Video Shows `90s NBA Star Antoine Walker Has Put On Pounds Since Career Ended
It's not uncommon professional athletes to lose their physiques once they leave the game.
Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is no different. He once starred for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks before winning a championship with the Miami Heat in 2006.
After being an All-Rookie performer in 1996-97, he became a three-time All-Star. He averaged 17.5 points before calling it a career in 2008. At 47, he is no longer the player who galloped down the court in the 220-pound range.
A recent Instagram video shows he is much heavier than his playing days. NBA greats Shawn Kemp and Charles Barkley are also among the many who had similar weight gain post-retirement.
Walker is now doing his best to help educate young NBA players about avoiding his fate. Shortly after his retirement, he was broke after gambling debts and a luxurious lifestyle caused him to blow $108 million in career earnings. He has since launched a program to teach financial stability to young athletes.
"I lived a very good lifestyle where I took care of not only myself, (but) my brothers and sisters," Walker told USA Today in 2017. I was the oldest of six, so I watched my mom raise us by herself. I have two kids of my own… and I brought friends along on the journey as well. I ran with a group of friends, seven or eight of us that grew up in the same neighborhood."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
