There is often a stark difference between the social media profiles of former NBA players and their younger, current counterparts. The latter use hashtags, vapid photos, lots of pictures of them looking at the floor and pretending to take phone calls for some reason, and a focus on “content” rather than rawness or anything meaningful. The older generations, meanwhile, tend to overshare.
Former Portland Trail Blazers wing Ruben Patterson falls into the latter category.
Whereas many Instagram profiles of sporting celebrities these days are clearly done by committees of young professionals with algorithms to hit, no one can look at Patterson’s profile – @rubenpatterson24 – and accuse him of letting anyone else of handling it for him. The content, clearly, is all at Patterson’s discretion. And for the most part, what he wants us to know about is what he alleges to be fraud by his former business manager and financial advisor.
A Feed Full Of Accusations
Over a series of posts that currently number in the dozens, Patterson shares a lot of images of documents that he claims show that he has been defrauded. In relation to a gym business he sought to establish while still an active NBA player, Patterson claims to have been swindled out of monetary amounts in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, by another party or parties involved in its foundation.
On a personal Instagram account, the accused has no right of reply, and Patterson acts accordingly. There are no in-depth legal arguments presented here, nor counterpoints offered, merely the adamancy of one party’s claims. Patterson, though, is truly adamant – and is willing to plead his case to the public accordingly.
In addition to his long-standing posts on this matter, Patterson shares lots of throwback images of himself with various NBA figures from his day, as is to be expected, many of which feature Kobe Bryant. He further shares a letter from what he claims is his counselor, diagnosing Patterson with a history of trauma pertaining to “bankruptcy, homelessness, divorce, cardiac issues and financial insecurity”, and re-shares news of his daughter’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis from her accounted, all of which is annotated with the Comic Sans font (which seems an odd choice for such serious matters). Clearly, then, Patterson is willing to lay it all out there.
Patterson’s NBA Career
Initially drafted 31st overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the L.A. Lakers, Patterson played 10 NBA seasons from 1998 through 2008 as a 6’5 wing known primarily for his defensive ability rather than scoring efficiency or playmaking. He appeared in 649 regular-season games and started 245 of them, and for his career, he averaged 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 24.6 minutes per contest.
Patterson began his career with the Lakers, appearing in limited minutes during the 1998-99 season, but his role expanded after moving to the Seattle SuperSonics, where he averaged 12.3 points per game over two seasons and established himself as a regular rotation player. In 2004, Patterson signed with the Blazers, where he spent four and a half seasons in a high-profile role on some difficult teams, and had what were his best-known seasons.
Defensively, Patterson was frequently tasked with guarding opposing teams’ top perimeter scorers. While advanced defensive metrics from his era are limited, his steal rate and minutes allocation reflect a consistent defensive role, and his (allegedly) self-appointed nickname of the “Kobe Stopper” (hence the continued references to Bryant on his Instagram account), contributed to his longevity as a rotation player, even though he was a non-shooter from a shooting position.
Patterson later played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers before finishing his NBA career in 2010. His NBA career was repeatedly intersected by off-court legal incidents, the most serious of which occurred in 2001, when Patterson was charged with felony sexual assault related to an encounter involving a household employee. He ultimately pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault, a reduced charge, and was sentenced to 15 days of jail time.
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