“Antoine is doing great,’’ said Diane. “I have my home. He has his home. If he’s doing so bad, then how could we still be here?’’
Curta, his high school coach, talks with Antoine Walker regularly by phone and is a frequent golf partner, proudly mentioning that the former Celtic recently broke 80 for the first time at Calumet Country Club in Homewood, Ill. When asked whether Walker ever said anything about financial worries, Curta said, “No.’’ When asked whether he ever saw any indications of financial problems for Walker, Curta added: “I don’t know everybody’s business. I wouldn’t say that.’’
When he had money to spare, Walker also enjoyed giving it away, particularly to children dealt bad hands in life. Raised by a single mother on Chicago’s South Side, he knew a lot about that. He established a charitable organization, The 8 Foundation, to channel his philanthropy. He arranged for Christmas gifts and courtside seats at Celtics games for underprivileged youngsters, paid for new uniforms and travel to tournaments for youth basketball teams, and conducted free basketball camps.
He also rewarded loyal family members and friends with expensive gifts. Shortly after being drafted, he gave his best friend a new car. A Mercedes sport utility vehicle parked in the driveway of his mother’s home was a gift from Antoine to his younger sister. And early in his NBA career, he paid off the debt his mother accumulated sending him to Catholic schools. He finally received his high school diploma when he took care of his overdue tuition.
“Antoine is a sweet person,’’ said Diane Walker. “Everything we have is pretty much a gift from Antoine.’’
But with the legal system closing in, and slim prospects of extending his NBA career, the stakes are now higher than ever for Antoine Walker. With few moves left, the question now is how, or if, he will ever get his wiggle back.
