If you kind of got the idea before that bow-and-arrow lovin', Grand Rapids native, Clippers starting center Chris Kaman was a little strange, then, well, you're instincts were correct. Bill Plaschke of the LA Times recently traveled to Kaman's mansion for a profile, expanding our previously limited view into his life:
On the second-floor balcony, there is a collapsed pingpong table.
"We lost all the balls," [Kaman] said, peering down to the winding street.
In a narrow side yard, there is an archery range. A Styrofoam target and plastic deer are at one end. Kaman, with a John Deere cap on backward, is standing 20 yards away and shooting from the other end.
"This is how I relax after games," he says between shots that zing past my quivering frame as I stand pressed against the outside wall. "Don't worry. I don't miss."
Welcome to Christmas with the Kamans, where there are pets (a dog and a python), a piano (inherited from the previous owner, nobody can play) and, yes, a posse.
Three of Kaman's buddies from his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., keep the common areas meticulously clean, cook healthy food and, like their leader, don't drink or party and rarely curse.
It pretty much sounds like a living in a frat house, minus the booze and women, which is a little confusing to me, since I'm not sure why anyone would ever want to live in a frat house without any booze and women. Unless, I guess, you like to watch movies:
We spent most of the afternoon chatting in huge recliners facing a huge TV screen at the foot of his bed. This is where Kaman says he lives, playing video games online with friends back home and watching something from his collection of 1,600 movies.
"A wild night?" says friend Caleb Chamberlain. "Two movies."
Sweet, I guess. Don't get me wrong -- the column actually praises Kaman for being a genuine person that hasn't let fame or money change him, which is admirable, and it makes a quick mention of his battle with attention deficit disorder, which he's trying to beat without relying on medication. All around, he seems like a cool guy, probably one that I would enjoy spending time with. But if I were an NBA star, the last thing I'd be doing is outfitting my West Coast mansion like a glorified hunting lodge, spending every night in while ignoring all of the social opportunities that comes with with being a young NBA starter.
In fact, I feel kind of bad for Caleb Chamberlain. I have no clue what this guy is like, but you have to wonder if he thought Chris Kaman's posse would at least resemble Vincent Chase's entourage, and not life in the Central Michigan University Greek scene minus the sororities.
As Strange as It Seems, Kaman's the Real Deal [Los Angeles Times]