Eddy Curry was a promising basketball player in high school, so good that he made an immediate jump to the NBA in 2001. He bypassed a chance to study college at DePaul University, a decision he regrets.
Curry has since been considered one of the busts of that class. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls but never really made an impact in the NBA.
He did work on his game though much of that was marred by health issues. That included being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat that somehow set the tone of his NBA tenure.
That condition became an obstacle, technically making him a high-risk player. Aside from the Bulls he also had stints with the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. He wound up his career in 2013 in China with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
Since then, Curry has been out of the spotlight though he has remained active in the Champions Basketball League. On the side, he acts as a motivational speaker where he reveals his greatest regret in life – bypassing college.
Curry shared that disappointment of not securing a diploma, Naperville Times reported. Aside from that, he also shared how he was babied in Chicago when he was drafted, perhaps the only best part of his jump to the pros.
Everything changed for Curry after his stint with the Bulls, struggling like other NBA journeymen to hook up with an NBA team. He does, however, hold something that most NBA players long for – an NBA ring which he won in 2012 with the Miami Heat.
That was more of a free ride for Curry who played alongside another player making the leap from high school, LeBron James. But after that, it was all downhill.
At 33, Curry could still technically make it back to the NBA. It will take a lot to get himself back on track like a change of lifestyle and using the NBA D-League as a springboard.
If he opts to pursue a diploma, he can go back to school if he really wanted to, CBS Sports reported. He is still young and can still turn things around.
Check out the video below showing that fateful day when Eddy Curry was selected in the 2001 NBA Draft.