Eddy Curry grew up wanting to be a gymnast and only started playing basketball in the seventh grade.

After a dominant high school career saw him named Illinois Mr. Basketball, he entered the 2001 NBA Draft.

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Curry was dubbed ‘Baby Shaq’ when he entered the NBA[/caption]

The Chicago Bulls came calling with the fourth overall pick and after logging limited minutes as a rookie, Curry led the league by shooting 58.5 percent of his field goals in year two.

It was the first time a Chicago player topped a major statistical category since Michael Jordan in 1998.

After a controversial episode saw the Bulls ask him to take a genetic test to determine if he had a heart condition, the seven-foot center joined the New York Knicks in 2005 on a $60 million contract.

He struggled with fitness issues before ending up on the 2012 Miami Heat roster that won the NBA Finals.

By the time he left the Dallas Mavericks for China in 2012, Curry had earned an estimated $70 million in 11 seasons.

The same year, his $3.7 million Chicago mansion was foreclosed as he struggled with debts.

“At some point, I kinda fell in love with helping people. I couldn’t say no,” he explained in The Players Tribune.

“I could not listen to somebody crying on the phone, telling me something was wrong, and just know or feel like this money could help them.

“So I was like, ‘Hey bro, I got you; what, you need, $1,500? I got you, they’d be like, ‘$1,500 would do, but if you had $3,000, that’d be better,’ and I’m like, ‘I got you.’

“When you’re doing that to 15 different people, it adds up.”

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MJ left a gaping hole in the Bulls roster[/caption]

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The Thornwood High School standout was dubbed ‘Baby Shaq’ when he entered the NBA thanks to his playing style resembling Shaquille O’Neal.

Curry struggled to live up to the hype, especially after going straight from high school into the league.

“When I first got drafted, I didn’t hit up any clubs. I was too young to get in,” he explained.

“Back then, I was just psyched that I could head over to Great America with all my friends and ride some roller coasters. I was all about being able to snag the newest video games to play Xbox with my buddies from back home.

“I had no idea how to manage money or protect myself from scammers or build a loving, monogamous relationship or…. how to be a good man — a good, solid, reliable, trustworthy man.

“I wish I had known. And maybe you could even say that I should have known. But I honestly just didn’t.”

Curry, who has an estimated net worth of $3 million, now uses the lessons he learned to educate the next generation about the pitfalls of fame.

“I really kind of made my new life talking about my journey and my trials and tribulations,” he told NBA.com.

“Speaking to NBA players, young athletes trying to come up who may encounter some of the things I did, trying to help them make better decisions, trying to help them deal with everything that comes with being a star or standout athlete. It’s tough; a lot of pressure comes with that, pressure from your family and friends.

“Some of those guys are my kids’ ages but the same things I had, the same things I struggled with, saying no to family, setting boundaries and dealing with relationships, dealing with friends.

“Who’s my real friend and who is not my real friends? They are dealing with the same issues and now with social media. A lot of stuff happened in my life.

“It was in the papers, but a lot wasn’t. Now it’s crazy dealing with that, helping these guys understand they are the CEO of their company. Don’t be your worst enemy.”