Athletes Who Lost All Their Mojo Right After Getting Paid

It's an exciting moment for sports fans when their favorite team lands the most sought-after free agent with a contract worth hundreds of millions. But sometimes all that money can be a curse, and before long, that multi-million dollar baby is out the door on the way to an early retirement.
Gilbert Arenas wasn't terrible during his rookie year with the Golden State Warriors. But in his second season of 2002-2003, his output jumped enough for him to earn Most Improved Player honors. He became a free agent immediately after, landing a six-year, $60 million deal with the Washington Wizards. He quickly became the star attraction on a team that hadn't been a title contender in 25 years.

Arenas' wizardly reputation was also boosted thanks to some stellar numbers. In the 2004-2005 season, he scored 25.5 points per game and led his team to its first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. His scoring averages increased in the next two years, and he was named to three straight All-Star squads. So the Wizards banked their future on him, signing him to a new contract in 2008 worth $111 million for six seasons. And that's when his career fell apart.

Arenas barely played during the 2008-2009 season because of knee problems, though he recovered somewhat the next year, showing signs of greatness. But then there was that off-court feud with his teammate Javaris Crittenton that culminated in the two brandishing guns at each other in the locker room. Both players were suspended for the remainder of the season, and the Wizards dealt Arenas to Orlando as soon as they could. By the time the final year of his big contract rolled around, he was playing in China.

Once upon a time, Amar'e Stoudemire was considered one of the most exciting players in the NBA and one of the key ingredients in the Phoenix Suns' playoff runs in the 2000s. The 2003 Rookie of the Year and six-time All-Star was a beast in the best sense of the word, almost always averaging over 20 points and eight rebounds per game during his years in Arizona. But some might say that his skills were overstated since he played alongside Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash for six seasons.

Nevertheless, the New York Knicks figured Stoudemire was skilled enough in his own right. They thought he might be the one to restore glory to the once-storied franchise. In 2010, they offered him $99.7 million for five seasons. So how did Stoudemire fare without Nash? It was kind of like Garfunkel without Simon or Oates without Hall, which is to say he was disappointing. His points and rebound averages fell by about 30 percent, and thanks to injuries, he never again played a full season.

Watch the full video to see more athletes who lost all their mojo right after getting paid.

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Gilbert Arenas | 0:17
Amar'e Stoudemire | 1:41
Ryan Howard | 2:37
Carl Crawford | 3:27
Josh Hamilton | 4:27
Rick DiPietro | 5:49
Alex Rodriguez | 7:03
Chandler Parsons | 8:31
Eddy Curry | 9:25
Albert Haynesworth | 10:34

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