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NBA star’s nightmarish home purchase reveals dark past
Oklahoma City point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeks to nullify purchase
A photo illustration of the “crypto king” Aiden Pleterski (left) and NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) along with 5126 Lakeshore Road in Burlington, Lake Ontario (Getty, Dream Homes of Canada, Twitter)
An NBA star’s recently purchased home has drawn a series of fouls.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a point guard with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is caught in a legal battle over his newly-acquired 10,000-square-foot home on Lake Ontario, the New York Times reported.
The luxe six-bedroom property, which Gilgeous-Alexander bought for $6.1 million, turned into a nightmare for Gilgeous-Alexander and his partner just two days after moving in.
The house had previously belonged to Aiden Pleterski, a self-proclaimed “crypto king” who declared bankruptcy in 2022, owing more than $26.8 million to 150-plus investment clients. Pleterski’s extravagant lifestyle, funded by investor money, led to his bankruptcy, the Times reported, citing a banking analysis by a bankruptcy trustee.
Pleterski had been kidnapped, beaten and tortured by one of his aggrieved investors and four others in December of the year prior. The incident prompted increased security measures, and Pleterski eventually moved out for his own safety. However, angry visitors persisted, causing another resident to flee.
Gilgeous-Alexander is now seeking to nullify the sale, claiming that the previous owner’s real estate company concealed information about the alarming history of the house and its connection to Pleterski, which created an obvious security threat.
The former owner, the head of a Toronto real estate company, justified the nondisclosure by asserting that any purchaser investing more than $8 million in a luxury home would prioritize privacy and avoid a property with a history of threatening visits.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s lawsuit recounts a disturbing incident where an uninvited visitor appeared at the property, demanding to see Pleterski. Despite being informed that no one by that name was present, the visitor lingered, prompting concerns about threats to the property.
The response from the company owned by Gilgeous-Alexander contends that the frequency and potential danger posed by uninvited visitors were downplayed.
However, statements from Sandeep Gupta, who handled dealings with Pleterski, paint a different picture, describing daily visits from people seeking Pleterski and characterizing the situation as “very bad.”
— Ted Glanzer