Alex Carson
NBA Players
NBA players sign multi-million dollar contracts when they are playing. When many players retire, they don’t go far from the limelight. Many continue working in the TV industry, like Shaq and Charles Barkley. Other players invest their money to make sure that it lasts a lifetime. Shandon Anderson gravitated toward his passion for cooking, and today, he is a successful chef. There are some former players who stray far from what many former players do.
Scottie Pippen
When Scottie Pippen retired, he immediately wished that he didn’t. He tried to get back into the game and win his seventh ring, but it didn’t go as planned. Finally, when he realized that his career was over, he teamed up with his brother and bought a livestock farm in Arkansas. He does come out occasionally to make TV appearances. His life after the NBA is not what you’d expect.
Shawn Kemp
Shawn Kemp played in the NBA for 14-years. During his career, he was awarded the title of All-Star six times. He was also on the All-NBA second team three times. In 2003, he retired, and he opened up a sports bar in Seattle called Oskar’s Kitchen. He ran the bar for 12 years, but in 2015, he had to shut down because he couldn’t afford the rent. Today, he is part owner of another Seattle bar called Amber’s Kitchen.
LaRue Martin
LaRue was drafted to the NBA in 1972, and he played in the league for four years. When he failed to perform, he was let go. Having lost his only source of income, he got an entry-level job with UPS. He worked his way up to Community Services Manager, which he has been doing since 2005. Basketball isn’t entirely out of his life, and he serves on the Board of Directors for the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
Mark Blount
Mark joined the NBA in 1997 and played for the Celtics in 2001. In 2009, he retired from basketball, and he invested his money in Auntie Anne’s Pretzel franchises. He bought two of them, and he is very successful.
Dan Dickau
Dan was in the NBA for just six years. After being released from the league, he invested the money that he made and opened The Barbers in Washington, which has been very successful. He still loves basketball and often appears on the Pac-12 Network and ESPN.
Bryant Reeves
Bryant played in the NBA for six years, but when he was injured, he had to retire. He invested the money that he made in cattle and bought a ranch to raise them. His 300-acre ranch is located in Oklahoma, and he is a real-life cowboy.
Greg Oden
Greg began his NBA career in 2007. After just 23 games, he was forced out of the league due to chronic foot complications. He decided to go back to school and applied for a job at Ohio State as the manager of the men’s basketball team. He also enrolled in school to help him with a career outside of the basketball court.
Adrian Dantley
Adrian is a legend who has been inducted in the Hall of Fame. After 15 years in the league and scoring 23,000 points, he retired. In 2010, he retired as a coach. He found a job far from basketball and started working as a crossing guard. Obviously, he didn’t do it for the money, but the job has excellent health benefits.
Detlef Schrempf
Detlef has a successful 16-year career with the NBA. When he retired, he put his International Business degree to use, and he landed a position as a business development officer with Coldstream Capital Management. He also had a role in the TV show, Parks and Recreation.
Vin Baker
Vin had an incredible 13-year career with the NBA. Sadly, alcohol got the best of him, and he lost his fortune while battling addiction. Today, he is clean and sober, and he works as a minister at his father’s church. He is also the manager at the local Starbucks.
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan retired from the NBA and started training in the MMA. He also owns an auto body shop called Blackjack Speed Shop, which he bought in 2013. He used his shop to organize the delivery of emergency supplies for the victims of Hurricane Henry in 2017.
Brandon Roy
Brandon was headed for the Hall of Fame when a severe knee injury knocked him out of the game for good. He tried broadcasting, but it didn’t work out. Today, he is the head basketball coach for the boys’ team at Nathan High School. His team had an impressive record of 29 wins and zero losses, and he was given the Basketball Coach of the Year Award.
Shandon Anderson
Shandon Anderson played for the Miami Heat and won an NBA championship in 2006. When he retired, he started going to school to be a vegetarian chef. He was an intern at one of New York City’s most famous restaurants, Candle 79. He opened his own place in Atlanta, but sadly, it didn’t say open longer than a year.
Charlie Ward
Charlie started out playing football and won the Heisman Trophy while playing for Florida State. When he didn’t make it to the NFL, he was drafted by the NBA. He played with the Knicks for 11 years and retired in 2005. After retiring, he turned down coaching jobs with colleges to work at a high school. He is not the head coach of the boys’ team at Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida.
Karl Malone
Karl Malone made a fortune playing basketball, which makes it so surprising that after he retired, he started working a part-time truck driver. He hauled timber for the company he worked for, and he says that he loves driving.
