Robert Swift: Career Earnings, $11 million
Robert Swift’s story of going broke, and the events afterward, are just as tragic as they are bizarre. Swift, a former high school star, was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics with the 12th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. It’s been reported that Swift’s parents convinced him to skip college and go straight to the NBA, after being seduced by the $4.4 million contract Swift was promised by Seattle. Unfortunately, in his second season in the NBA, Swift tore his ACL, and was never the same player. Shortly after things fell apart on the court, his personal life took a turn for the worst.
Swift blew his earnings on a combination of child support bills, substance abuse, and a $1.6 million home. In 2013, cops were called to the home because Swift refused to leave, even though it had been foreclosed upon by the bank. Upon entering the home, the police reported it had been completely trashed, and found a “small arsenal of weapons.” Over the past few years, things have gotten worse for the troubled big man. Swift has been locked up multiple times for various transgressions.