Sebastian Telfair is one of the better-known NBA cautionary tales about money and finance.
The New York City hoops legend played 10 seasons in the league but ultimately got nothing to show for it.
While he had his reasons , including that he wasn't really earning that much, Bassy also pointed his fingers at the women in the lives of these NBA players. Telfair felt that the women were a massive financial drain, especially when it was time to call it quits on the marriage.
John Salley , apparently, has something to say about it.
Telfair was a married man. He tied the knot with his high school sweetheart, Samantha Rodriguez, but ultimately divorced due to a turbulent relationship.
In that case, Sebastian may have a point. According to the 2005 first-round pick by the Portland Trail Blazers , most NBA players' wealth dissipated after their divorces. He was not directly referring to his own relationship, but cited cases of high-profile superstars like Kevin Garnett , Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan.
Therefore, Bassy concluded, wives are the bane of NBA players' existence. They bleed them dry and then leave with half of their money and property when it's all said and done. Telfair essentially stopped short of calling them "gold diggers."
While Salley did not necessarily disagree, he pointed out something that the players seemed to conveniently overlook ー they allowed that to happen themselves.
"I get where he is at that point," Salley said of Telfair's take on Vlad TV.
"But that's what prenups are for… Understand what you're signing if you think it's about money… If it's your money you're worried about, protect it. If you feel that they're only after you for your money, this is where it gets hypocritical. That's why you bought that chain, that car. That's why you have on that Gucci and that Louis Vuitton. That's why you got a $250,000 watch. That's why you got a barber as one of your best friends."
"That's why you got all of this stuff, is to attract women," added the four-time NBA champion.
Salley hit the nail on the head with this one. You can't spend nearly a million dollars on yourself and then act surprised that the women are attracted to your money. That's not a gold-digger problem, but a problem of self-awareness.
John's point was really simple: You can't set the table and complain about who shows up to eat.
The irony of Telfair's argument is that the solution was always there in front of him. He could have approached a financial advisor and a lawyer and signed a prenup.
Or, as Salley floated the idea out, he and his girlfriend could just live together without tying the knot and marry her after he retired.
In any case, the lesson is to protect yourself at all costs. The money is real, but so are the consequences. One bad decision, financial or otherwise, can unravel years of work faster than any injury ever could. And in a league where careers end in an instant, the window to get it right financially is a lot shorter than many realize.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
