Lance Stephenson reveals the only regret from his NBA career: "Once I got paid, I didn't keep that hunger"

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Lance Stephenson reveals the only regret from his NBA career: “Once I got paid, I didn’t keep that hunger” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Lance Stephenson played 10 seasons in the NBA and was a solid starter for the Indiana Pacers before bouncing around the league with seven other teams.

Many believe Stephenson could have had a better career and say he did not maximize his potential. But looking back, the only part of his career that he regrets was leaving the Pacers to sign with the Charlotte Hornets.

“I think I did great. I don’t regret none of everything I did in my career. But one year, the year that I left the Pacers to go to the Hornets, once I got paid, I didn’t keep the hunger. Like, I kinda slowed, you know, once you get paid, I got a car, I got houses, I was hyped like all my friends, I’m on top like this. I go to my hood, doing music videos. I felt like at that moment right there, I should have just went started going harder, and harder, and harder, and that’s the only part of my career I feel like, damn, I should have changed that right there,” he admitted.

Charlotte went from 43 to 33 wins

Stephenson looked destined for superstardom when he had his breakout season in 2013-14 for the Pacers. He led the league in triple-doubles and finished second behind Goran Dragic in the Most Improved Player voting. The Pacers finished as the No. 1 seed in the East but lost to the Big 3 Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals in six games.

After the season, Stephenson rejected a reported five-year $44 million extension from the Pacers and ended up signing a three-year $27 million offer with the Hornets. After averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the Pacers in 2013-14, Stephenson’s numbers dropped to 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2014-15 for the Hornets.

With Charlotte regressing from a 43-win playoff team to a 33-win 11th seed in the East, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes. That was the beginning of the end.

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Lance bounced around after that

Stephenson lasted only 43 games as a Clipper and was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies before he could complete a season in Los Angeles. Throughout his NBA career, he also played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks.

Stephenson spent time in Asia, Puerto Rico and the G League. Having switched teams so many times throughout his basketball journey, he offered advice for today’s new generation of NBA players who want to maximize their talents in the league.

“Just stay in the gym. When you get paid, stay in the gym because it’s more money there; there’s more fun. You have fun later. Like right now, I wish I went crazy at that time so I can have more fun right now. So I would say, ‘Do everything you can while you’re young and strong, so you can have fun at this age, right here,'” he added.

Stephenson seems to have found his hunger again in Ice Cube’s BIG3 3-v-3 league, as a member of the Miami 305 team. And while he also recently lost to Michael Beasley in a 1-v-1 basketball showdown for $100K sponsored by “The Next Chapter,” his love for the game is still there.

Related: “I never went to him and asked for help” – Lance Stephenson opens up about missed opportunity to learn from Michael Jordan in Charlotte

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.

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