Ex-NBA Player with at Least 8 Kids Files for Bankruptcy

Former NBA player Jason Caffey had two kids with his wife before she filed for divorce in Fulton County last year.

He also has had a slew of children—at least six others—with other women around the country, in and around Atlanta as well as in Alabama, Louisiana and Illinois.

Most went to court and got hefty child-support orders from Caffey while he was making millions playing professional basketball. Once he left the NBA in 2003, though, Caffey’s well of cash dried up like the shores of Lake Lanier.

But he was still on the hook for the payments. Now he has filed for bankruptcy in Alabama to get the women—and law enforcement—off his back.

Caffey’s attorney in Atlanta says his client agreed to the high payments because he could afford it. In a 10-year career with the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, the 6-foot 8-inch power forward made as much as $5 million a season.

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Altman said he doesn’t know what happened to Caffey’s basketball money. Caffey did not return a phone message seeking comment.

Caffey, 34, filed for bankruptcy in August, but some of the women’s attorneys say he hasn’t ponied up in years.

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According to bankruptcy documents, Caffey is nearly $2 million in debt and has about $1.15 million in assets, most of which is tied up in business ventures.

Among his other assets: two NBA championship rings he won with the Chicago Bulls ($10,000) and a 2006 Dodge Charger ($34,000).

Now living in Mobile, Caffey is a businessman, making $11,500 a month from a string of day-care centers and a sports bar, all in his hometown.

But he spends more than he earns—about $15,000 a month—forcing him to arrange a $50,000 loan from his mother, documents show.

Altman said he doesn’t know if Caffey is currently paying child support to any of the mothers.

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“He’s a deadbeat,” said another attorney, Clarence Roby Jr., who is representing a Louisiana woman who had two of Caffey’s children. “If you choose to procreate and have children coast to coast and you don’t take care of those children, you’re a deadbeat.”

It’s not clear exactly how many children Caffey has fathered—and his lawyer’s not telling.

“It’s more than I have and fewer than what Evander Holyfield has,” said Altman, who has two children, compared to 11 for Holyfield.

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The women listed as creditors in the bankruptcy documents had eight of his children—five boys and three girls between the ages of 3 and 14.

Two of those children were born to Caffey and his wife. They were married in August 1998 and separated in January 2006, but have not yet finalized the divorce. A settlement included $2,500-a-month child support payments, but Caffey never signed it and has not been paying her, Edwards said.

Locally, Caffey had children with at least two women: LoRunda Brown of Lawrenceville and Nicole Carter of Atlanta, according to court records.

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Jason Caffrey in his more prosperous, procreative days.