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Per the collective bargaining agreement, NBA players get $106 per diem, in cash, when they are on the road. As Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News tells us, the money is distributed in envelopes as players arrive at the airport.

Many of them take that cash onto the plane, where they gamble it away to savvier teammates. Still others use it for room service, when it is not even really enough to get you three square meals a day (I say this as someone who recently ordered a room service snack at the All-Star game--some fruit and mixed nuts, plus coffee--that was more than $50). Still others never even take it out of the envelope, giving them out as gifts to friends and relatives.

Then there are those who scrape and save, hoarding every last penny. Praise be to Jamal Sampson and Yakhouba Diawara of the Nuggets. Tomasson writes:

Camby gives envelopes on some trips to guard Yakhouba Diawara in exchange for certain chores performed by the team's only rookie.

Diawara, making the rookie minimum of $412,718, carries some bags and sometimes brings meals to Camby. It doesn't sound as if Diawara buys much for himself.

"There's nothing over a $10 meal for 'Kouba,' " Sampson said. " 'Kouba' will walk three miles. He'll walk around the whole city just to save some money."

Diawara scoffs at Sampson's claims. He said there are days he has only $10 remaining from per diem and spoke about having a $24 breakfast and $40 lunch on a recent trip.

Sampson, though, is proud to be regarded as the team's most frugal player.

"Subway. Quiznos, I'll go to whatever sandwich shop," he said.

I love that they won't even spring for cab to Subway. Walk. Love it. To be honest, it's a non-trivial amount of cash. Who knows? If he stays frugal and invests wisely, in three decades Diawara might be worth more than Camby.