Via The Athletic:
“I think the reason why I’m so passionate about this is because I’m finishing up my 14th year in the NBA, and I’ve been around long enough to realize that guys in our league, we talk about everything in the locker room except for finance, except for money,” Paul said. “Nobody talks about money, because it’s one of those uncomfortable things.”
Even helping young players understand the various responsibilities and financial commitments that come with being an adult is important to Paul:
“I’ve heard so many stories. That’s why I try to talk to guys because it happens. This is a short career. In the grand scheme of life, this is a short career. You try to maximize it as much as possible. There’s the rookie transition program and all these different people that try and help you. But when you come in the NBA at 18 years old, you’re just thinking about basketball, basketball, basketball. You don’t even understand what health insurance is.”
One idea Paul has advocated for is having team governors speak to the players about finances, since those governors have acquired the wealth needed to purchase an NBA team. While he was with the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer took Paul up on his idea.
“I’ll tell you one thing, when Ballmer sat down there, everyone was all ears,” he told Murray. “My hope is that’s something we can keep implementing in our league and just try to continue that dialogue. I think guys would definitely listen to the owners and CEOs of their teams who’ve dealt with that type of money.”
