« He was fined $250,000 because he didn’t want to get naked »
If fines are common in the NBA, this story is really out of the common. In the 2000s′, a player would have been heavily sanctioned by his franchise for… excessive modesty. The worst ? His teammates are behind this big penalty.
Modesty has no real place in a locker room, whether in the NBA or in the amateur championships. It must be said that the players spend a lot of time together, they sometimes sleep in the same room when traveling, some have relationships with the same women (ask the Suns after their legendary orgy)… It is very difficult to be shy in these conditions.
The player who never showered after games
However, in the 2000s′, a star visibly showed a modesty that bothered his teammates. Former Pacers Jamaal Tinsley refused to shower after practice and after games, which annoyed Reggie Miller. Bruno Sundov, passed through the franchise between 2000 and 2002, told a totally crazy anecdote about it in a recent podcast.
Jamaal Tinsley never showered after practice or games. No matter when we walked in, how fast we went, he was always dressed and ready to go by the time we got out of the shower. Once, twice, three times… After a while Reggie Miller went to see a manager to ask him to add a rule: all players must take a shower, at the risk of taking a fine. It was 500 dollars and it doubled with each infraction.
Guess how much Jamaal had to pay for refusing to take a shower? $250,000! He wanted to shower at home because he didn’t want to get naked in front of everyone. We did the math, $250,000… Eventually the news got out and he had to talk to his agent and his wife about the locker room situation.
Out of modesty, Jamaal Tinsley has always refused to take a shower with his teammates, which must not have helped him in his integration. Those who have known the life of a locker room know how important this moment is for cohesion, so we understand the radical reaction of Reggie Miller, who asked for the creation of a special fine. Fortunately for the point guard, his performances on the field allowed him to make a place for himself in Indiana.
STREETBALL IN THE NBA!
OTD (01) Rookie Jamaal Tinsley had 19 PTS, 23 AST, 11 REB vs the Wizards!A few rookie Tinsley GMS:
28 PTS, 19 ASTS
30 PTS, 12 ASTS
7 PTS, 16 ASTS, 10 REBS
12 PTS, 15 ASTS, 9 REBS, 6 STLS, 5 BLKS— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 22, 2021
Excellent in the field, Jamal Tinsley was more divisive in the locker room, where his teammates regretted not seeing him in the shower to laugh or debrief the encounters. If he decided to pay 250,000 dollars to avoid this moment, it is because he really had to apprehend.
