Former Celtics star gets brutally honest about facing bankruptcy years after stardom

Antoine Walker was once one of the stars in the NBA during the late 1990s and mid-2000s, making a name for himself with the Boston Celtics. Starting in the league at 19, Walker quickly rose to one of the league’s rising stars, earning an All-Star nod in just his third year to kickstart his six-year, $71 million contract once he was 21.

As young as Walker was, financial management was a dilemma for him. Speaking on the "Financial Freestyle" podcast, he opened up about his bankruptcy years following his rise to stardom. He explained that the money he signed for during his early NBA career went to dust just as quickly as he became one of the faces of the Celtics in the 1990s.

"The money came so fast without the education," he said.

Walker went bankrupt in 2010, two years after wrapping up his career in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He eventually got out of it in 2013, but what he learned from that stretch stayed with him.

Understanding the dangers of spending too much money, Walker believed he had a mission to educate those who earn such basketball money to help them avoid the same problems that he went through following the end of his career.

"I think it's my job to kind of use the things that I did wrong and just help [others] out,” Walker said. "I know the things that they want to do. I know the things that they're buying. I know the things that they're overlooking ... I try to put that back in their face and understand that this basketball career or any sports career is going to be short-lived, and you got a whole life to live after your career is over with."

Walker earned an NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2006, playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal and a young Dwyane Wade. His championship ring was even sold during his bankruptcy years to live on.

Walker played 12 years in the NBA and earned $108 million in salary, which went to naught due to his bankruptcy.

Former Celtics star Antoine Walker hopes for kids to learn about lifestyles

Antoine Walker’s experience led him to become an advocate of financial education. In the same podcast, he hopes that kids will be taught about the dangers of lifestyles and the importance of living below their means.

“I think we have to start teaching our kids about their lifestyle … Because when you're making money ... everything is going good—you're buying cars, you got houses, you got jewelry, you got all these things going on. But at some point, the money's going to stop coming in the way it came in the beginning,” he said.

Walker now works in the broadcasting industry, providing analysis for the SEC Network and 120 Sports.

Even decades after his career, Walker is remembered as a Celtics legend who once led the team in the 1990s.