Former NBA player Carlos Boozer recounted to ESPN that he signed a deal with the Utah Jazz in 2004 or 2005 and was looking for a home in Los Angeles, CA.
Boozer moved forward with the purchase of a Bel Air home with 10-12 bedrooms. Following the purchase, he received numerous calls from persons interested in renting out his home, which he declined. However, an opportunity arose that he couldn’t pass up. At the time, his representative informed him that a high-profile customer wanted to rent out his home for a year for $95,000 per month.
The client was revealed to be none other than Prince after signing the contract.
Boozer was playing for the Utah Jazz at the time, but a hamstring injury forced him to return to Los Angeles for rehab, and he told Prince that he would be dropping by the house. His house was unrecognizable when he arrived.
“I go to the street where my house is at, and I pull up and I go to what I think is the property and I’m like, ‘Is this my house?’” Boozer told ESPN. “I know I haven’t spent much time here, but this doesn’t look like my house.”
He continued: “So I type in the passcode to the gate, and it opens up right away. As I’m driving up the long driveway to my house, it was this big purple rug that was going from the motor court area all the way up to the front door. And I’m like, ‘What the f-ck is going on?’”
When Boozer eventually came inside, all of his furniture and rugs had been replaced, according to him. In addition, Prince had renovated the rooms. As the weight room was transformed into a nightclub, the guest rooms were transformed into hair salons, and the space opposite to them was transformed into a massage parlor.
Boozer was irritated by the whole metamorphosis and attempted to contact Prince, but he did not respond. Next, Boozer called his lawyer, who stated that suing the legend was an option. Yet, the two sides eventually came to an amicable conclusion.
“Nobody really wants to sue Prince,” Boozer admitted.
“Out of nowhere, I get a call at [like] three in the morning and it’s P. And he goes, ‘Hey Booz, listen I’m so sorry I’ve been on tour, I’m in Asia. Don’t worry about anything. When the lease is over and I move out, the house will look like I was never there.”
In an interview with The Dan Patrick Show, Boozer said Prince wired him $500,000 to “ease” his mind.
While renting his property to Prince was a roller coaster ride, it ultimately benefited Boozer.
He paid $8.6 million for the house but was able to sell it for $12.4 million since he rented it out for a year.
