In the new documentary film, "Gone In An Instant," former Boston Celtics star Antoine Walker exposes how he went from NBA All-Star and champion to the new poster child of how to lose $100 million. ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson went to Walker's home in Chicago to talk about the film, how difficult it was for Antoine to finally face his truth and how losing everything forced him to discover who his real friends were.
Scoop: Is there a bigger message to this film than what you've been through, than it just being "the story of Antoine Walker?"
Walker: I think the bigger message honestly is that we all as athletes, myself and probably 80 percent of the league, come from the same walks of life. We all come from poor backgrounds, and when we make it, we all have that same mentality of what's important to us once we get our hands on some money. It's crazy, from my generation to the younger generation, we all -- the first thing we want to do is get the big house.
Scoop: Even if it ain't for you!
Walker: Yeah [laugh], we want to get the big car, we want to get the nice watch. So those things are all things that we think about and create into our lifestyle automatically. Things that are very expensive, things that are going to eat up our income right away. We have to change that culture, that way of thinking. We can get those [material] things, but let's build. Let's wait until we have $10 million sitting in the bank before we go out and get a $50,000 or $100,000 watch. When we sign for a million, we don't need a $100,000 watch, but we do it backward. I think my story and this film will show them that, "Yeah, you are going to have access to all of those things, and those things are nice," but one day, it can add up and be very detrimental to you in the end.