Walter McCarty’s 1996 National Championship Rings are for sale
Have you ever wanted to own Walter McCarty’s 1996 National Championship rings? Well, now’s your chance. Both the ring given to the team by the NCAA and the ring given to the team by UK this past February are available at a pawn shop in Boston, as pictured above by @RussellMeTimber. They’re also listed on eBay:
Right now on eBay, the school ring is going for $5,200, while the NCAA ring is currently at $3,400. Or, you can buy both at the pawn shop for the bargain price of $4,000.
UPDATE: According to @BrooksDowning, Walter is working diligently to get the rings back, and the whole incident was the result of a misunderstanding with a family member.
64 Comments for Walter McCarty’s 1996 National Championship Rings are for sale
It’s sad, but I’m not one that puts great stock into memorabilia, so whatever.
Walt just dropped a few spots on the Fav Cat list.
Wow, didn’t expect this from Walter, but who knows. he may have tried to help out a friend and the friend pawned them. They may have been stolen. you never know
Wild Cats….2 words? And Kentucky almost spelled wrong? Something sounds odd about this.
I wouldn’t have a problem with him selling the old, NCAA one. I do have a problem with him selling the one UK just honored the team with. He’s owned it for only a matter of months, and the way it was presented to the team after so many years just makes this pretty selfish.
That’s pretty damn sad and classless.
5- makes this pretty selfish?? You have absolutely no idea the circumstances that led him to this… The guy apparently fell on hard times give him a break… If that’s not the case and he just pawned for some extra cash (highly unlikely) then yea that’s ridiculous. But chances are this was a last resort for him… It’s that dang Obamas fault!!!
Is he still working on his music career? I guess he needed to lay some new tracks.
Ouch. He had to know word would get out. Makes me sad.
sorry to break a bummer of a news nugget. Just excited to see it
If the pawn shop is selling both for 4000 I’m betting they only paid Walter about 1500 for the lot.
I don’t care if your on the edge of becoming a bum. You’ll be a bum with a championship ring. The fact that he’s selling it doesn’t surprise me. We put too much stock into the athletes we follow. Way to go McCarty. Way to go…
Look, I have no idea of his circumstances. I dont judge him if this money was needed. However, he could have sold it to some UK folks, gotten a lot more money, and kept it “in the family”
Not knowing the full story, this is somewhat disappointing.
That’s sad. He’ll be co-hosting KSR in no time. What is it with these guys? Maybe he’ll end up on the streets, or perhaps Pitino will rescue him. I do feel more sorrow for McCarty than I do Antoine Walker. AW is deserving of everything he gets.
If he wasn’t desperate for the money in a crisis type of situation, the guy should never show his face in Lexington again. I am becoming to really dislike several of Pitino’s former players. They are loyal to Pitino.
Are we sure Walter is the one who pawned these rings? Maybe he gave them to someone, a family member perhaps, or a friend.
It’s his property, he can do what he likes. None of our business. If it was stolen and put up for sale, it’s a law enforcement issue. Personally, I hope it’s a photo shop hoax.
That’s a bummer. Sad for Walt he needs money that bad.
Hate to judge anyone, but have to sort of agree with #5. The “new” ring didn’t even collect dust. It sucks to have to sell something that has meaning, but at the end of the day, its just metal and rocks. If he needed the money and was in a desperate situation its understandable. Just hate it for the guy. I am sure its embarrassing for him. Can’t really kick somebody when their down.
Don’t judge him. We don’t know the facts.
Putin stole McCarty’s rings.
I thought McCarty was one of the owners in Pitino’s investment group that owns a bunch of businesses? If so, he should be fine financially.
#21 you made my morning strong work.
I know the classes some of these guys take in college are there to just keep them eliglble. But they make a finance class mandatory for all the athletes at colleges at least one for a semester……. Pro Athlete Finance Class
This does make me sad, but I won’t judge him. Sadly, like many other NBA players, they make enough in the first year or two to live out their lives comfortably (although perhaps modestly). However, making all that money at one time can lead to frivolous spending, thus the number of lottery winners filing for bankruptcy. This is a widespread problem in the NBA, and they even have classes now that are supposed to help these guys learn tools for managing their money. I think Cal talks to some of his guys about this stuff too.
Very sad to see this, but I really doubt he wanted to chuck these things.
I know because Walter is like the first ever player to sell stuff like this….MAN!!!
25 – The number 1 pick in the NBA draft makes around $4 million in their first year. So someone who is 19 years old living off of $4 million dollars for the rest of their life (no matter how frivolous) is beyond rediculous.
In McCarty’s case, he wasn’t even close to being the #1 overall pick.
crazy….next we’re going to find out that Walter is not Irish!
My guess is that he lost his money trying to foolishly finance his recording career…or in a string of failed investments (probably both). ESPN recently had a great documentary on this topic. He needs to go to the MAP guys (Mashburn, Avarre & Pitino Investments) and have them help him get things straight-maybe they can buy the the rings and help him get a frozen banana stand going here in Lousiville (just remember to pay for your fire insurance!).
#27 so your trying to say McCarty didn’t make tons of money in the nba? Look, I get that he may not have been a number 1 pick but c’mon. I don’t have the numbers but I’m sure he made at least 5 million in his nba career.
Charles in Charge – I understand what you are saying, but it would be very possible to live off $4mil if you were the least bit smart about it. You wouldn’t have a mansion and a Maserati, but it is beyond ridiculous to act like it couldn’t be done. That’s 40 years @ 100g a year. Hell, just put it all the bank and you’d probably be making close to six digits off of the interest alone.
Walter has money. Likely a family member or friend who did this, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see McCarty go buy them back himself.
Walker, on the other hand, reportedly sold his 96 ring that he just got from UK, too.
I guess all the morons calling McCarty selfish because he did something THEY don’t like don’t recognize the hilariously sad irony of those statements. That is the height of arrogance to be angry at someone you don’t know about something you have very little knowledge of. It’s no.e of your business.
30 – If he did make $5 million, how much went to agents, attorneys, accountants, and taxes?? That $5 million just got significantly smaller.
31 – 40 years at 100g, then what? In my scenario the athlete would be 59 and out of money?
Also, if you can find a bank that is still paying the interest rates you’re talking please let me know, cause earning six figures a year off of $4 million isn’t happening.
Per basketball-reference.com, McCarty earned just over $15 million in his career — http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mccarwa01.html
We don’t know the circumstances and hopefully Walter is not just another sad story about a broke athlete. He played in the NBA for 15 years making over $15 million then coached at Louisville for 3 years and the Indy Pacers for 1 year making 6 figures in those jobs. It is hard to see how someone could be broke with that resume.
C’mon people…it’s a freaking ring that you he earned and you didn’t. What he does with his property is none of anyone else’s business. I don’t come to your yard sales and start bitching you out for selling your clothes or other personal goods.
Another one bites the dust. Looks like multi-millions was just not enough to get Walter through. I just can’t feel sorry for these guys that find a way to burn through millions. Or maybe he just wants to buy his wife a Kirby vacuum cleaner.
So many Duke alumns are doing great things– whether playing professionally, broadcasting or analysis, or even upper-management in the NBA. The question is often asked by BBN, “Why does ESPN prefer Duke grads to UK grads?”
Its simple, Duke develops people. Exceptional basketball players- Yes, but also genuine, quality professionals that excell in a wide range of occupations after they leave their university. Kentucky develops basketball players. Calipari develops amazing NBA talent. And sometimes even that doesn’t work out (Archie). Antoine Walker, Richie Farmer, Walter McCarty are just a few examples of a long list of UK players that failed to do much of anything with their lives after basketball.
So next time you complain about Jay Williams always being on ESPN, the exposure Jay Bilas gets, or how often Duke games are televised… remember this. Coach K develops people, not just basketball players.
What a load of crap #39.
Smart Duke advocates shouldn’t post when the topic is character and jewelry should they?
He still kicked Joe Lewis’ ass.
yeah, Duke produces nothing but the best for society:
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/15/christian-laettners-time-since-the-shot-has-been-interesting/
Someone must be hurting for money. I would step down in everything (house size, car, whatever) before I would get rid of the rings.
22 you prob won’t see this bc your post was a long time ago, but McCarty is not in Pitino’s investment group. Mashburn is in the group.
Damn people leave Walter alone. They’re his rings, I love uk and might sell em. Some people don’t get attached to inanimate objects. Whether he needed the money or not, he doesn’t owe any of you some self created allegiance. It doesn’t change any of the big shots he hit helping our beloved wildcats win a title! Get a life & get off his back. I don’t even understand why ksr posts this garbage, y’all ain’t bigger than uk either.
Off the market. Just bought them! Woo Hoo!
How come its always black athletes that blow all of their money and go broke?
Didn’t he coach under Pitino when he first went to UL? He probably blew it all in about 15 seconds.
I don’t feel sorry for anyone who makes millions of dollars to play a game and becomes broke.
Walter McCarty has this thing called ‘a life of his own’ and I could care less how he lives it.
Sold for meth or oxy?
Never mind, he is black. It was crack.
He’s probably selling them to buy a U of L 2013 ring.
Scott Baio, I’m glad you are not Charles in Charge with my money! The average person makes between $1 & $2 million during their entire 40 year working career, so even if Walter pays off all his people, he should be able to live an “above average” life on a measly $4 mil. $100,000 is only 2.5% interest on $4 million. If you plopped $4 million on a bank counter, they would find a way to get you close to 2% interest, because they could make 3-9% interest back on loans. Also, NBA players make a nice pension based upon number of months in the league. So, starting at age 50, he’ll make 5 digit plus money each year (for life) just on pension. He also probably made close to 6 figures each year(and started another pension) at UL. Now bump his NBA money up from $4 million to $15 million & money “should” not be his problem. Sadly for some, it still is.
First Walter is not going broke so that is out the window. This is just sad!!
Former UK player mocked and humiliated on KSR… again.
You won’t be buying all of your friends private rooms at Skybar this weekend? I’m looking at you Mercer/Walker etc.
#43) So you’re saying Laettner made some bad business decisions? OK, lots of people do. He sure isn’t selling his national champions rings, though. Last I checked, he does a ton of work for the V Foundation, runs a basketball academy in the summer (discount for Kentucky residents– no hard feelings!), donated $1 million to his high school and $2 million to Duke (largest athlete donation in history to Duke), and does boatloads of charity work in/around Durham. That seems like a far cry from your boy McCarty, who can barely spell “Kentucky.”
45. Boston Daily March 2008
“Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino and two of his former Kentucky stars, Jamal Mashburn and Walter McCarty, hope Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in Central Kentucky amount to a slam dunk business venture.
The name of their partnership? Fast Break Donuts LLC.”
58- im guessing the pawn shop made that sign and not walter. But you’re a duke fan so you’re probably right and he made a little sign after selling his rings for the pawn shop to put in a case…..
How much for the pucks, eh?
Just saw this tweet, @BrooksDowning: Spoke with @waltermccarty today, who is working diligently to have the rings returned. Misunderstanding with family member. @KySportsRadio.”
They charge for autographs right? Well I wouldn’t pay for an autograph but I would pay to have my picture made wearing a championship ring. Any of the championship rings. That’s what I’m waiting for. Anyone else feel this way?
That Boston pawn shop is near my house BOSTONPAWNSHOP.NET is the address. LBC pawn. Ebay listings taken down hopefully Mr. McCarty got his rings back.