At one point in time, Elvin Hayes was so clumsy and non-athletic that many thought he would never have a career in the sports realm but, during his high school tenure, he continuously worked on his game and led his alma mater to a state championship with 45 points and 20 rebounds. Hayes was drafted first overall in the 1968 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets and at 6'9" earned twelve NBA All-Star honors while averaging 21 points per game throughout his career.
While playing for the Washington Bullets, Hayes and his teammates won an NBA title against the Seattle Supersonics in 1978. Hayes broke the NBA record for most offensive rebounds in an NBA Finals game during the series. Elvin Hayes played a total of sixteen years in the pros and is a member of the 50th Anniversary NBA All-Time Team.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.