If there's anyone who could beat out the likes of Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, and Elvin Hayes for the best professional basketball player in the state of Louisiana, it would be none other than Bill Russell. If we're strictly talking about winning, Bill Russell is the greatest basketball of all-time without a doubt. Matter of fact, Russell is tied with professional hockey player, Henri Richard, for the most championship wins by an athlete in North America. Surprisingly, Bill Russell's winning ways didn't start in the NBA.
The 6'10 center from Monroe, Louisiana led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. That same year, Russell led the Men's US National Basketball team to a gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Somehow, Russell ended up the second overall pick of the 1956 NBA Draft where he went on to win eleven NBA Championships, win five MVP honors, and be selected for the NBA All-Star team a total of twelve times. What we want to know is... Who doesn't pick the guy who just won back-to-back college championships and a gold medal first in the NBA Draft? Simpletons.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.