On the recent episode of their “Road Trippin'” podcast, Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson discussed a wild night before the 2005 NBA draft. Jefferson organized a night out at the NYC clubs and at the end of the night Frye, who had yet to be drafted, was stuck with a $36,000 bill.
Did RJ Run NYC In The Early 2000s?
“Richard, for lack of a better term, ran that demographic of New York,” Frye says.
Jefferson was a member of the then-New Jersey Nets and the team had come off a run of four straight trips to the playoffs, including two NBA Finals appearances.
Frye had just finished his four years at the University of Arizona and was a projected lottery pick in the next night’s draft. He ended up being selected eighth overall by the New York Knicks.
According to Jefferson, the night featured a ton of ex-Arizona guys like Gilbert Arenas and Luke Walton, a number of fellow Nets and Knicks players and Frye’s fellow class of 2005 draftee David Lee.
Rookie Mistake
Frye handed his card over to Jefferson to “hold the table” and by the end of the night he realized the entire night was on his dime.
“They swipe it, they swipe it,” RJ says. “He’s just getting crushed. And this is kind of like a rookie hazing.”
But Frye had yet to be drafted. What kind of credit card limit did he have?
“The NBA money hadn’t even got into the ozone yet, and my phone is blowing up. My s*** is still college s***, I don’t even have an NBA check yet!!”
Stories like this permeate the league. It is a form of rookie hazing and ultimately if you can pay the freight, you pay it. Tough lessons to learn for any young player.
Frye turned out just fine. He played 14 seasons in the league and earned just over $68 million. Jefferson played 17 seasons and earned over $114 million. The two were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and won an NBA championship.
The two Arizona alumni are longtime friends and co-host their podcast alongside broadcaster Allie Clifton.
