The Golden Age of Basketball

[A few weeks before the draft, I met with NBA chairman Mr. David Stern, and he asked me, "Where would you like to play?"

I don't want to create any conspiracy theories, but he really did ask me that, and I told him, "Of course, wherever it's hottest, that's where I'll go."

Orlando is very hot, and so am I.

In the 1992 draft, I was incredibly hot. Everyone knew I would be the first pick.

I was very eager to join the NBA, but I still considered staying at Louisiana University for another year.

I was worried about my future, which is understandable.

I called Coach Dale Brown and told him I was leaving.

He said, "I know why you're calling. You're right; you have to leave. They've hurt you too much in college games. You should leave before you get injured."

Coach Brown's words relieved me, so I asked, "But the NBA isn't necessarily safe either."

"No, the NBA is much safer, as long as you don't deliberately stir up trouble. Besides, Ah Gan doesn't hit people as much now."

Brown mentioned Ah Gan, a name that was both exciting and intimidating.

This summer, he would win his sixth championship trophy.

Achieving a second three-peat is an incredible feat. I practically grew up listening to his basketball legends.

I know all about his classic battles; I've watched some live and they really got my blood pumping.

In high school, I was determined to become a center like him, to maximize my strength.

"I won't let you down, Coach. I will carve out my own path."

That's what I told Coach Brown, then I quietly left campus without telling anyone.

Back at the military base in San Antonio, I started reaching out to agents.

Coach Brown introduced me to Leonard Amato.

He handed me a business card and said, "Sign with me, and I can get you whatever you want. Let's start with earning a $250,000."

Honestly, I was shocked at the time.

$250,000 was an astronomical figure for me then.

But half a month later, in April 1992, I hadn't even been drafted yet.

I had already landed a $1,000,000 endorsement deal for a car ad.

I couldn't believe it, $1,000,000!

I spent all that money in two days.

The first thing I did was help my parents settle their debt problems and pay off what they owed.

The second thing was to immediately go to a Mercedes-Benz dealership and buy a car.

When I got home, my dad asked, "Where's my car?"

I promptly went out and bought him one too.

Then I thought, my mom should also have a Mercedes to cruise around the city.

So, within a week, I bought three Mercedes cars.

The result was that the Mercedes dealer called me, saying I still owed them $90,000.

I said that's impossible, I had $1,000,000, more than enough.

Later I found out that after taxes were deducted from the $1,000,000 endorsement fee, over $400,000 was gone.

I actually only received just over $500,000, damn it.

I told my mom I needed an accountant.

Among all the interviewees, I chose Lester Konispeier.

He was conservative, not flashy, but very sincere. He didn't boast about "I can handle everything" but said "You can check my work anytime, and I'll answer any questions."

This attitude won my mom's approval, and I hired him.

He didn't just work for me; he also represented some rappers.

Hiring Lester initiated a beautiful friendship.

Lester is my confidant, and when I have crazy ideas, he stops me.

But when I bought too many cars, gave too much money to relatives, and everything started getting out of hand, he would bring me back to reality.

He's very successful, saved a lot of money. I asked him how he did it.

He told me, "I bought annuities."

"What's that?" I asked.

"You pay a fixed insurance fee to a life insurance company, and years later they return it to you in fixed amounts."

This sounded like what I needed.

When I started making big money, when I had more money than I could spend, I invested most of it in annuities.

I bought one for myself, my parents, and my siblings.

This meant when I turned 40 (which then seemed like a far-off future), I'd receive a nice income.

This would ensure a good financial situation for the rest of my life.

Thank you, Lester.

Of course, sometimes Lester worries about me.

I know it, he says that one shouldn't be overly generous.

My thought is that you can't take money with you when you go.

My parents don't ask for much. I want them to be happy and enjoy their retirement.

The same goes for my siblings. Family means everything to me.

That's not to say a distant cousin from Georgia could claim we have the same hairline and end up on my payroll.

I'm not that foolish.

In May, in the draft lottery, the Orlando Magic indeed got the first pick.

They were really hot, just like me.

As the draft day approached, Orlando people were getting more and more nervous.

Because in public, I never mentioned this city.

Rumors circulated that Leonard was trying to trade me to the Lakers.

Although Leonard might have been happy to, that wasn't true, and we didn't do it.

I'm a bit superstitious, and I won't comment on anything until it's actually happening.

Including being the first pick to enter the NBA and winning the NBA championship.

On the night of the draft, the Orlando Magic invited over ten thousand spectators to the arena to announce in person that they chose Shaquille O'Neal.