Houston Rockets power forward Tari Eason is looking for protection from the state of California after he claims his ex-girlfriend sought revenge on him following an argument and got it via almost $100,000 worth of property damage.
Eason, 25, claims model Marilyn Maritza Melo Rodriguez, 32, went back to his rental following an argument between the 2 and poured liquid bleach over $92,000 worth of his designer clothes.
From TMZ: “Tari claims one of Marilyn’s friends called him to ‘tell me that she would break both of my legs and kill me’ … alleged threats he said made him fear for his life. Tari is asking a judge to order Marilyn to stay away from him, his home, his work, his car … and any arena in California where the Rockets might play.”
According to Eason, Rodriguez also punched him in the face after a ride home — after which he says she doubled back to his rental home to ruin his clothes.
Eason, a 2022 1st-round pick (No. 17 overall), signed a 5-year, $81.45 million contract extension on July 9 that includes a player option for the 2030-21 season worth $18.55 million. Eason’s current contract will bring his career earnings to approximately $98 million.
Eason One of NBA’s Most Valuable Bench Players
Eason, 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, was an All-AAC pick at Cincinnati as a freshman, then an All-SEC pick at LSU as a sophomore — when he was also SEC Sixth Man of the Year and averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals.
Eason made the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2023 with 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while he played in all 82 regular-season games — followed by just 22 games in 2023-24 due to a lower-leg stress contusion that required surgery.
The last 2 seasons have represented a bounce-back for Eason, who has averaged double-digits each year while almost exclusively coming off the bench — a role in wich he has still averaged 25 minutes per game.
While the numbers on Eason’s contract jump off the page, it’s worth pointing out that his average annual salary not cracking $20 million over the course of the contract could represent about the going rate — essentially the NBA’s version of middle class or upper-middle class.
Who is Tari Eason’s Ex Marilyn Melo Rodriguez?
Rodriguez is a fashion influencer/model with 7715,000 followers on her official Instagram account. She posted a roll of pictures to Instagram from a Rockets preseason win over the Utah Jazz in Houston on October 8.
She’s also a model for the prestigious Wilhelmina Modeling agency out of Miami
Comparatively, Eason has just 87,500 followers on Instagram.
His last post came on July 9 — the day he signed his new contract with the Rockets — and contained just 2 shrugging emojis and a roll of pictures.
“$92K in designer clothes + bleach = the most expensive breakup receipt I’ve ever seen,” Temidrey wrote on his official X account.
$98 Million Rockets Star Seeks Protection Order Against Wilhelmina Model