NBA Player Rashad McCants on how he lost his NBA millions and started over

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Rashad McCants on how he lost his NBA millions and started over: “Everything that I’ve ever done in the NBA is an afterthought”

McCants shares the struggles of losing his earnings and how he reinvented himself as a successful media personality.

Playing in the NBA, besides being in the best basketball league in the world and a dream come true for many hoopers of all ages, also comes with huge monetary incentives that most people never experience.

However, this kind of wealth can secure the future for generations to come if invested and managed properly, but it can also become just an afterthought if not careful enough.

The latter scenario is exactly what Rashad McCants, the former Minnesota Timberwolves guard who spent four seasons in the Association, experienced.

Drafted as the 14th overall pick out of UNC, McCants mostly played a backup guard role during his time with the Wolves.

While his career numbers in the NBA were nothing to write home about, averaging 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, Rashad still earned around $5 million for his services. On top of that, the 6’4″ guard continued his pro career for almost a decade across the globe — from Latin America to China, Europe and Lebanon.

Given the fact that sports careers do not last forever, many athletes decide to invest in their long-term wealth. However, when asked about whether he invested in anything, be it stocks, real estate or anything along those lines, Rashad didn’t have a happy story.

“No returns, man, I lost everything, I had to start over from scratch. Everything that I’ve ever done in the NBA is an afterthought. I try not to think about anything that was promising; it was all pretty much a nightmare for me, from start to finish. But I was able to get through that storm and start fresh,” McCants opened up in an exclusive with Basketball Network.

Rashad’s experience shows just how quickly things can unravel, and how even this kind of money can go away in the blink of an eye. But more importantly, it proves that a setback doesn’t have to be the end of the story, because for McCants, it was just the beginning of his second calling: being a charismatic media personality.

While we don’t know exactly how he lost his hard-earned money, Rashad said it wasn’t going to be the end of him. And just as he was a fighter on the court, he showed the same mentality off it.

McCants turned his fortunes around and successfully transitioned into a role as an contributing analyst at Gil’s Arena, where he gives his take weekly on the current happenings around the Association.

“Now, with the Gil’s Arena, number one sports show on the internet, and I think this is a staple for me, showing that even when you lose everything, you can get it back,” he humbly added.

The journey after a player finishes their career is different for everyone. Some struggle, some thrive, and some are forced to start over entirely. McCants’ story shows that you don’t have to give up even when it feels like everything is lost. Sure, it might sound like some cheap movie cliché, but for Rashad, this is the absolute truth.

Published in Basketball Network Jan 26, 2026