Vin Baker on playing while high on marijuana: "I scored 41 points"

For some NBA players, smoking marijuana has been pretty much a part of their daily lives. Some blaze it up during the offseason, some even during the season, and then there's nothing quite like former Milwaukee Bucks big man Vin Baker did with good ole Mary Jane.

Because of substance abuse, Baker's life has become one of the most unique and inspiring NBA stories. In fact, Giannis Antetokounmpo was in awe of his road to recovery, which was highlighted by his stint as a Starbucks barista. But of course, Vin first experienced the fun and exciting part before the drama.

A high game resulted in a game-high in points

To this day, Baker still vividly remembers the night he played an NBA game high on marijuana, and it was on January 5th, 1996, to be exact.

According to the four-time NBA All-Star, he smokes weed but never does it during game day. However, when he and some of his Bucks teammates met at Glenn Robinson's house to get haircuts, Vinnie saw "Big Dog" was smoking weed. He also ended up puffing it and headed to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers stoned.

"[I] Went to the game feeling kind of disoriented. It was the anxiety of, 'Am I going to be walking on air? Am I going to pass out?'," Baker told Wbur in 2017.

Baker may have been high on marijuana the entire game, but it was 1996, so it was no biggie because he was at his peak. After playing for 37 minutes, Baker finished with a game-high "41 points."

"Statistically, it was my best game ever as a pro. I scored 41 points," he recounted. "It was a weird coming out party for me, because in some ways it said, 'Wow, I've arrived on this level, to score 40 points, which is a big deal in the NBA.' But at the same time, the cost of arriving, I didn't see that night."

Nothing lasts forever

Besides consuming marijuana, Baker also spent his prime years in the NBA constantly drinking. That continued until his time with the Seattle Supersonics and the Boston Celtics.

Little did Baker know that his arrival in Boston would be the beginning of the end of his NBA career. During a physical, the results of Vinnie's examination showed signs of "liver damage associated with alcoholism." Nevertheless, Baker said the doctor told him, "Of course, if you play better, this all goes away."

However, having been regularly drunk or hungover, Baker eventually paid the price as his game drastically declined. He still managed to get signed by three more teams, but unfortunately, Vinnie was really far from the player he once was, and in 2006, he finally retired.

If we think about it, Baker could've prolonged his NBA career had he managed to know his limitations. But, sadly, he struggled to do so until it was all over.