Don't fret for NBA star Josh Smith, you guys. He's gonna persevere and be just fine.
The new Los Angeles Clippers signee will earn $6.9 million this season, but says he's going to "push through it" even though "it is going to be a little harder on me this year" because "at the end of the day, you know, I do have a family."
If only we all had such problems to face.
[seealso url = "http://sale-online.click/2015/07/23/basketball-tournament-schedule/"]
Smith signed a $1.5 million deal with the Clippers this summer. But he'll get another $5.4 million from the Detroit Pistons, his former team that cut him loose last December with a year left on his contract. That brings his total salary next year to $6.9 million.
Smith has earned a total of more than $90 million since joining the NBA out of high school in 2004. His salary has hit eight digits in six of his 11 years in the league.
So, yeah -- hard times.
"At the end of the day, you know, I do have a family," he said at an introductory Clippers news conference this week. "So it is going to be a little harder on me this year. But I'm going to push through it, you know."
Of course, Smith's quote is highly reminiscent of the gem former NBA star Latrell Sprewell delivered in 2004, when he balked at the $14.6 million the Minnesota Timberwolves were set to pay him.
"I've got my family to feed," Sprewell said.
We'll just leave this 1971 Baby Huey classic here for Smith. You're in our prayers, buddy. Stay strong.