After high school star Richie Parker was convicted of sexual abuse, those who tried to salvage—and savage—his basketball career were scarred by their experience.

SI’s report on athletes and their out-of-wedlock kids:

Although there have been no studies on athletes and their out-of-wedlock kids, those who are familiar with the issue say the numbers are staggering. “I’d say that there might be more kids out of wedlock than there are players in the NBA,” estimates one of the league’s top agents, who says he spends more time dealing with paternity claims than he does negotiating contracts.

In 1999, Katie Baker was a thoroughly self-possessed, hockey-loving 18-year-old headed for Harvard. Or so the older men she met online — and offline — believed.