Ray Williams, Living out of his Car

I haven't picked up a a bankruptcy-related story for a while, so allow me to direct attention to Ray Williams, 10-year NBA veteran now living out of his car.

“Ray is like many players who invested so much of their lives in basketball,’’ said Mike Glenn, who played 10 years in the NBA, including three with Williams and the New York Knicks. “When the dividends stopped coming, the problems started escalating. It’s a cold reality.’

"He needs food, shelter, cash for car repairs, and a job," the (highly instructive) Boston.com story reports. Perhaps the remarkable angle: the story says (and there is no evidence to raise doubts about it): "Unlike many troubled ex-players, he has never fallen prey to drugs, alcohol, or gambling."

The explanation, if Boston.com has it right, is more drab than that Ray simply got carried away with himself. He was good, but not that good. He made some big bucks, but not that big. And he never learned to adjust to life at the back of the queue.