Martin upset about popcorn prank

[Dos Equis]

Solidifying his status as one of the biggest punks in the NBA.

Martin upset about popcorn prank
By Chris Broussard
ESPN The Magazine

On a night when the Denver Nuggets should have been celebrating a much-needed victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, the franchise continued to struggle with off-the-court issues when an April Fools' Day joke sparked anything but laughter.

During Denver's 109-92 victory Thursday, a former Nuggets ball boy, Laquan Johnson, got into the club's locker room, took Kenyon Martin's car keys and filled the player's Range Rover with buttered popcorn. The car had a white interior.


Martin
Martin discovered the damage as he was about to exit Denver's Pepsi Center. At the time, he had no idea who had pulled the prank. Angered, he went back to the locker room spewing profanities and threats at teammates and other members of the organization.

"That ain't no [expletive] joke," Martin said. "I'm going to find out who did it ... put my [expletive] hands on one of y'all. I'm going to put my hands on whoever did it. You better believe that. It's [expletive] personal. You better believe it."

Martin, who has missed 15 games with a torn patella tendon in his left knee, threatened to boycott the postseason if he did not find out who was responsible.

"How 'bout if I don't play in the playoffs until somebody tells me who did it," Martin said more than once.

Martin stormed in and out of the locker room several times, and a person close to him said his anger was not over the prank, but over the fact that someone could go into his pocket and take his keys during a game. Realizing the culprit had to have access to the private code for the team's gated parking lot, he assumed members of the organization either pulled the stunt or assisted in it.

"The fact that no one saw it or had anything to say about it -- not security, not the equipment manager," a person close to Martin said, explaining the player's anger. "Somebody had to see it. He was wondering how the organization let something like that happen. What if the kid had really wanted to do something evil?"

Later, Martin found out Johnson, the former ball boy who is now the driver for teammate J.R. Smith, was responsible. Johnson apologized to Martin and agreed to pay for the damage to his car.

"It was just an April Fools joke that went horribly wrong," said a member of the Nuggets organization who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The kid thought it would be funny and it wasn't. Kenyon was back at practice today and everything was fine between him and his teammates."

The episode was the latest in a string of distractions Denver has had to deal with lately. Once regarded as the Western Conference's top challenger to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets have all but fallen apart down the stretch.

With Martin out and coach George Karl missing games while getting treatment for throat cancer, Denver had lost five of six games before defeating Portland. That stretch dropped them from the second seed to the fifth seed in the West.

Martin, who cannot guarantee he'll be healthy for the playoffs, said before Thursday's game that he hopes to return for the last regular season game or two.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5051607

[body88]

So, you're saying you wouldn't be mad if someone filled your 80k range with butter popcorn which stained and ruined the white interior? This example hardly makes Martin a punk.

You might have had a point if it was packing foam.

[Dos Equis]

So, you're saying you wouldn't be mad if someone filled your 80k range with butter popcorn which stained and ruined the white interior? This example hardly makes Martin a punk.

You might have had a point if it was packing foam.

No, I wouldn't be mad, especially if the person responsible was trying to play a joke and took responsibility.  And if I was making $15,852,511 this year, which works out to $1,321,042.58 a month, and $660,521.29 every two weeks, no, I wouldn't be upset about popcorn in my ride. 

He was a grade A punk before this incident.  Threatening to beat up the person responsible for this, and threatening to sit out playoff games over this, makes him an even bigger punk in my eyes. 

[UPINTHEMGUTS]

No, I wouldn't be mad, especially if the person responsible was trying to play a joke and took responsibility.  And if I was making $15,852,511 this year, which works out to $1,321,042.58 a month, and $660,521.29 every two weeks, no, I wouldn't be upset about popcorn in my ride.  

He was a grade A punk before this incident.  Threatening to beat up the person responsible for this, and threatening to sit out playoff games over this, makes him an even bigger punk in my eyes.  

It says that Martin was more upset that someone within the locker room was able to steal his car keys in order to do the prank in the first place. Be that as it may, no matter how much salary I was earning, I would still be upset that someone ruined my personal belongings. Not exactly a harmless prank when you think about it. Sure these NBA players make ridiculous salaries but they have a right to be angered if someone damaged their property.

[body88]

No, I wouldn't be mad, especially if the person responsible was trying to play a joke and took responsibility.  And if I was making $15,852,511 this year, which works out to $1,321,042.58 a month, and $660,521.29 every two weeks, no, I wouldn't be upset about popcorn in my ride.  

He was a grade A punk before this incident.  Threatening to beat up the person responsible for this, and threatening to sit out playoff games over this, makes him an even bigger punk in my eyes.  

So just because a person makes a lot of money it's ok to destroy their property? I can't agree with that at all. I can see why Martin was upset over the prank, and even though he acted very immature, I understand why he'd be irate over someone stealing his keys and destroying the interior of his 80,000 SUV.

You're right about one thing, Martin was a punk before this incident.

[Dos Equis]

It says that Martin was more upset that someone within the locker room was able to steal his car keys in order to do the prank in the first place. Be that as it may, no matter how much salary I was earning, I would still be upset that someone ruined my personal belongings. Not exactly a harmless prank when you think about it. Sure these NBA players make ridiculous salaries but they have a right to be angered if someone damaged their property.

What this shows is Martin really doesn't have a sense of humor.  As someone who plays a lot of practical jokes (and has had them played on me), I know that choosing the right victim is as important as the joke itself.  You can't choose an idiot like Martin. 

If you put his salary in context, and look at the fact the person who played the joke is paying for cleanup job, this is a completely harmless prank.

[Dos Equis]

So just because a person makes a lot of money it's ok to destroy their property? I can't agree with that at all. I can see why Martin was upset over the prank, and even though he acted very immature, I understand why he'd be irate over someone stealing his keys and destroying the interior of his 80,000 SUV.

You're right about one thing, Martin was a punk before this incident.

Dude this is like someone damaging a pen belonging to your typical office employee. 

Where does it say his property was destroyed?  The white interior was "damaged" and the guy who played the joke will pay to clean it up.  I doubt it costs more than a few hundred bucks.  Big friggin deal.  To threaten to beat someone up and sit out playoff games over something like this is beyond immature. 

I'm not saying he doesn't have the "right" to be upset.  Sure he does. He has right to act anyway he chooses.  It just makes him look like an even bigger dummy.

[body88]

Dude this is like someone damaging a pen belonging to your typical office employee.  

Where does it say his property was destroyed?  The white interior was "damaged" and the guy who played the joke will pay to clean it up.  I doubt it costs more than a few hundred bucks.  Big friggin deal.  To threaten to beat someone up and sit out playoff games over something like this is beyond immature.  

I'm not saying he doesn't have the "right" to be upset.  Sure he does. He has right to act anyway he chooses.  It just makes him look like an even bigger dummy.

Ok, so lets say you're a very wealthy person, and I decide it's going to be funny to fill your 80k Mercedes with butter popcorn. The oil on that popcorn stains the white interior and the whole interior must be replaced. You wouldn't think that was a big deal? Sorry beach, not buying this one.

Your post would make sense if the item used for the prank did no damage to the vehicle.

[Dos Equis]

Ok, so lets say you're a very wealthy person, and I decide it's going to be funny to fill your 80k Mercedes with butter popcorn. The oil on that popcorn stains the white interior and the whole interior must be replaced. You wouldn't think that was a big deal? Sorry beach, not buying this one.

Your post would make sense if the item used for the prank did no damage to the vehicle.

Body that's pretty much the same question you first asked me.  I think there are few problems with your question.  Nothing in the story says the interior had to be replaced.  Even if we assume his vehicle is worth $80k, there wasn't $80k worth of damage.  It's probably a few hundred bucks of "damage." 

To put this in even more perspective, Martin's $15,852,511 annual salary breaks down to $8,256.52 an hour.  Let's assume the worst case scenario, that the leather must be replaced.  Can't be more than about $4 or $5k.  That's about 30 minutes worth of income for Martin.  And given that he's not paying anything to repair the "damage," it's going to cost him nothing. 

Now if we're talking about Joe Sixpack who actually lost money over a prank, then I can understand.  But this idiot multimillionaire?  Puh-leaze.   

[Quickerblade]

Body that's pretty much the same question you first asked me.  I think there are few problems with your question.  Nothing in the story says the interior had to be replaced.  Even if we assume his vehicle is worth $80k, there wasn't $80k worth of damage.  It's probably a few hundred bucks of "damage." 

To put this in even more perspective, Martin's $15,852,511 annual salary breaks down to $8,256.52 an hour.  Let's assume the worst case scenario, that the leather must be replaced.  Can't be more than about $4 or $5k.  That's about 30 minutes worth of income for Martin.  And given that he's not paying anything to repair the "damage," it's going to cost him nothing. 

Now if we're talking about Joe Sixpack who actually lost money over a prank, then I can understand.  But this idiot multimillionaire?  Puh-leaze.   

its still disrespectful to mess with anyones property.

[Dos Equis]

its still disrespectful to mess with anyones property.

Depends on the person's intent.  This was a joke.  I think if the same joke was played on Tim Duncan we wouldn't be having this discussion, because he would have laughed it off.  Definitely wouldn't be threatening to beat people up and quit on his teammates. 

[Quickerblade]

Depends on the person's intent.  This was a joke.  I think if the same joke was played on Tim Duncan we wouldn't be having this discussion, because he would have laughed it off.  Definitely wouldn't be threatening to beat people up and quit on his teammates. 

I'd love to see pics of it, its probably not even worth talking about, but the fact someone got into his locker and took his keys is deserving of a meltdown

[Earl1972]

i'd be pissed too

E

[JohnC1908]

I don't really blame Martin here. You want to play a joke on me fine, but don't destroy my sh!t or go through my stuff.

[MRDUMPLING]

I don't really blame Martin here. You want to play a joke on me fine, but don't destroy my sh!t or go through my stuff.

QFT...I'd be pissed if I was fucking Bill Gates.  Like Body said, if it was packing foam or cardboard is one thing...something where it damages my property is another. 

[regmac]

I thought only TO (did he get a job yet" had something to do with POPCORN!