We all remember Eddy Curry. The decorated 7-foot center from local Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois. He was named the 2001 Illinois Mr. Basketball. The Bulls had just finished off another losing season in the post-Jordan area. They selected Curry with the 4th overall selection in the 2001 NBA Draft. Then Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause had his plan, and it was to go big. Curry had a successful first two and a half years with the Bulls. He led the league in field goal percentage in his second season. Curry was the Bulls leading scorer in his third season. Then, it all changed.
Curry’s Shocking Truth
Fast forward to the year 2022. In a recent interview with Vlad TV, Curry detailed that in his third NBA season, he was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. The Chicago Bulls were worried that he might have a heart condition. The Bulls offered him an annuity of $400,000 per year for 50 years to take a test to rule out any genetic defects. According to Curry, he stated,
It came down to a situation where they were like, we want you to take a dna test because we don’t know if maybe you could have heart disease or maybe you will eventually develop the disease. we don’t know so we feel like with a dna test we can at least rule that out and if we rule that out then we’ll let you play.
Curry Says No To The Test and Deal
According to Curry, he was willing to take the test because he wanted to be back on the court. His agent told him not to because he didn’t want Curry to start a precedent that could have an effect on other African-American NBA players. This was at a time when two other basketball stars, Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers had both passed away due to heart conditions.
Curry’s Bulls Career Comes To An End
With Curry declining to take the test and accept the unique deal, his once young and promising tenure on the Bulls came to an end. Curry was traded to the New York Knicks in 2005. Curry felt strong emotions about the trade as he detailed in his interview with Vlad TV.
I was devastated because I felt like i really built something in chicago. i felt like we were really finally winning, man. i was going to get a chance to see what it was like to play in front of that crowd, man. it just devastated me.
Curry’s Post Bulls Career
After being traded to the Knicks, Curry experienced several productive seasons. His best came in 2006-2007 when he averaged 19.5 PPG and 7.0 rebounds. Curry averaged a career-high 35 minutes a game that year. His last productive season was the 2007-2008 campaign.
Curry would play for the Bulls, Knicks, Heat, and Mavericks before calling it a career. His NBA career would come to a close in 2013. Curry did win an NBA championship as part of the 2011-2012 Miami Heat.
No Regrets
Eddy Curry joined Michael Scotto on a HoopsHype podcast earlier this year and this to say about his career.
I’m not ashamed or upset about my career. a lot of times, i get met with anger. i think people wanted my career to go a certain way. it’s like if you’re mad that i didn’t do this or that, how do you think i feel?
Looking back on Curry’s career, one must wonder how it would have been different if he had taken the DNA test and remained on the Chicago Bulls. Being drafted out of high school comes with enormous pressure and expectations. Curry had to deal with these expectations as well as the added pressure of being drafted by his local team. To remain in the NBA for ten-plus years shows his character as well his devotion to the game of basketball.
I would call it a successful career for sure! Interesting article, great read!