The time Carlos Boozer rented his house out to Prince

Outside of (obviously) basketball, something I love is hearing about random famous people interact. For instance, did you know Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold from “Entourage”) and Mike Tyson are friends (they even co-host a podcast together)?

Anyway, former two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA forward Carlos Boozer had a pretty crazy connection to a famous figure in a completely different industry.

Boozer Rented His House To Prince

On an episode of the Dan Patrick Show, Boozer told a story about the time he rented his house out to Prince. Here is an anecdote of what he said:

“Okay, so I went to the Utah Jazz and wanted to live in [Los Angeles.] So, I bought a house [that] was in Bel Air. I spent eight million dollars on it. It was huge. It was like 18,000 square feet. It was immaculate. It had like ten bedrooms, a huge pool, [and] three living rooms. It was incredible.”

“So, I go back to Utah, and I’m getting a phone call from my realtor, and she’s like, ‘Hey, someone [really wants to] rent your house out.’ I was like, ‘I barely lived in the house. I’ve been there for one month. I don’t want to rent my house out.’ And she goes, ‘Well, he’s willing to pay 95,000 a month.'”

“‘Oh, 95,000 a month?’ So, I rented it out for a year. I had to go out there to sign the papers. So, on the off day, I flew out there. And he comes out of a car, and it’s Prince. I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ So, I’m trying to hold my composure a little bit.”

Some Crazy Redecorating

Okay, so Boozer rented his house out to Prince during the season. That’s pretty cool. But wait, the funny part is just starting. Check out what Prince did after they agreed to the deal.

“Anyway, long story short, he rents the house out. I hurt my hamstring that year. So, I come to LA. I hit up Prince. I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m coming to town. I’m gonna go stop by the house. If you need anything, let me know.’ And I didn’t hear back from him. So, I go down the street, or I thought my house was that street. I pulled up to the gate, and I had these two lions on the gate, and they weren’t there anymore.”

“It was like a big symbol. I didn’t know what the symbol was. So, I’m looking at the gate, and I’m like, ‘I know this is where I thought I left my house.’ So, I put the code in, and it works. [The] gates open up. And I’m like, ‘What is going on?'”

“[I] go up the driveway, and there’s this huge purple carpet. My ex-wife furnished the whole 18,000-square-foot home. I get in there, and none of my stuff is there anymore. It’s black carpet. It’s purple couches. There are pictures of him everywhere. He had [turned] one of the guest rooms into like a hair salon. He made my weight room into a disco ball nightclub.

“I was pissed. I was like, ‘What happened to my house? We didn’t agree to this.’ I’m trying to get a hold of him. I’m calling. I’m like, ‘I’m gonna sue you.’ And who wants to sue Prince, really?'”
“And he’s like, ‘Carlos, don’t worry. When I move out, it’ll be like I was never there.’ And he wired me 500,000 to ease my mind.”

That’s awesome. What a hilarious story (one that is almost as funny as what Shaquille O’Neal did at Walmart) that ended well for all parties. Prince got to stay at Boozer’s house and implement his interior designing tastes. Boozer got 500,000 dollars. And we all got to laugh about it.