. But I’m going to push through it, you know.”
Pushing through on $6.9 million may be a struggle that most Americans will never know (but wish they could).
Perhaps Smith was channeling NBA temper-tantrum champion Latrell Sprewell, who famously called a three-year, $30 million offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves “insulting,” adding, “I got a family to feed.”
Twitter users responded to Smith’s desperate situation using hashtag #PrayForJoshSmith.
BREAKING NEWS #Greece decided to offer part of its bailout deal to help Josh #PrayForJoshSmith
— MarTyrion (@Mar_Tyrion) July 25, 2015
@blackvoices @JBlock49 Less champagne breakfasts 4 the fam. #PrayForJoshSmith — GoodArchitects (@goodarchitects) July 25, 2015
#prayforjoshsmith Please pray for my friend Josh. Poor thing.
— Niecie (@Niecie_1234) July 25, 2015
Eating leftover rice and chicken tonight. My prayers are with you Josh Smith! #prayforjoshsmith — Thom Noland (@ThomNoland) July 25, 2015
Hope Josh Smith doesn’t wreck his knee and have to get a day job. That would be tragic. #PrayForJoshSmith #NBA
— Brian (@brianlowrider) July 25, 2015
Id like to start a food drive to help Josh in these tough times. Dented cans, expired cake mix, anything helps, people. #PrayForJoshSmith — Darwin Brandis (@DarwinBrandis) July 24, 2015
@worldwideRSS #prayforjoshsmith how will he survive???
— stephanie cuzzacrea (@StephCuzz) July 24, 2015
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