NBA Star with $44 Million Contract Reportedly Doesn't Want to Play Basketball Anymore

The world of professional sports often revolves around the following phrase: "It's a business." The constant travel, practice grind and lack of longterm security can suck the fun out of anyone's career, so it is no wonder there are excellent pro athletes who no longer play "for the love of the game."

The current pro sports climate is such that when Milwaukee Bucks star Larry Sanders — who is slated to make $44 million over the next four years — reportedly told his team that he is tired of playing basketball, those who criticized him were not appalled at his lack of drive but rather the bad business decision he would be making by backing out of his contract.

A player who quits in the middle of a contract is rare, but not because he or she loves the game. It is because they are leaving loads of money on the table and forging ahead with a bankroll that statistically has a good chance of drying up within the decade.

Gery Woefel of the Racine Journal Times broke the Sanders story Monday, Jan. 5:

Sources tell me that Bucks center Larry Sanders recently told some Bucks officials that he doesn't want to play basketball anymore.

— Gery Woelfel (@GeryWoelfel) January 5, 2015

Sanders's unhappiness — and recent six-game no-show streak — is also surprising given that the Bucks are one of the most exciting teams in the league. At 18-17, they boast a young core of budding stars that will no doubt make a playoff run this year and continue their success into following seasons. Why wouldn't Sanders quit during last season's horrible 15-67 campaign?

Need proof that most athlete rhetoric should come with a grain of salt? Before this season began, Sanders announced that he was "as hungry as I've ever been" and vowed to display a new version of himself on and off the court, via Brew Hoop.

Of course, he also got philosophical and spouted a bunch of red flags.

"I'm not a believer in mistakes, I believe in purpose," he said. "To say that one thing is a mistake is to say that the whole system is flawed and I don't believe that. Not everything is going to result in good, but everything has a recipe. You just got to pick apart the lessons within the struggle."

Apparently, he has had more time to think this season and decided that basketball is not what he likes to do.

That is fine, but leaving $44 million on the table is nearly impossible for fans to swallow.