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“He had a bag of money in the back. I just grabbed 70 racks”

Being a rookie in the best basketball league in the world is not an easy task. First, you have to manage all the changes in the environment, and if the mounting pressure to perform is there, a lot of youngsters can find themselves struggling. Add to that a whole new set of financial responsibilities and challenges, and you quickly realize why so many first-year guys feel overwhelmed, even when the checks start clearing.

That was exactly the case for former fourth pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, straight out of high school, said Eddie Curry.

Oak treated Curry with a brand new Bentley

Curry recently recalled a story where, just like every rookie who suddenly gets his hands on “a little bit of money,” he wanted to treat himself with a well-deserved present. However, little did he know that even for a first-year player in the NBA, some things were still out of his range.

At that time, as the one-time champion remembered, the Bentley GT Continental had just come out. And when he looked inside, he realized he didn’t have nearly enough to afford it. But he also had more than enough luck, because his vet, Charles Oakley, who was also playing for the Chicago Bulls at that time, happened to be driving near that same dealership and offered to help the youngster.

“Oakley got me my first Bentley, I ain’t even gonna lie to you, bro,” Curry recalled in one of his recent appearances on “Out The Mud Podcast.”

“Oak was on the Gold Coast, so he called me… He was like, ‘What you doing down here?’ I’m like, ‘Sh-t, I was trying to get a Bentley, but I ain’t got the deposit for it.’ He’s like, ‘Man, get it out the bag…’ He had a bag of money in the back. I just grabbed 70 racks, went right back in there, and got my Benley. He never asked for it back. Nothing, bro,” the retired big man detailed further.

Oakley was a great vet to have by your side

This is just another story that highlights how good a vet “Oak Tree” really was. At a moment when some guys might’ve lectured Curry about financial discipline, Oakley didn’t hesitate to loosen the wallet and help the young center out. And even though Charles was never the type of player to wow you with flashy plays, he played hard, he did all the things that never showed up in the box score and, most importantly, he was a natural born leader.

That leadership was backed up by none other than Jerry Krause, who once spoke about the kind of presence Oakley brought to the 2001–02 Bulls.

“Oak’s always been a joy to me because of the kind of person he is. Charles is a natural-born leader. He’ll be great with our younger players. They’re going to have to follow him because he will demand it, and he’ll get it done,” remarked Krause at the time, per ESPN.

And oh boy, he indeed was great with younger players. Eddy will never forget that moment outside the dealership — the day his vet reached into a bag of cash, handed him 70 grand like it was nothing, and showed him exactly what a real teammate and friend looks like.