Duke basketball, ex-NBA player Carlos Boozer almost sued Prince. Here’s why

Editor’s Note: This story is the third installment of our four-part series highlighting Carlos Boozer and his book – Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience. Published by HarperCollins, the book was released Oct. 3 and can be found in hardcover, e-book and audiobook versions. The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network will highlight key moments from Boozer’s journey, from his time with Coach K and Duke basketball to life off the court.

Duke basketball legend Carlos Boozer almost sued Prince.

Yes, Boozer was once at odds with Prince, one of the greatest musicians of all time and a seven-time Grammy winner. Boozer dedicates a chapter in his book to the late legend, who died in 2016, and gives an in-depth account of the experience in “Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience,” which was released Oct. 3.

During a 45-minute interview with The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network, Boozer discussed several topics. In the third installment of our four-part series, we take a look at the time Boozer met Prince and a turbulent period in Los Angeles.

How Carlos Boozer met music legend Prince

Carlos Boozer met Prince during Boozer’s first season with the NBA’s Utah Jazz in 2004.

“(The Jazz) blessed me with a great contract and I ended up buying a house in L.A.,” Boozer said. “There was a house on the market that was beautiful – 18,000 square feet, right in the hills of Bel Air, overlooking the whole sunset strip and the city.”

Once the sale was finalized, Boozer made his way to Salt Lake City for the upcoming NBA season. That's when Boozer’s real estate agent Roxanne Nelson called to tell him someone was interested in renting his L.A. house.

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Initially, Boozer turned down the offer before Nelson called back a week later.

“Then she called back again and said they were willing to give $95,000 a month,” Boozer said.

“Wait a minute, I did go to Duke and my math – I got A-pluses in math class – $95,000 a month for a property that I’m not gonna be spending the next eight months in, that sounds pretty good. If I’m not gonna be living there, I can make money off of it.”

When Boozer flies back to L.A. to sign the paperwork, Prince pulls up in a limousine.

“I’m like, ‘Yo, is that Prince? That’s Prince. Holy (expletive). I didn’t know who it was because it was under a company name,” Boozer said.

"So, I rent the house out to him and we have a great conversation. He’s from Minnesota and a big Kevin Garnett fan. … We’re having a great conversation about Kevin Garnett and then I go back to the season.”

What Prince did to Boozer’s Los Angeles house

A string of hamstring injuries plagued Boozer’s debut season with the Jazz, so he returned to L.A. to rehab with physical therapist Judy Seto.

When he gets back to the city, Boozer gives Prince a call to tell him he wants to swing by the house and check on things.

“I keep calling, no response, no response. … I’m like, ‘Prince, I just want to stop by the house. I haven’t heard from you and it’s been two or three weeks.,” Boozer said.

“So I pull up to the house and on the gate I (previously) had these two gold lions on a black gate. When I get there, there’s this symbol and I didn’t know what the (expletive) it was. I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ I was thinking it’s not my house and maybe I have the wrong address, so I drive up the street and drive back down. I had no idea he had changed his name into a symbol.”

Boozer described the changes at the gate as the “first red flag.” Then, he proceeds to find purple carpet in the driveway, with purple-and-black furniture and photos of Prince throughout the house. One of the rooms was transformed into a hair salon and another into a massage parlor. Boozer’s weight room was now a nightclub with a disco ball and a DJ booth.

“I was like, ‘What the (expletive) did this guy do to my house?’ Now, I’m calling him with intention, because I’m ready to sue,” Boozer said.

“. … Nobody wants to sue Prince, but I can’t get the guy on the phone. I’m probably like a week away from filing action and then I get this call from Prince.”

Boozer was at a game, so the call went to voicemail. But Prince left a message.

“He was like, ‘Booz, don’t worry, man. I just wanted the house to look like mine. When I move out, everything will be back in place like I was never there.’ Literally, this guy had so much money, he basically spent over a million dollars renting the house from me for a year,” Boozer said.

“The 18,000-square foot – fully-decorated house – he put all that in storage, down to the forks. … Then he takes all his stuff out and puts my stuff back in before he moved out. That’s how much money Prince had … when he could have just bought his own house in L.A. That’s a true story and we laughed about it at the (2015) All-Star game in New York.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why Duke basketball, ex-NBA player Carlos Boozer almost sued Prince