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Darko Milicic had one of the most lucrative rookie contracts from the 2003 NBA Draft. That amount of money caused Milicic to gradually shift his tastes to the finer things in life, as he recently shared in a story about how he went from buying a Volkswagen Golf 4 to spending $400-$500K on four luxury cars.
"I went there with the logic to buy a new Golf 4 because it was a time when the Golf 4 was announced. It was a nice car, what do I need more than that? When I said this to my teammates, they told me, 'You want to buy a Golf 4? No way, but let's see a new Golf 4'. But, when I got money in my bank account and I saw what it looked like, I went into the auto shop and bought four new cars. I bought an Audi A8, a Mercedes S Class, a BMW X5, and a Mercedes CL. I spent around $400-500K on cars. Four cars, God forbid, let them have it."
Darko Milicic made $53.07 million over his NBA career, so it's safe to say he could afford those four cars at the time of purchase. Even though Milicic's story is of being one of the biggest draft busts in history, he had a respectable career as a role player in the NBA.
He averaged 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks over 10 seasons in the NBA, finding a niche before leaving the league early to pursue other passions such as kickboxing. Milicic also became an apple farmer, owning an expansive orchard where he spends most of his time now.
Darko Milicic Believes Carmelo Anthony Destroyed His Career
While discussions over cars were a benefit of the lavish lifestyle that NBA players can live, Milicic's NBA experience didn't end up being very pleasant. The expectations of being the No. 2 draft in the 2003 NBA Draft ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh overshadowed the respectable 10-year career he enjoyed in the NBA.
While Wade and Bosh don't talk about being drafted behind Darko, Carmelo Anthony has expressed his displeasure at that fact multiple times. Melo was assumed to be the No. 2 pick and would've been drafted by the Detroit Pistons instead of Darko if that stayed true. Given the Pistons won a ring with a rookie Darko and Carmelo never won one, he's made multiple disparaging comments against Milicic.
Recently, Darko responded to those allegations, claiming his career was ruined by draft positioning, not Melo's.
"He is the one who destroyed my career, not me to him. It would be better if I were third. Maybe I would still play. He would be picking apples now. Better for him to be quiet, everything is fine."
Darko also has commented on an infamous story shared by Melo where he searched for Darko on the gyms and streets of Detroit before the Draft to play one-on-one and prove he's better.
"I heard that he chased me, but I never saw him, I got no idea. If he wanted to see me, to find me, he knew where I was at that time. Those are their gangster stories - I searched for him to show him. What to show me? Emotion killed him, brother. He must calm down, as soon as possible."
Their feud is memorable but should be left to the past now. Melo is still one of the NBA's greatest players even without a ring, while Darko can always call himself an NBA Champion, even if his career didn't live up to its lofty expectations.
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