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Catching up with Eddy Curry, who opens up about his NBA career, regrets and newfound peace – The Athletic
NBA
Eddy Curry has found peace at last.
The former Chicago Bulls centerpiece, the fourth pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, is in the midst of a personal revival. After battling well-documented demons throughout his playing career, which he’s admitted included depression, Curry, 40, is now committed to helping others.
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He’s settled in Texas and is a family man. He’s been married to his wife, Patrice, for 18 years. And he is a loving father of six. But he remains close to basketball, working as a consultant, guiding current players through the challenges and pitfalls he couldn’t navigate successfully two decades ago.
In an interview during his recent return to Chicago for Bulls Fest, Curry opened up about his career, regrets and his newfound peace.
(Note: Conversation has been edited for clarity and length)
You haven’t necessarily been out of the limelight, but for a while, you’ve been keeping a low profile. What are you doing now?
Living in Texas. Right now, my new life is just talking about my journey. Talking about my trials and tribulations. But speaking to NBA players. Speaking to young athletes, who may encounter some of the same things I did, and trying to help them make better decisions. Trying to help them deal with everything that comes with being a superstar or a standout athlete, whatever you want to call it. It’s tough. A lot of pressure comes with that. A lot of pressure from your family and friends. I go and talk to all of the teams … I’m a consultant. I talk with all of the players.
Do you have your own business? Do you do any consulting outside of basketball?
I should, but as of now, I’m an independent contractor. But I’ve been doing it for the last three years. It gives me freedom because I’ve got six kids. And they range from 22 to 13, so they keep me busy. And I like to have that freedom to be able to be there for different stuff that’s going on; graduations. I’ve got two seniors this year, so I just like to be around.
Are any of your children involved in sports?
A little bit. But they don’t understand. They think they know, but I’m like ‘Y’all not for real.’ And my wife, she kills me because to her it’s like, ‘Why don’t you just teach them how to play basketball?’ The way I was raised, I had a baseline love of the game before I ever met a trainer. I took it upon myself to learn how to dribble. And I kept a ball in my hands. And I watched basketball. I studied basketball.
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I’ve got one son who literally — and I don’t even know if I should say this — but for whatever reason I guess the thing now is kids are trying to gamble now. Because it’s so easy to do it. So now my son is sitting watching games because he wants to try gambling. And I don’t know if this is bad or good because he plays basketball. I couldn’t get him to play basketball, and he wouldn’t know who was in the playoffs. But now he knows who’s in the playoffs. He’s watching WNBA games. He’s watching everything. And I’m like that’s crazy that it took that. And I’m talking about all his friends. It’s a whole thing. Not a great idea, man.
When you go to players and tell them about your experience and give talks, what do you tell them? What’s an example of what you tell them about your experiences?
It’s a cool thing because some of those guys are my kids’ ages. But the same issues that I had, the same issues that I struggled with, whether it’s saying no to family, just setting boundaries and dealing with relationships and things like that. Women. Just dealing with friends. Who is my real friend? Who’s not my real friend? They’re dealing with the same issues. And to me, it’s even riskier now because you’ve got social media. A lot of stuff that happened in my life was in the papers. But a lot of stuff wasn’t in the papers. It wasn’t as much media. But now you could ruin your career. So just dealing with that. Helping these guys understand that they are a company. They are the CEO of their company. Not only is it important to put a team of professionals around you, but you also have to take their advice. You can’t be your worst enemy. I had some good people around me, but there were times that I was just, like, ‘Nah, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do what Eddy wants to do.’
How tough was it for you because you came right from high school? You didn’t have a chance to go through a transition.
That was so tough. And I think it was a time when I don’t think the NBA was ready for that. Even now, I get to see behind the curtain. I get to see all of the programs that they’ve got going on for players. And it’s stuff that they’re doing now that was just not available then. I think they left a lot up to the teams to educate their players. Now it’s more of a global effort between the NBA and the PA (National Basketball Players Association) to get the guys the type of help that they need, and that includes mental health. That’s something major that we had no idea what it was.
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I had no idea I was being affected by mental health and I may have needed to speak to someone. Or how to speak to someone and who to talk to. That’s a whole thing that we are tackling right now and guys are embracing and saying, ‘Yo, I need help.’ So a part of what I do now besides the financial talk is letting guys know that the help is there and you do have an impartial person who doesn’t want anything from you but for you to operate at the best self that you can. I think that’s a cool thing, a cool position to be in. I just applaud the NBA and the PA for trusting guys like me to relay that message because they give us all-access. We talk to these guys and they confide in us, and we keep everything in-house and help them try to overcome whatever they’ve got going on.
Yeah. And, you know what? Honestly, that kind of kicked off everything for me. Because the guy who talked me into doing it — his name is Chris Bernard — worked for the Knicks when I was there. So he saw everything when I was with the Knicks. So he’s, like, ‘Let us do the story.’ And I was like — even when it came out, they released it during All-Star break. It was All-Star Weekend in Chicago. And I remember calling him, like, ‘Man, I don’t know about this one.’ I tried to tell him. He was, like, ‘Man, it’s too late. It’s already out.’
So that was one of those moments. Like, I was so, so scared. I was terrified. I didn’t know how people would receive it. It was just me being brutally honest and telling exactly how I felt and everything that went on — giving my side of everything. It kind of emancipated me in a way. It kind of made me feel like, ‘OK, I can speak my truth and I won’t be judged.’ And then I found out I was helping people and not just athletes. So many people reach out to me all the time that I meet in all walks of life who are, like, ‘Man, I read this.’ Or ‘I saw this interview.’ And I couldn’t believe it.
Even after it came out, The Players’ Tribune would have me come to New York. This was right before COVID-19. And I would go around to all their sponsors and just talk about it. Everyone had read the piece, everyone wanted to talk about it and everyone was just so intrigued and wanted to pick my brain about how I got through it and what was happening. So many doors opened up just from me talking about it. It was kind of amazing.
You and Tyson Chandler were set up to be saviors. You both were going to save the Bulls franchise. You both were 18 years old and hadn’t been to college with whatever money you were making. How much pressure was that at the time?
You know what, I was so young and just dumb I thought we could just do it. I’m like, ‘Man, that’s easy. We’re way better than those old guys. I’m better than Horace Grant.’ That’s just kind of how we were thinking. We were so young. And you don’t realize it until later — years later when I was out of the league. I’m, like, ‘That was why I was there?’ It’s crazy when you look and you say the Bulls still haven’t been to the NBA Finals. It’s so hard to win in the NBA. It’s so hard to get into the playoffs, especially if you go to an organization that you’re starting up from the bottom with youth. And then you’ve got coaches coming in and out. It’s crazy.
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Do you and Tyson ever talk about that, like, ‘If we had to do it over again,’ or ‘Could you believe what we went through?’
Nah, we haven’t talked about it like that. We’re older now and that just seems so far away. And we’re dealing with our lives right now and our kids and things like that. But I’m sure whenever we do get a chance to sit down for a long amount of time, yeah, we’ll talk about it.
Do you ever look back, maybe not so much with regret, but, ‘If I had the opportunity, I would have done this instead of what happened?’ Anything you ever look back on at all?
The one thing that always sticks out to me is I would have never told Fred Tedeschi (Bulls trainer) that I was feeling an irregular heartbeat. Or I wish I would have just said my stomach hurt. Anything. Even if I wasn’t comfortable playing, I could have gotten out of playing without telling him exactly what I was feeling.
Because the team and you were on a great roll then?
Great roll. And, man, I was in a really good place with the Bulls. We were in a really good place. And I just felt like that just threw a wrench in everything. But in my mind, I just felt like it was nothing because I didn’t feel any pain. I don’t feel any shortness of breath or anything scary going on, but there is an irregular heartbeat. And let me just go tell Fred so I could just see what’s going on.
I thought it would be, like, ‘OK, he’s back to normal. Let’s just play.’ That’s the one thing that I’m, like, ‘Man, I wish I would have just shut my mouth. And of course, it’s the whole hindsight 20/20 thing. But it’s just one of those things. It turns out to be nothing. A benign thing. And it’s like I could have just shut up and who knows what would have happened then?
Because they were about to give you an extension on a new contract. You guys were talking about it, right?
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Yeah, but even if I didn’t get that contract with the Bulls, I would have had so many more options. But when all of that happened, it was Denver or New York. It was Denver, New York or you don’t play next year.
Did you ever consider taking a medical test? Because at the time the Bulls were willing to give you a deal if you took a test. Do you remember that situation?
Yeah. I thought about it for a second. But then my lawyers and agent — it was a DNA test. But the fear of the unknown, right? It’s, like, man, what if it does (reveal something)? That was the first time I was, as a kid, forced to deal with and think about my mortality. It was, like, ‘What if I do have heart disease?’
So it was one of those things where I was looking for anybody to give me a reason not to do it. And I found my reason and I stuck to it. I’m still glad I didn’t do it. But I do wish things would have turned out differently.
How do you look back at your NBA career as a player?
I think if any NBA player looks back at their career and says, ‘Man, I played a decade in the NBA,’ I think you have to be happy about that. But I think the way I felt on the court when I was in good shape, when I was good mentally, I feel like if I could have maintained that I probably still could be playing right now, to be honest with you. I probably wouldn’t be getting many minutes. But I just feel like my retirement, my stepping away from the game would have been on my terms rather than kind of how it was.
You’ve gone through some extraordinary circumstances, maybe more than anyone’s been through in the NBA. But on the basketball court, when you entered the league, you were a 7-footer who was like a gymnast. The possibilities seemed extraordinary. You had a soft shooting touch and were light on your feet. Do you ever wonder if things were stable with the Bulls with all of those other circumstances what could have been? Your player profile was one of the most unique in the history of the league.
It is. And it’s so crazy. I feel like because of things like that, because of the athleticism, because of the potential and just people’s projections of what they thought I should have been, it damages what I did do. It’s funny when you look at the McDonald’s All-American Game. I look at all the stuff leading up to it, but they never mention me. But I was the MVP of the game. When you look at the top players in Chicago, this and that, Hall of Fame, whatever the case may be, they completely just gloss over my high school career like it didn’t even happen. Because they wanted me to be this big thing so bad that it’s like it just erased everything that I did before.
It is what it is though. I’m lucky. I’m blessed that I don’t find peace in that. I was never looking for peace in that. It would have been cool. But I don’t think about that.
How would you describe where you are right now in terms of your peace, and what would you say helped lead you here?
My wife. I’m good. Through the ups and downs and downs and downs, she’s been the constant. I think being able to focus on her, focus on my family, her allowing me to make that right, made me put basketball and all of that stuff secondary to me.
A lot of people are, like, ‘I can’t believe you’re able to talk about this and that and be so candid with all the stuff you’ve been through, the mistakes that you’ve made.’ But it’s like I’ve had to have the worst conversations with my wife who is the person I love most on this earth. So me talking to somebody else is nothing. Especially, like I said, when I found out there’s healing in that both for myself and also for who I’m talking to.
What’s it like being back in Chicago, especially around the Bulls?
It’s awesome. It’s always cool to be there and to be accepted. Because I know when I first left here and I came back for the first time, I was getting booed and stuff. And I’m just, like, ‘Don’t y’all realize I didn’t even want to leave? Are y’all kidding me?’ So anytime I come here and it’s just so much love, like, I don’t know. You start believing the stuff that you read. You start believing that they don’t like me or whatever the case may be. And then you come here and it’s the total opposite, man. So I love it.
I love any chance I get to come home. I wish that it was a safer environment because I would live here. Like I said, I’ve got six kids. So my main responsibility is to make sure that they have a chance to impact this world like I had a chance to impact the world. So I just feel like if Chicago was a safer environment being that I lived here, it’s hard for me. I worry enough. And to just think about them in transit going to visit this person, that person, relatives and things like that, that’s the only thing keeping me from moving back. But I want to move back to Chicago. I’ve taken some steps to work with the mayor and even do stuff with the community relations team here to figure out how we can bridge that gap. How we can try to push some change in the city and just make it a liveable place where people can be at ease and know that everything will be cool.
Well, we know you won’t go back to New York, right?
I mean, I love New York. But it’s just, you know, New York’s New York. New York is just not Chicago. And I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way because I love New York. I love the people there. I’ve got a lot of fans in New York. But as a Chicago kid, you were taught that that’s the enemy almost. So it’s like I had to lower my Chicago flag and go to New York.
But what I always tell people is that if you’re mad at me, at least be happy you guys got D. Rose. Come on, man. Without me, D. Rose doesn’t come to Chicago, bro. And I find that interesting anyway, just that whole New York-Chicago thing. I don’t know why they’re always swapping players between each other. It seems like people who play for Chicago always play for New York. Tyson went to New York. Nate (Robinson), Chicago to New York. I don’t know what that pipeline is, but it’s like they always kind of intermingle.
Each one thinks the other’s stupid.
Exactly (laughs).
What’s your favorite memory with the Bulls? What do you look back on with the most fondness?
Man, being in the locker room with Scottie (Pippen) and Jalen Rose and watching MJ walking through. That was crazy. Hearing the music (hums Bulls intro song). Like, come on, man. Hearing them say my high school name during the lineup — besides my kids and my wife — is like the highlight of my life. Just hearing my name being called by the announcer was crazy. It’s epic.
You’ve seen so much and have been through so much, where do you see yourself five or 10 years? What do you see next for Eddy Curry?
Um, I don’t know. I want to figure it out. Even though we’re helping some players, I feel like it’s a lot more players that we need to reach. I want to figure out a way to do that. I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t know how to do it yet. But I think we’re getting there and we’re covering some ground.
I want to be close to the game. In terms of what that looks like, I don’t really know. I would love to come back and work here or do some stuff in the community and just see what it looks like. I don’t know. It’s kind of early. This is all still developing for me. I’m just kind of taking it day by day. I’m putting my all into everything that I do and just trying to keep positive vibes around me and just see what happens.
(Illustration by Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic. Photos by Brian Rothmuller and Ron Hoskins / Getty Images)
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Darnell Mayberry is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bulls. He spent 12 years at The Oklahoman, where he handled the Thunder beat before moving into an editor’s role. Prior to The Oklahoman, Darnell covered the University of Akron men’s basketball, preps and recruiting at the Akron Beacon Journal. He is the author of “100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die.” Follow Darnell on Twitter @DarnellMayberry
