Both Jermaine O'neal and Larry Nance hail from South Carolina but they don't have the story, personality, or accolades to deny that Kevin Garnett is the king of South Carolina professional basketball. Garnett was one of the most-feared and intense athletes the NBA has ever seen. His diverse ability to interrupt a play on the defensive end than create a play for his teammates or himself standing at 6'11 as a true power forward is something that we've never seen before and probably won't for quite some time.
Garnett was so gifted that he was drafted fifth overall directly out of high school by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1995 NBA Draft. This was the first time someone had been drafted directly out of high school in two decades. Garnett is one of four players to earn an NBA MVP Award (2004) and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2008). The Mauldin, South Carolina-bred phenom is a 15x NBA All-Star, 4x All-NBA First Team honoree, and one-time NBA Champion (2008). While he did play for both the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, he was always a Timberwolf. Garnett closed out his playing days in Minnesota after the 2015-16 NBA season.
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.