While Reggie Evans was never a star in the NBA—he averaged just 4.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game—he did enjoy a long career that lasted for more than a decade. Between 2002 and 2015, he suited up for the Supersonics, Nuggets, 76ers, Raptors, Clippers, Nets, and Kings. But during a recent interview with the Washington Post, Evans revealed that his NBA dreams were nearly derailed by his short stint as a crack dealer when he was younger.
Evans—who is not technically retired but is unlikely to play again in the NBA—grew up in Pensacola, Fla. and says his family didn’t have much. So he teamed up with his cousin to start selling crack to survive when he was a teenager.
“As soon as my mama would get a check, she had enough to pay the rent, enough to pay the light bill, and whatever she had left over, she had to use a lot of that to catch community transportation to get to work and back,” he told the Washington Post. “So I got with my cousin, and I just started buying dope…When I was growing up poor, that was just a way of life. That was normal. We was just numb to it. We were just trying to make ends meet.”
Evans says he adopted the nickname “Slim” to disguise his identity, bought about $100 worth of crack at a time, and routinely turned a profit. His stint as a drug dealer didn’t last very long, though, as his cousin got arrested twice within just one week for selling drugs. So he quit dealing and, eventually, he turned himself into an NBA prospect.
You can read the Washington Post story here. In addition to shining a spotlight on Evans’ past, it reveals all of the things he’s doing for the community in Pensacola today.
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[via Washington Post]
