Robert Swift (former basketball player from Bakersfield)

[jeraf]

Article on Robert Swift (former basketball player from Bakersfield).

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/robert-swift-refusing-abandon-bullet-ridden-beer-strewn-170507711--nba.html

[izne1home]

You can take the boy out of Bakersfield, but ....

That old El Camino is classic Central Valley.

[OriginalCVFan]

$11.5 Million in the NBA(he didnt get the full $20MM due to failing clauses in his guaranteed contract)  and a few years overseas and he is BROKE?

Unreal.  Tragic, but NORMAL(which is the sad part)

Go watch ESPN  BROKE documentary. 

[axel foley]

for the record...you can buy four loko at any liquor store still

[CWClassof2007]

$11.5 Million in the NBA(he didnt get the full $20MM due to failing clauses in his guaranteed contract)  and a few years overseas and he is BROKE?

Unreal.  Tragic, but NORMAL(which is the sad part)

Go watch ESPN  BROKE documentary. 

I was about to recommend watching Broke as well. I watched a few days ago during one of my sleepless nights. I've always wondered how someone could lose all that money. I then realized all the stup crap most pro athletes spend money on.

[GoldenHawksFootball]

This is such a disaster story. This kid had it all- talent, height, skill, 11.5 million. I still can't fathom someone with so much losing it all like this either. I have seen "Broke" and it shows how easy it is, complete stupidity, to lose it all. It's obvious he is trying to hang on to everything he once had for as long as he can. Robert Swift, in my opinion was a good person coming into the NBA. He met a lot of wrong people. Became an alcoholic as well as other possible addictions possibly heroin. Party all night, sleep all day. Surrounded by enablers and he's seeing the repercussions of his actions. You worry about someone with this amount of depression taking their life. And this feeds into all the jokes about the Bakersfield stereotypes "He's from Bakersfield, California - conservative, gun toting, Fox News loving capital of California. I'm sure he's got his beer, chew and guns at the ready." Seems to me that all his problems started happening when he got into the NBA and left Bakersfield, CA. Seattle devoured this kid who wasn't ready for all that was put in front of him. He wasn't ready on any level- competing, common sense, emotionally or stability wise.

[TeddyKGB]

This kids was a mess from the time he left garces to go to highland and then to BHS... this is a kids that should have gone to play at a good solid D1 program where a coach could have taught him solid fundamentals and he could mature a little. I watched him play in the finals against CW his senior year, he was lazy. If I remember correctly his "stock" went up drastically when because he was at a summer camp and had a really good showing in a game against a pro guy (can't remember the name of the pro) after that his stock went way up. Swift always carried himself like a dumb hick and he always struck me as dumb...I wouldn't be surprised if his roots are in Oildale.

[GoldenHawksFootball]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/robert-swift-left-foreclosed-upon-house-leaving-massive-184535504--nba.html

Latest on the Swift home... He was living in a dump that he created. Why live in Seattle when you can live like that in Oildale? Watch the video. The reporter says he had lots of unopened letters from big time D1 programs. I wonder if he 2nd guesses his decision now. Maybe an education would have done something for him before he jumped into being a so called, "professional." Has to be 1 of the biggest busts in NBA history.

[OriginalCVFan]

Was curious as to anyone in bakersfield that can comment(knowledgeably) on his life growing up.

Yes a D1 scholarship and college education does help alleviate situations such as these, but Im willing to bet there is some background info growing up that could lead to this.

Remember, according to ESPN, roughly 80% of all pro athletes in football/basketball end up in some sort of situation like this(albeit not as severe) within  3 years of being OUT of the sport. 

What makes this so horrible is that it happened WHILE he was in the sport.   

[izne1home]

I'm curious if anyone at Garces ever tested his IQ. 

[TeddyKGB]

yes garces tested him; results: he was over 7' tall...

[flexmac3]

yes garces tested him: results he was over 7' tall...

Lol, that was funny! lol.

[izne1home]

yes garces tested him; results: he was over 7' tall...

Under Vatican law, your IQ goes up 5 points for every inch you are over 6'0.  This guy was a borderline genius. 

[taysdad]

Was curious as to anyone in bakersfield that can comment(knowledgeably) on his life growing up.

Yes a D1 scholarship and college education does help alleviate situations such as these, but Im willing to bet there is some background info growing up that could lead to this.

i was a junior, he was a senior. don't know the if the following is true or not, but i remember some of my senior teamates at liberty that knew him saying that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. i remember a lot of people saying that he should opt for college and how much good it would do him, but all my friends said he would've been academically ineligible pretty quick.

[TeddyKGB]

don't know the if the following is true or not, but i remember some of my senior teamates at liberty that knew him saying that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

There is still doubt that he's dumb? I'm thinking his iq would have to move up 20 points to be considered a moron.