OT: Nik Stauskas' Biggest Takeaways from the NBA's Rookie Tr

[godkingleonidas]

Another rookie who helped keep the RTP engaging and interactive was Nik Stauskas, one of the most outgoing new players entering the league. The Sacramento Kings shooting guard spoke with Bleacher Report about the lessons he learned during the week. Below are 15 of his takeaways:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2160033-nik-stauskas-biggest-takeaways-from-the-nbas-rookie-transition-program

6. Understand the risks of sexual relationships

"The biggest thing was if you're getting to mess around with groupies, be safe and use protection. There was a big discussion about different diseases that are out there and how many people they affect, so it was about being aware of that. At the same time, it's realizing that those relationships with groupies probably aren't the healthiest ones, and you probably want to find someone that's going to be there for you and not just because you're a basketball player."

Read: wrap your junk in latex or she's gonna get your pay checks.

8. Stay away from guns and drugs

"They really recommended not to carry a firearm with you and not to own one because once you have it, there's always a risk that some sort of accident can happen. But if you get a license, it's OK. I know some guys may want one. For me, I never really even thought about having a gun before.

"As far as drugs, we heard from [former NBA player] Chris Herren [who nearly died from a heroin overdose]. It was an unbelievable story, everything he went through. It's kind of hard to believe he's still alive and he's OK now. So it was emotional just hearing the roller-coaster ride he went through. He had a very serious problem with addiction. It just makes you realize that it's not worth it to try or want to do any of that stuff because it can ruin your life."

Read: hire a former CIA operative as your bodyguard and only smoke weed @ home in the offseason.

9. Think like a businessman

"Throughout the program, I learned that every decision you make on and off the court is going to affect your business, and it's going to affect the way your brand looks. The player I look up to is [fellow Canadian] Steve Nash, who I've been good friends with for a while. It's just the way he handles himself off the court. That's someone that I could see myself being like. He's got a great sense of humor, and he's easy to talk to.

"In this game, it's important to build a brand off the court, be marketable and be able to speak to people. So they told us to keep in mind little things, like even if it's making sure you have business cards with you and making sure you get other people's business cards. It's also always realizing your surroundings are important and who you're talking to could help you later down the road."

Read: I'm not a businessman. I am a business, man.

11. Keep tabs on your cash flow

"The main things they told us are to make sure you know where your money is at all times and be aware of the things that are going on when you're getting paid. We're all young, so for all of us, it's new having a large sum of money, so it's just being aware of those kinds of things and making sure you ask questions at all times. I met with my financial advisor this week. I'm just starting to learn about that kind of stuff."

12. Learn to say "No" to financial requests

"I learned that there's going to be a lot of family and friends that are going to come to you with different ideas—and different reasons why they need your money and they need your help. [Former NBA player] Antoine Walker [who filed for bankruptcy in 2010] talked about this. That's a big way that a lot of guys have lost a lot of money: taking care of their family and friends when they didn't necessarily need to.

"Some people in the draft may come from families that don't have a lot of money, and they may have more people that are trying to be helped out. For me, I'm fortunate enough to be in a good situation where none of my family is in need of money, and they all have jobs. So I don't have anyone that is requesting for me to help them out."

Read: keep your mind on your money and your money on your mind

Best of luck & continued success to Nik Stauskas

[Purdydrup]

Damn... I wish i was an NBA player.

[pbj]

Lol Avery Johnson on Pop

"When he was with the Spurs, [Gregg] Popovich told him that he didn't belong in the NBA. Popovich was really just trying to get on him to motivate him to play better defense. He said it was tough for him to hear Popovich say that, but he didn't let it alter his confidence."

[mtcan]

Did they get Shawn Kemp to talk to the rookies about having sexual relations with groupies?

[mtcan]

Perhaps they got Javaris Crittenden to Skype in from prison to talk to the rookies about having firearms on them.

[protothe]

Did they get Shawn Kemp to talk to the rookies about having sexual relations with groupies?

Should've just had Dwight Howard come in instead....more relevant experience with today's stripper culture.

[mtcan]

Did they get Shawn Kemp to talk to the rookies about having sexual relations with groupies?

Should've just had Dwight Howard come in instead....more relevant experience with today's stripper culture.

That would be a different session: How not to treat your many baby mamas.

[artsncrafts]

They definitely talked to my boy Keon Clark!

[Volcano]

Amir Johnson came in to talk about how to deal with pornstars

Lowry gave a lecture on how not to judge women by their beauty, but by their booty

Stephen Curry was one of the guys who said to remember the little things, like bringing your ID into a restaurant if you want to drink alcohol. He also told everyone to check the age of a girl before they sleep with her. However, Karl Malone was there and disagreed with this advice.

The event was only supposed to last two days, but Masai pulled some strings and had the whole event repeated in Brazilian for Bruno.

[hankscorpioLA]

I think its great that the NBA does this. Its a shame that across the sports world so many athletes fail to take this advice. Though, it is understandable. There is a reason why so many people who win the lottery wind up back where they started financially, or worse. Its hard for people to adjust to such a dramatic change in their circumstances.

But there is another interesting part to this, which has to do with the incorrect correlation we make between money and happiness.

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/a ... 28,00.html

"People say money doesn't buy happiness. Except, according to a new study from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, it sort of does — up to about $75,000 a year. The lower a person's annual income falls below that benchmark, the unhappier he or she feels. But no matter how much more than $75,000 people make, they don't report any greater degree of happiness."

This is problematic in our society because, despite what the research says, we intuitively feel that those who make millions of dollars must be happier than the rest of us. And so when someone (like a lottery winner or a professional athlete) finds themselves in that club, they feel as though it should make them happier than they were. When they find that it doesn't, they can fall into all kinds of negative behaviors.

Now...before you respond, let me be clear...studies like this one do not say that more money makes you LESS happy. What they show is that income has very little correlation to happiness beyond $75K. If you are a happy person at $75K you will be a happy person with $10 million. If you are a miserable SOB at $75K then no amount of money will ever change that.

[protothe]

Did they get Shawn Kemp to talk to the rookies about having sexual relations with groupies?

Should've just had Dwight Howard come in instead....more relevant experience with today's stripper culture.

That would be a different session: How not to treat your many baby mamas.

Or how to deal with minors

[IMAN5]

haha pretty good summaries by OP. good job.

[JV4MVP]

I think its great that the NBA does this. Its a shame that across the sports world so many athletes fail to take this advice. Though, it is understandable. There is a reason why so many people who win the lottery wind up back where they started financially, or worse. Its hard for people to adjust to such a dramatic change in their circumstances.

But there is another interesting part to this, which has to do with the incorrect correlation we make between money and happiness.

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/a ... 28,00.html

"People say money doesn't buy happiness. Except, according to a new study from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, it sort of does — up to about $75,000 a year. The lower a person's annual income falls below that benchmark, the unhappier he or she feels. But no matter how much more than $75,000 people make, they don't report any greater degree of happiness."

This is problematic in our society because, despite what the research says, we intuitively feel that those who make millions of dollars must be happier than the rest of us. And so when someone (like a lottery winner or a professional athlete) finds themselves in that club, they feel as though it should make them happier than they were. When they find that it doesn't, they can fall into all kinds of negative behaviors.

Now...before you respond, let me be clear...studies like this one do not say that more money makes you LESS happy. What they show is that income has very little correlation to happiness beyond $75K. If you are a happy person at $75K you will be a happy person with $10 million. If you are a miserable SOB at $75K then no amount of money will ever change that.

I've heard 200k is the optimal #. I earn more than above but a lot gets subtracted from cost of living (NY). Making more just gives you so much freedom like traveling, having funds to attempt to launch own business, provide for family, etc. 75k is barely middle class in some cities. But $ certainly has diminishing returns.


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[Jballa]

In summary, you are now very rich and you are going to have lots of women who want to sleep with you and tons of opportunities to party. Tough life.

[godkingleonidas]

haha pretty good summaries by OP. good job.

Thanks. I'm a fan of Notorious B.I.G.'s "10 Crack Commandments"

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYb_8MM1tGQ[/youtube]

[godkingleonidas]

In summary, you are now very rich and you are going to have lots of women who want to sleep with you and tons of opportunities to party. Tough life.

Read: even though you feel you can walk on water, be careful that water doesn't turn to quicksand, quick fast.