Times are hard in this country and regardless of the economic climate, pro athletes get the bag. Add New York Knicks star Josh Hart to the list of athletes who have been the victims of thefts, losing hundreds of thousands in the process.
Josh Hart Victim Of $185K Jewelry Theft At SoHo Hotel
The 30-year-old baller had $185K worth of watches and jewelry stolen from the SoHo hotel where he was staying earlier this year. According to reports Hart, who is averaging 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season for the 11-6 Knicks.
Hart reportedly dropped off a duffle bag inside The Dominick Hotel on Spring Street around 12.30pm on September 5. Upon his return, a case containing his three watches and one bracelet was gone. No arrests have been made in the case.
Josh Hart Is Latest NBA Player To Become Victim Of Theft: Social Media Reacts
“The most NYC thing ever is blaming Hart for traveling with his belongings and not the miserable soul that stole his possessions,” one sympathetic fan said.
Some fans took it there and straight up questioned the validity of the story, while offering their own theories of how Hart lost his jewels.
“Check the employees. How else would someone get in the room,” asked one suspicious netizen.
“Why does he need a hotel room when it wasn’t an away game?” another curious commenter contemplated.
“Cheating,” another bluntly replied with no proof to back it up.
Hart Has Made Close To $85M During NBA Career
Hart is not hurting in the pockets and some fans found it comical that he’s making nearly $20 million this season and has career earnings of almost $84 million over nine NBA seasons, yet this theft is a story.
“No man should ever have $185,000 worth of jewelry. And especially you don’t need to travel with it. SMH,” quipped one X user.
“Who carries $200k in jewelry around in a duffle bag?” an NBA fan commented.
“Josh hart makes that much in one game. I’m sure he’s not losing sleep over this…,” another fan insisted.
A third fan followed with more sarcasm, saying, “Oh no how will he ever recover if only he was a multi-millionaire who made 20 million a year.”
Josh Hart Isn’t First High Profile Pro To Be Victim Of Theft In Past Few Years
Most recently, Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders‘ house in suburban Cleveland was reportedly burglarized during his first NFL regular appearance for the Browns earlier this month.
A year earlier, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Mahomes and teammate Travis Kelce had their homes raided during a game against the New Orleans Saints. While Joe Burrow, who made his return to the field in a 32-14 Cincinnati Bengals win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving Day, had his Ohio home broken into as he led Cincinnati to a huge win against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas last season.
The NBA community has also been on alert. These home invaders don’t care if you are the biggest superstar in the sport. That’s only more reason for them to target you.
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found that out this season when he was robbed after thieves allegedly targeted fellow NBA stars Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and Hart’s Knicks teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, last season.
Pro athletes are living a dream, but their exorbitant salaries are well known and open to public consumption. Everyone from groupies to lawyers to fans to the common thief wants a piece of the action. They are always a target in some way. Actually, athletes are lucky if all that happens is a break-in with nobody home.
In the past, several athletes have been the victim of violent robberies.
Sean Taylor, Cleanthony Early, Ricky Pearsall
Former Washington Redskins legend Sean Taylor, who had starred at the University of Miami, was shot when he confronted a group of five young men attempting to break into his residence. He was shot and killed.
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One of the men charged in the slaying, 25-year-old Jason Mitchell, attended a birthday party a few weeks earlier at the house for Taylor’s half-sister, Sasha Johnson – who lived in Fort Myers and knew the alleged triggerman Eric Rivera Jr. She testified that Taylor gave her a purse containing $10,000 in cash at the party, which was witnessed by all the guests.
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San Francisco 49ers player Ricky Pearsall was shot in Union Square in San Francisco in an attempted robbery back in September of 2024. The suspect was also shot as Pearsall struggled with the gunman for his life. He was more fortunate than Sean Taylor.
