Rashad McCants has carved out a career for himself in podcasting and as a member of championship teams in Ice Cube‘s Big3 League. After being drafted 14th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2005, his NBA career lasted just four years and fizzled. In retrospect, McCants says that he made some dating choices that ended up negatively affecting his career.
Rashad McCants Says He Was Victim Of “Kardashian Curse”
In other words, he didn’t want to admit it before, but he too was a victim of the “Kardashian Curse.”
Rashad says that dating Khloé Kardashian for a brief time actually affected his reputation. Because of the enormity of her brand and the fact that he was no more than a solid NBA player, McCants says he was labeled a “distraction,” something he believes directly helped to spike his job opportunities in the league.
In an interview with Basketball Network, the former North Carolina Tar Heel, explained how players of his generation were supposed to adhere to a hierarchy, where the superstars were expected to have the best of everything on and off the court. Those, such as McCants, who bagged one of America’s most sought after women or appeared to go rogue and boost their fame and brand through means other than on the basketball court, were quickly reminded of their place.
Rashad McCants Says His Relationship With Khloé Kardashian Led To End Of His Career: Off-Court Stardom Seen As Lack Of Focus
McCants, now 41, averaged 9.9 points per game during his NBA career, but never truly got a chance to get the playing time or opportunities to ascend beyond a role player. The 41-year-old feels that the league’s old-school rules hurt his career as he was building a brand beyond the court and getting his own chapter in the saga of the world’s most famous family. Rahad’s relationship with Khloe thrust him into the headlines where he was getting more shine than the superstars of the league. For a role player in a small-market team, that attention was not well-received.
McCants broke down how the NBA prefers that only select superstars were allowed to generate off-court buzz and embrace the celebrity life. Anyone else doing this would be considered a player that lacked commitment to the sport. Rashad says having the same public visibility as the icons of the game was framed as him lacking focus. With his on-court production already failing to meet expectations, the league was eager to move on from him.
“Well, because the broadcasting deals in the social media outlets are now a part of the NBA. So, it’s not a distraction. But before, it was a distraction, and the powers didn’t want players to do anything outside of the NBA that would be considered a distraction. So, you didn’t see a lot of guys doing music. You didn’t see a lot of guys in fashion shows, didn’t see a lot of guys dating celebrities and being in movies. There were only a select few guys, and they were all high-profile guys. So, for me, to not be a high-profile guy and be in a small market in Minnesota, it was more of a distraction than a compliment,” McCants told BN’s Nick Raguz. “I was one of the early bloomers for all of those things, and it didn’t help my situation.”
So basically, McCants was just a little bit ahead of his time. The NBA was still trying to control its brand to the point that it didn’t want one player using his natural appeal to shine over a guy who they were promoting as the coolest cat on earth each week. Once social media started to control the game and players from small market squads such as Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant or T-Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards are now in the social media mill 24-7, more for their off the court exploits, criminal charges or paternity suits than their hooping.
Rashad McCants Says Hooking up With Khloé Kardashian Violated Old School NBA Player Hierarchy: Dating Above His Status
While McCants feels his seven-month fling with Khloé Kardashian — who has kids with NBA player Tristan Thompson and was married to former Lakers champion Lamar Odom from 2009-2016, and also dated James Harden among others — damaged his career prospects, Phoenix Suns superstars Devin Booker’s relationship saga with supermodel Kendall Jenner of the Kardashian Klan was encouraged and added to his celebrity as the face of another small market team in the Phoenix Suns. His relationship with Kendall really raised his profile and continues to make him one of the more recognizable and popular players in the league.
Timing is everything and McCants dating Khloé Kardashian at a time when the brand was still exploding and at the peak of its popularity, as the sisters were on TV and social media daily, they were often dating celebrity men and it all played out on cable, as the family became cultural icons and influencers for a generation of women. Everywhere they went, the cameras and fans followed. So did the drama, and for a 6-foot-4 guard who would be filling out the bench on most teams he says dating Khloé was not the flex everyone else thought it was.
