Pippen Ain't Easy
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Former Chicago Bulls of the past: Where are they now?

By Nicholas Niendorf

MIAMI, FL - MAY 15: Nate Robinson #2 of the Chicago Bulls looks to pass the ball against the Miami Heat in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2013 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2013 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MAY 15: Nate Robinson #2 of the Chicago Bulls looks to pass the ball against the Miami Heat in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2013 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2013 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Eddy Curry, one of the more disappointing draft picks in Chicago Bulls history.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 30: Eddy Curry #52 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during a game at Staples Center on October 30, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Eddy Curry

While Curry isn’t the crown jewel of the bust that was the 2001 NBA Draft (that regretful title goes to first pick Kwame Brown), Bulls fans still remember him as one of the great false hopes of the 2000s.

Curry was a hometown hero, having grown up in South Holland, Illinois. He led the league in field-goal percentage by his second year and averaged 16 points on 53.85 percent shooting in his fourth year. It seemed that he was destined to be a franchise player.

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However, the Bulls traded him before his fifth season after raising concerns over heart problems that restricted Curry’s minute allowances. The Bulls offered him a guarantee of $400,000 a year for 50 years if he would take a DNA test to clear up any cardiac concerns the franchise had. When Curry refused, the Bulls sent him to the New York Knicks for the 2005-06 season.

Curry had a career year in the 2006-07 season for the Knicks, averaging 19.5 points and seven rebounds on his highest minute totals yet. But, the seven-footer’s hopes weren’t to last. He was consistently out of shape and didn’t improve on defense, although it didn’t help that he was sharing the floor with Zach Randolph and David Lee, neither of whom complimented Curry’s skill set at all.

He didn’t regress so much as he fell off a cliff after leaving the Bulls. Just a few seasons after Chicago traded him, Curry was a certified bust. Following his 26th birthday in December of 2008, he would only play 26 more games in the NBA.

Part of Curry’s fall from grace can be attributed to the tragedy he endured during the middle of the 2008-09 season. Nova Henry, whom Curry had previously dated, and her 10-month-old daughter Ava, were murdered in Chicago on January 25th. It was later found that Curry was the father of Ava. The summer following the two murders, the Knicks dealt Curry in the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Timberwolves, who immediately waived him.

After being out of the league for nearly a year, he lost a ton of weight and made a comeback to the NBA with the Miami Heat in 2011. While he only appeared in 14 games, he ended the season getting his first ring alongside the big three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade.

He finished up his professional basketball career in China playing one year for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. The Golden Bulls made the playoffs, but Curry had to bow out early due to injury.

Curry is now involved in motivational speaking and focuses his speeches on the realities, good and bad, of playing athletics at a high level. His talk in Aurora, Illinois focused on how the path he chose involved missing out on time with family, numerous vices and a push to put academics second.

Curry, who made himself eligible for the draft out of high school, now expresses regret at not getting a degree, or at least not going to school at all before entering the NBA.

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