Stephen A. Smith wanted to make a bet.
Pierce froze and looked at Stephen A. Smith.
I was just using a figure of speech, he thought. It just means I'm sure of it.
You actually took me seriously?
Don't you ever say "I bet" in your everyday life?
But as a commentator, Pierce couldn't back down. Besides, he was doing it for the show. He spoke up at once. "Let's bet on that $500,000 Ferrari in the parking lot."
Stephen A. Smith took the opportunity to mock him. "Give me a break. You can't even afford the monthly rent on that Land Rover Range Rover—more than $4,000—and you're talking about a $500,000 Ferrari?"
Stephen A. Smith had hit a sore spot.
Paul Pierce had once leased a Land Rover Range Rover, which cost him more than $4,000 in cash every month.
But for several months, Paul Pierce hadn't paid the rent on time.
When the bank came after him for the money, he ignored them.
As a result, the bank took him to court.
A star who'd earned nearly $200 million over the course of his career couldn't even pay his car payments after retirement. For a time, that became a running joke in the United States.
In fact, examples like this weren't uncommon among NBA players.
NBA players earned a lot over the course of their careers, but they also spent a lot.
Their spending habits were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Take Michael Jordan, for example.
He was a passionate cigar enthusiast.
He smoked only the finest cigars in the world.
Every year, he spent a million dollars on cigars alone.
One of James's watches was worth $6.5 million.
As for the many other NBA stars, their lavish lifestyles were just as unimaginable to ordinary people.
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