Former NBAer Eddy Curry regrets not going to college

Between the eras of Dell and Stephen, the most famous Curry in the NBA was Eddy (no relation). Unfortunately, Eddy Curry is best remembered by most fans as an overweight and overpaid center for the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.

A noted member of the pre-2006 prep-to-pro generation, the fourth pick of the 2001 draft spoke to high school students last week about the pitfalls of NBA fame at an early age.

"It would be super dope to have a college diploma," Curry told the group, according to the Naperville Sun's Suzanne Baker. A high school star in suburban Chicago, the seven-footer was drafted by his hometown Bulls at the age of 18.

Yet Curry, who was plagued by efficiency and weight issues throughout his career, said he didn't get into any trouble until the Bulls traded him to the Knicks in 2005.

"They babied me in Chicago," he said. "They really kind of sheltered and kept us kind of concealed and didn't let us get into a lot of stuff. Then I went to New York and it was total opposite. It was like boom."

The Bulls traded Curry because of concern they had over a possible congenital heart condition. When he refused to submit to a DNA test, they promptly dealt him to New York for a package that included draft picks that later became LaMarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah. Curry meanwhile, was rewarded with a six-year, $60-million contract, one of many roster decisions Knicks fans bristle at to this day.

Curry was limited to only 69 games in the last three seasons of his tenure in Gotham. While he didn't go into much detail on his wild lifestyle with the Knicks, he admitted his behavior affected his family.

"When I was at my wildest, that is what suffered the most," he said.

Curry last played in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks in 2012.

-With h/t to Ball Don't Lie