When former NBA star Carlos Boozer bought a sprawling mansion in Los Angeles during the mid-2000s, he had no intention of leasing it out. Shortly after finalizing his contract with the Utah Jazz, Boozer purchased a massive 10-to-12-bedroom estate in Bel Air. Despite turning down continuous inquiries from prospective tenants, his agent eventually brought him an extraordinary proposal: an anonymous high-profile figure was willing to pay a staggering $95,000 per month to lease the property for a full year.
After finalizing the agreement, Boozer learned that his secretive tenant was the iconic musician Prince. The arrangement took an unexpected turn when Boozer, sidelined by a hamstring injury during the basketball season, returned to Los Angeles for physical therapy and decided to visit his property. Arriving at the gate, he barely recognized his own residence. A lavish purple carpet stretched from the driveway entry all the way to the front doors, marking just the beginning of a complete, unauthorized makeover.
Stepping inside, Boozer discovered that his personal furnishings and carpets had been completely removed and replaced. Prince had reconfigured the home’s layout to suit his personal lifestyle: the home gym had been converted into a private nightclub, guest bedrooms were transformed into fully functioning hair salons, and adjacent spaces were redesigned into massage parlors. Unhappy with the drastic alterations, Boozer initially considered legal action, but his attempts to reach Prince directly went unanswered.
The tension was resolved unexpectedly when Prince phoned Boozer at three in the morning from his tour in Asia. Apologizing for the lack of communication, the music legend promised to restore the estate to its exact original condition upon moving out. To put the athlete’s mind at ease, Prince wired Boozer an additional $500,000 up front. True to his word, Prince fully restored the property at the end of the lease, turning the wild rental experience into a massive financial win for Boozer, who eventually sold the $8.6 million estate for $12.4 million.
