In his younger days, Monty McCutchen, now the Senior Vice President and Head of Referee Development & Training for the NBA , had few prospects for a professional basketball career. Money was tight for his family and the junior college playing days were all but over, but he was driven to attend a referee camp to pursue a new path. To afford the cost, McCtuchen secured a $600 loan using an unusual form of collateral: the family horse.

“My dad was going back to get a PhD., so we didn't have a bunch of money,” McCutchen began, “but we had a horse. Back then, you could go to a local bank and use a horse for collateral. Somehow that horse got me $600 to be able to go out to that camp and mostly pay for it.”

That equine-based line of credit would prove to be one of the most consequential inve

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