If you just take a closer look at the childhoods of professional athletes, you'll see that there are some athletes who were born into wealthy families who had it all from the very beginning and some other athletes who were born into poor families who were starving and what not. Like the rest of us, pro athletes come from all sorts of different backgrounds ranging from the cozy neighborhoods in Colorado to the slums in the South Side of Chicago. So yeah, it's obvious that pro athletes worked hard to get where they are today, but not all of them have been dreaming of a miracle to happen so they could support themselves and their families.

Increasingly, there are more and more tear-jerking stories of pro athletes who have made it to the big stage, despite not rolling in the dough in a two-story home with a white picket fence growing up. Just take a look at the investigate, in-depth stories on ESPN's E:60. You can always thank us later.

This list shall serve as a friendly reminder that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve. Don't let your circumstances and surroundings discourage you from living the dream or encourage you to slack off. It's your life and nobody owes you a living, not even your own family (if you have any relatives, that is).

Without further ago, here are 12 athletes who had rough childhoods and 12 who lived the easy life.

24 Rough Childhood: Andrew McCutchen

If you're looking for a pro athlete who defied the odds, look no further.

Sure, you might still be upset that the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Andrew McCutchen, also known as Cutch, to the San Francisco Giants; but regardless of your MLB team allegiances, you all can agree that Cutch has really come a long way from his less-than-average hometown of Fort Meade, Florida.

Cutch told The Players Tribune: "The hard choices for me started when I was very young. Do you want that video game system for Christmas, or do you want a new baseball bat?"

Cutch has brought up his subpar upbringings in a column titled "Left Out" on The Players Tribune. Fort Meade was a small town in Florida that only had one stoplight along with a baseball field and a football field.

Only recently did Fort Meade get a McDonald's within city borders. C

utch's parents were unable to cover the tournament costs for Cutch, but there was light at the end of the tunnel when Cutch was 13 years old and an Amateur Athletics Coach (AAU) by the name of Jimmy Rutland spotted Cutch at an All-Star game and took him like he was one of his own sons. From there, Cutch started perfecting his craft and his career gradually led to him to Pittsburgh and San Francisco, respectively.

23 Easy Life: Steph Curry

Here's a minor twist on the old saying "Like father, like son." In this particular instance, it's "Like father, like son(s)."

This is one of the mind-boggling stories that you just can't make up. As you should already know, Steph Curry is one half of the well-known Splash Brothers alongside Klay Thompson on one of the most successful teams, the Golden State Warriors, of this decade. Steph Curry has a younger brother named Seth Curry who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks as well as a younger sister named Sydel Curry who played women's volleyball for Elon University. All three siblings are successful in their own right, just like their father Dell Curry, a former NBA player who retired as the Charlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points (9,839) and three-point field goals made (929) in 2002.

That being said, the Curry family has never struggled in terms of finances. The male Curry's have taken the NBA by storm and if things continue to go in the right direction, the star-studded careers of Steph Curry and Seth Curry will keep on going just like the old-school of Dell Curry. Maybe there will be a day where Dell Curry becomes a grandfather to a grandson who loves basketball as much as his sons do.

22 Rough Childhood: Travis Hamonic

Travis Hamonic seems to be a normal guy who just happened to be drafted with the 53rd overall pick in the second round by the New York Islanders at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but he's not really the typical hockey player who had two loving parents who helped him purchase his equipment and drove him to local hockey practices.

Well, Travis did have that type of life, but only up until he was 10 years old. You see, the Calgary Flames defenseman was once an introverted boy who lived with his three older siblings, his mother Lisa and his father Jerry, in a small farm in St. Malo, Manitoba, Canada.

That all changed one night when a 10-year-old Travis woke up to the loud screams of his sister, who was trying to explain to her younger brother what happened. Jerry had suffered a massive heart attack and stretched out his hand as he was being taken to the hospital. Of course, Travis grabbed his 44 year old father's hand because that was the last memory he'll ever have with his pops.

A few days later, the broken family stopped by Jerry's farm to face the realities they had to deal with. Travis drove the father like his father taught him to before the farm was sold. Travis went on to achieve success in the NHL, but he also used his grief to create the D-Partner program and help other kids who have lost their parents cope with the emotional aftermath. Good for Travis!

21 Easy Life: Johnny Manziel

Sure, Johnny Football was a big deal at Texas A&M, but Johnny Manziel's tremendous success didn't translate well into his two-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns, which seemed like forever as Manziel often was under fire for his personal life and heavy partying. Now, those things are a part of the past and Manziel is married to his model wife Bre Tiesi who's totally supportive of her husband trying to mount a comeback in the NFL.

But you know what? Manziel didn't necessarily need to be a hard worker to begin with. Manziel's family, including his parents, earned their wealth through the Texas petroleum industry that all started when his great-grandfather, an American immigrant from Mount Lebanon in Syria, arrived in the United States and lived a very colorful life as a bantamweight boxer and oil wildcatter.

It's mostly true that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Even though Manziel never dived into the oil business, he had the riches to fall back on when he was unemployed. That's a good thing to a certain extent, but you've already seen his downfall, so let's hope that he'll find work with an NFL team in the near future.

20 Rough Childhood: Dez Bryant

Three years later, the Dez Bryant catch was indeed a catch. In case you need a refresher, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver made a controversial play during the team's 2014 Divisional Game against the Green Bay Packers. That play was a catch with both Dez's feet coming down in bounds and Dez being covered by the Packers' Sam Shields.

Dez's catch, however, wasn't the only thing at the center of a debate. Dez had a troubled life and was raised by a mother Angela Bryant who had her share of personal demons and legal issues. As a result, Dez lived in eight different homes while attending Lufkin High School.

Years later, Dez welcomed two sons with his wife Ilyne Nash, got served with court papers twice for legal fees and the cost of jewelry, and allegedly got into an altercation Angela following an argument in her Texas home. Though, the mother-son case was eventually dismissed even though Dez was charged with a Class A misdemeanor.

That doesn't mean that the relationship between Dez and Angela is puppies and rainbows now. But we don't blame Dez for feeling that way as his mom hasn't exactly had a clean past herself.

19 Easy Life: Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck was born in Washington D.C., to his father Oliver Luck, an executive for the NCAA's regulatory affairs, a former Houston Oilers quarterback and a former West Virginia quarterback (and athletic director), and his mother Kathy Luck (nee Wilson), a lawyer who ended up following her husband when an international opportunity with two World League of American Football teams moved the family to London and Frankfurt, Germany.

Thus, Andrew was a nomad in his early life and learned how to speak German prior to his college football days at Stanford that led to an NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he established himself as one of the league's best young quarterbacks.

Andrew has been with the Colts since 2012, but it wasn't until recently that the 28 year old would return to action (and form) on the field this coming season.

“I think he’s got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder to prove some people and naysayers wrong,” Colts GM Chris Ballard said on Sirius XM NFL Radio with Bill Polian and Alex Marvez. “That’s a beautiful thing with a quarterback that I think is top five in this league.”

In addition, Andrew has new offensive players that are waiting for him.

18 Rough Childhood: Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols made a lot of St. Louis Cardinals fans when he left the team after spending 10 years (2001-2011) in St. Louis. In an appearance on a St. Louis Christian radio station, his wife Deidre said: "When you have somebody say 'We want you to be a Cardinal for life' and only offer you a five-year deal, it kind of confused us.

Deidre added: "Well, we got over that insult and felt like Albert had given so much of himself to baseball and into the community. We didn't want to go through this again."

While Deidre was true to a certain extent, the Cardinals weren't obligated to keep Pujols, and she technically complained about a five-year, $130 million deal when her husband would've been well off unlike his early life when he was mostly raised by his grandmother, uncles and aunts, and had no choice but to hone his baseball skills with limes for balls and milk cartons for gloves.

Pujols, however, left the Cardinals, despite winning two World Series (2006, 2011) in St. Louis, for a bigger 10-year, $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Whether or not you agree with Pujol's decision, he just wanted to do the right thing for his family, so they wouldn't have to suffer like he did.

17 Easy Life: Barry Bonds

It would've been the ultimate rags to riches story if we learned that Barry Bonds, the most career home runs leader in MLB history, rose from an impoverished family trying to survive in the ghetto to a wealthy man who got all the fame in the world; but that's not the case as his father, Bobby Bonds, was a former right fielder for—you guessed it—the San Francisco Giants.

Barry had a great 22-season MLB career to brag about. The 53 year old slugger earned seven total National League MVP awards, eight Gold Glove awards, 12 Silver Slugger awards and 14 All-Star selections, which made him one of the greatest baseball of all-time. But we know that particular title might be negated by our readers, especially if they strongly believe that he did, in fact, use of PEDs during his extensive career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and San Francisco, California.

Bobby wasn't the other well-known relative in the Bonds family. Barry's aunt, Rosie Bonds, is a former record holder for the U.S. national team in the 80 meter hurdles. While Rosie prematurely retired from hurdles to become a doctor, but she still contributed to the list of successful people from the Bonds family.

16 Rough Childhood: Pavel Datsyuk

Believe it or not, Pavel Datsyuk—also known as The Magic Man—grew up in poor conditions as a young boy. The current SKA Saint Petersburg captain and former Detroit Red Wings forward was born in Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and shared a bedroom with his older sister in a three-room apartment in Sverdlovsk. The siblings lived on the fourth floor of a building without an elevator.

Datsyuk has recalled his rough childhood, simply saying, "That's how I got strong."

Datsyuk went on to play local hockey without having any dreams of going pro, but that all changed when he was informed by his older sister that their mother passed away in her sleep from cancer at the age of 46. His mother's passing had a profound impact on Datsyuk, who eventually flew to the U.S. as a sixth round NHL draft pick and ended up being selected 171st overall by the Red Wings. Of course, Datsyuk didn't know anyone in Detroit, Michigan, which was a tough pill to swallow at first, but he gradually became comfortable with his new surroundings in a large, industrial city. Datsyuk had no choice but to rise above from his rocky early days.

15 Easy Life: Christian McCaffrey

Whether or not you're a Carolina Panthers fan, we're pretty sure that you have a soft spot for Christian McCaffrey.

Christian McCaffrey is indeed one of my favorite NFL players. As a Bay Area native, I've been following the running back and return specialist since his college days at Stanford University. But yeah, Christian is a significant NFLer, despite the fact that he was born to a former NFL and Stanford wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and former Stanford soccer player Lisa McCaffrey, who's the daughter of the late American sprinter Dave Sime (1936-2016).

Christian McCaffrey was born and raised in Colorado. The 21 year old was selected as a 2014 U.S. All-American and was subsequently rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit. After a star-studded career at Stanford, the Panthers selected McCaffrey with the eighth overall pick in the first round during the 2017 NFL Draft. The Panthers made the NFL playoffs as the fifth seed that year.

Oh yeah, and let's not forget that McCaffrey saw a 72 year old man stumble and fall 20 feet down onto a huge rock during a hike in Castle Rock, Colorado, and saved the man with the help of other witnesses. Let's give McCaffrey some extra credit for being a Good Samaritan.

14 Rough Childhood: Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose is a constant victim of the injury bug, but he has certainly come a long way since his poverty-stricken days in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago's South Side.

Derrick Rose is the youngest son of his mother Brenda Rose, but the third basketball star in his immediate family. In 2003, Derrick enrolled at the Simeon Career Academy and quickly became a red-hot commodity among NCAA coaches. Derrick wore No. 25 in honor of the late Ben "Benji" Wilson, a promising forward and guard who was murdered by a gang member in his senior year in 1984. Derrick later accepted an athletic scholarship to play at the University of Memphis, where he earned lots of praise for his upped focus on defense. Derrick then forwent his final three years in Memphis, Tennessee, to enter the 2008 NBA Draft, where he was selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls.

Don't get us wrong, Rose went on to become the youngest player to have won the 2011 NBA MVP award, but his career started to diminish since his 2011-12 NBA campaign. Rose has already showed us his talents from a kid who basically had nothing, so it would be a wise choice for the 29 year old to retire and take care of his family with the dough he has earned over the years.

13 Easy Life: Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is the only son of current Bangkok Cobras head coach and former NBA player Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant, the sister of former NBAer John "Chubby" Cox.

Fun fact: Kobe beat his own father in a basketball contest at the young age of 16. Perhaps that was the spark that compelled Kobe to achieve his own personal success in the NBA.

Kobe and his family moved back to the U.S. following his father's retirement from pro basketball, but Kobe was already a knowledgeable young man who was fluent in Italian, learned how to play soccer and made A.C. Milan his favorite soccer team. Though, Kobe decided to stick to basketball and that decision turned out to be worthwhile as he dominated in high school and college before turning pro in 1996 when the Hornets selected him 13th overall. However, the Hornets traded Kobe to the Lakers, where he taught himself how to adjust to the NBA and helped lead the team to a three-peat from 1999 to 2002.

Kobe's superb career has been tainted by his personal issues off the court, but let's remember that the retired shooting guard grew up in an affluent family and might've not known right from wrong. Just saying.

12 Rough Childhood: Yasiel Puig

Aside from Los Angeles Dodgers fans, not a whole lot of folks are crazy about Yasiel Puig, also known as The Wild Horse, despite his crazy story of how he defected from Cuba to the U.S. Yeah, Puig may be a punk, but you have to give him credit on how he overcame a bunch of adversities to come to the U.S. for a better life.

Molly Knight of ESPN magazine wrote: "Whatever Puig's issues were, he was one of the best players in the game, he sold tickets, and he was relatively cheap...."That's the biggest Catch-22," said an unidentified Dodgers player who called him 'addition by subtraction.' "He's a top three or four talent in baseball."

So before you criticize Puig's on or off the field shenanigans, take a look at our brief summary of how a Cuban prospect became one of the MLB's most electrifying talents.

Here's an excerpt obtained from For The Win of USA TODAY Sports: "Puig’s journey, according to claims made in court documents and detailed in interviews, had been underwritten by a small-time crook in Miami named Raul Pacheco, an air-conditioning repairman and recycler who was on probation for attempted burglary and possession of a fake ID. Pacheco had allegedly agreed to pay the smugglers $250,000 to get Puig out of Cuba; Puig, after signing a contract, would owe 20 percent of his future earnings to Pacheco..."

11 Easy Life: Clay Matthews III

As you should already know, Clay Matthews III is a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. Matthews was previously a walk-on student-athlete at the University of Southern California and played high school football in Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California. So yeah, Matthews is a Southern California guy at heart even though he may not look the part.

Anyways, Clay Matthews III wasn't the first athlete in his family. Clay III's father Clay Matthews Jr., is a retired NFL player who played for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. Clay III's late grandfather Clay Matthews Sr., was a former NFL player who spent his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers. In addition, Clay III's brother Casey Matthews, uncle Bruce Matthews and various cousins were also pro football players. Without a doubt, Clay III has made a name for himself as a member of the Green and Gold and through a long list of endorsements, but he's pretty much just following his family's footsteps. Well, at least on the male side of careers, anyway.

10 Rough Childhood: Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson, also known as The Answer, is a former NBA player who specialized in both the point guard and shooting guard positions. The 42 year old was best known for his plentiful scoring as well as his practice rant.

In this case, Iverson's spectacular talent and in-your-face confidence led him to become everyone's favorite baller after initially starting out as a football quarterback. But did you know about Iverson's untold story?

Iverson was born to a 15 year old mother in Hampton, Virginia, and his biological father didn't stick around, but another man moved into the family home and helped the Iverson family try to make ends meet.

Though, Iverson's hopes and dreams dampened as he and his friends had a confrontation with some white bowlers in another lane in a bowling alley. As you might've predicted, Iverson threw the first punch, and while none of the white bowlers were taken into custody, Iverson was arrested and charged with attacking the mob. As a result, Iverson decided to work with a tutor to earn his high school diploma, and then played college basketball at Georgetown University for two years before declaring for the 1996 NBA Draft, where he was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and his career began to take off from that glorious moment.

9 Lived The Easy Life: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the son of—you guessed it—the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1951-2001). Dale Jr. also has other relatives involved in the NASCAR and stock car businesses.

Dale Jr. is a retired NASCAR driver who drove the No. 88 Chevrolet Camero for JR Motorsports for most of his early career and was a two-time Daytona 500 winner in 2004 and 2014 before announcing his retirement in 2017 as a driver for the same car but for Hendrick Motorsports.

Today, Dale Jr. works as an analyst for NASCAR on NBC while juggling other  post-retirement responsibilities such as being the owner of his own NASCAR Xfinity Series race team JR Motorsports and a married man with a newborn daughter Isla Rose along with a the release of his new book this fall.

In an interview with Autoweek, Dale Jr. said: "Amy was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. As I’ve gotten to know her over the years I feel the same way about the person she is. She has shown me how to be a good person and husband. Marriage has made me grow up and become more responsible. I’m a completely different person than I was 10 years ago. Night and day."

8 Rough Childhood: Rubby De La Rosa

For some young boys with dreams to become baseball players, the dream seems fairly easy: grab a bat and swing the baseball as far as you can. But for some youngsters like Rubby De La Rosa, the dream of making it to the big leagues was far from easy. Poverty affected De La Rosa at a young age when his mother sent him to live with his grandmother because she was unable to help him survive and get the atypical necessities. De La Rosa's mother tried her best to be around for him as much as possible in his childhood, but he was pretty much on his own when it came to balancing school and baseball.

Fortunately, De La Rosa signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 and spent two seasons with the Dominican Summer Dodgers before being transferred to the Arizona League Dodgers, Great Lakes Loons and Chattanooga Lookouts. De La Rosa was finally called up by the Dodgers in 2o11 and subsequently made his MLB debut, where he pitched a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts and later got his first career MLB victory. De La Rosa went on to play for the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.

De La Rosa may not have been a household name, but he did very well for himself for a Dominican boy who has struggled with poverty for many years.

7 Easy Life: Ben Simmons

The Philadelphia 76ers have been through many troubles, but with the selection of some high-caliber basketball prospects, like, say, Australian versatile forward Ben Simmons who played college basketball at LSU for just one season in 2015-16 before declaring for the 2016 NBA Draft, where he was selected first overall by the 76ers.

Simmons is currently dating Tinashe (singer), but his wealth didn't just happen over the course of a few nights in his last couple of years in the NBA.

The 21 year old was born and raised in Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, to an American-born father and Australian mother. Simmons' father is a former college basketball player at Oklahoma State University who turned pro with the Melbourne Tigers in Australia's National Basketball League.

So it's safe to say that Simmons is an extremely talented rookie who has helped steer the 76ers in the right direction, but only time will tell. The future of Simmons has yet to be determined, but as of right now, he grew up in a financially stable situation and ended up making it in the City of Brotherly Love, which is a wonderful accomplishment for any parent who dreamt of their kids following in their footsteps on their path to adulthood.

6 Rough Childhood: Theo Fleury

You may remember Theo Fleury as one of the smallest NHL players in his generation and a recovering addict who dealt with various drug and alcohol addictions that ultimately forced him out of the NHL in 2003. Luckily, Fleury overcame his addictions and demolished his inner demons, but let's not forget that it wasn't always the money and fame that fueled his troubling past.

As a child, Fleury always lacked money and a stable home, which led to him regularly receiving assistance from the local community, especially the Peltz family in Russell who fed the Fleury brothers and purchased them new clothes when needed.

That being said, Fleury entered the NHL with a long list of issues, but he eventually overcame those issues and is helping underprivileged children with financial and emotional issues. Not only that, Fleury's 2009 autobiography Playing With Fire is a helpful book for any abuse victim as the former NHL player publicly revealed that he was abused by his former WHL coach Graham James. Shortly after the release of the autobiography, Fleury filed a complaint against James, who subsequently pleaded guilty to charges. Fleury was one of the fortunate NHLers who turned their lives around with a couple of pushes from positive people.

5 Easy Life: Nick Foles

Before he was the 2018 Super Bowl MVP for the world champion Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Nick Foles was a 29 year old male with blonde hair and giant hands. The Austin, Texas, native was born to Larry and Melissa Foles, a successful couple who worked as restaurateurs who owned a chain of restaurants known as Eddie V's and lived the American dream.

Despite his parents' successful endeavors, Nick graduated from Westlake High School in 2007. At Westlake H.S., Nick was a starter for the football team for two years and a starter for a second sport, basketball, for three years and received MVP honors on two separate occasions. After high school, Nick ultimately transferred to the University of Arizona, where he played college football and graduated with a degree in communications.

Matt Nader, a former high school teammate of Foles, told Sports Illustrated: "Nick is very different than Larry. He’s always been confident, but he walks softly and carries a big stick. I think Larry’s nature and Nick’s nature were not the same. So I think in order for him to accomplish what he wanted to accomplish, he needed to be independent. So I think that’s what drove Nick to have those sorts of conversations."

Nader is indeed correct and Nick was the ultimate illustration of a backup quarterback to world champion, despite his father's success in the restaurant business.