Home

NBA

“Went From $100,000,000 to a Fu**ing League Minimum”: Far Away From His Prime Years, LeBron James’ Former Lakers Teammate Shares Unfiltered Wisdom

Published 07/11/2023, 5:50 AM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Playing in the NBA might not always turn up rainbows and butterflies for everyone. The hardships that the league presents may not be easy to overcome. “The Chosen One”, LeBron James has had an illustrious career in the NBA for 20 years so far. The 38 year old has defied all odds to become one of the greatest to ever play in the league. However, his former teammate, Andre Drummond has not experienced that kind of success in his career.

Just 4 years before coming off the bench for the Chicago Bulls, Andre Drummond was a 2 time All Star. He was the face of the Detroit Pistons franchise and was being hailed as one of the best centers in the league.

Drummond shared a heartfelt message

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Drummond had a mammoth deal with the Pistons. He was starting every game, playing the most minutes and treated like a superstar. Since 2021 however, he has been riding the bench for multiple teams. In a recent Instagram post, he opened up about his journey as a teammate.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by NBA on ESPN (@nbaonespn)

While talking to some younger players, Drummond said, “I understand who you guys are and what’s going on….this is not what this is fellas. And the sooner you guys realise this s**t, the better“.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Drummond slammed the attitude of players coming off the bench by saying, “But to be pouting on the bench, making faces…“. He then went on to share a personal experience saying, “I was that guy, I was a $100M guy….and I had a bad attitude. I went from a $100M to a f***ing league minimum.

He further stated what teams care about in a player. “They don’t care how many rebounds you get, how many threes you make, they care about you being as a person…..are you someone they can count on each and every night, I’m talking about consistency.

He urged the youngsters to “play a 100% each single time you step on that f***ing floor” insisting strongly on consistency.

Andre Drummond has had a turbulant career

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Andre Drummond has seen it all. Drafted by the Detroit Pistons, he soon became a brutal force in the team lineup. After his All Rookie Second Team honors, the world knew Drummond was here to stay. Just 3 years later, he was dominating the league. He received his first All Star selection as well as an All NBA Third Team selection in 2016. He further went on to receive another All Star selection in 2018.

via Imago

After the sensational 2016 season, the star signed a whopping $127.2M contract extension with the Pistons. A big payday for one of the most dominant centers at the time. However, in 7 years since, Drummond has played for 6 different teams. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2020, then went onto join forces with the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James in 2021. After signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021 and being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the same season, he finally signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2022. However, every contract of his from 2021 has been a veteran minimum or slightly higher.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch This Story: Heated Feud Between Surfing Icon Sarah Brady and Ex Jonah Hill Disrupts the Internet

Going from a $127.2M deal to a veteran minimum can never be easy. But Drummond’s share of struggles have not stopped him from being a great teammate. The 11 year veteran has learnt several tricks in the game as well as some life lessons along the way.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sachit Kaundinya

360Articles

One take at a time

Sachit is an NBA content writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following the NBA for several years and is deeply passionate about the sport and it’s strategic aspects. Combining his passion and desire to stay connected with basketball, Sachit pursued a writing career.
Show More>

Edited by:

Bilal Handoo