Darko Milicic, Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, and a slew of other players are among them. Former NBA players who have entirely transformed their lives after basketball do everything from kickboxing to politics, restaurants to charitable initiatives.
10. Darko Milicic
Photo: sportingnews
LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Boris Diaw, David West, and Kyle Korver were among the players taken in the second call of the Draft. Before him, only the name of the Chosen One was spoken. High expectations come with such a position in such a draft class.
The Serbian giant promptly ignored it. After ten years in the league, he has failed to persuade six different teams. Milicic has considered leaving the NBA to pursue a career in kickboxing as a result of the sudden drop. The job lasted only... one meeting. He was unsuccessful.
9. Chris Dudley
Photo: bleacherreport
Chris Dudley, like many NBA players, has spent the majority of his 16-year career bouncing around from club to team, never logging consistent minutes. After retiring in 2003, he worked in finance before running for governor of Oregon in 2010. He raised $ 10 million for his campaign, focused on the restoration of the state education system and the reduction of regulatory requirements for enterprises.
In the election, he was narrowly defeated by John Kitzhaber. Despite widespread encouragement to continue his political career, Dudley decided to call it a day.
He started the Chris Dudley Foundation to aid children with diabetes because he is passionate about social work. He, too, was diagnosed with this illness when he was young.
8. LaRue Martin
Photo: thecomeback
After four outstanding years at Loyola University of Chicago, LaRue Martin was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers on the first call in the 1972 NBA Draft. He was almost certainly a worse choice than the Detroit Pistons made in 2003.
Martin, who has an introverted personality, was unable to cope psychologically with the NBA's routines and rigors. The Blazers shipped him to the Seattle Supersonics, but LaRue Martin took away the trouble: at just 26 years old, with only 4 NBA seasons behind him, he elected to retire . And then he began to drink.
Martin was able to escape alcohol and start a new life. He obtained a job as a UPS courier. He worked hard and received multiple promotions as a result of his efforts. He stopped drinking and went on to have a successful career that was unrelated to basketball.
7. Jamal Mashburn
Photo: exnba
Jamal Mashburn, often known as Monster Mash, had a successful NBA career. He was drafted #4 by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1993 NBA Draft and went on to become an All-Star, averaging over 20 points per game. His career was only hampered by knee problems. He later played for the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets / New Orleans Hornets after Dallas.
He had retired in 2004 and was looking for a job that would allow him to "go around with a briefcase." Monster Mash has invested heavily in the food industry, now owning 70 franchises, including some Papa John's Pizza and Outback Steakhouse locations. In addition to eateries, he owns two auto dealerships and a real estate company.
Mashburn believes that the experiences he received in the NBA have helped him become the successful businessman he is now.
6. Jonathan Bender
Photo: nba
Jonathan Bender skipped college and declared himself ready for the 1999 NFL Draft right after graduating from high school.
As a result, there is no "plan B" based on research. The Indiana Pacers selected him with the # 5 pick, but he struggled to make an impression in the league owing to serious knee problems. In 2004, he underwent surgery, but the results were not as expected, and Bender was forced to retire at the age of 25.
Bender turned on the classic light bulb while sitting on a seat in a Houston park in 2009. A concept that could benefit a large number of people. He created a device that aids in training and rehabilitation to improve people's walking abilities.
Bender not only started earning a lot of money with his JB Intensive Trainer, but he also managed to return to the NBA - for a brief time - with the Knicks. Unlike what occurred to the ex-Pacers, Bender and his instrument want to allow sportsmen to extend their professional careers.
5. Kevin Johnson
Photo: nba
Kevin Johnson was named Most Improved Player and was named to the All-Star team three times. He ran for Mayor of Sacramento in 2008 after retirement. He became the first African-American mayor of the California capital after winning the election. In 2012, he was re-elected.
His passion for basketball is still evident: he was instrumental in putting an end to rumors that the Kings would relocate to Seattle. He also got engaged in the contentious Donald Sterling situation, leading a group of players that wanted the former Clippers owner kicked out of the league.
4. Junior Bridgeman
Photo: clipsnation
Junior Bridgeman is certainly not one of those players who, after his career, ends up immediately on the street. Junior Bridgeman isn't one of those athletes who ends up on the street right after his career is over.
Indeed, like the aforementioned Mashburn, the former Milwaukee Bucks (who have revoked his number) has rapidly enhanced his capital through franchising catering. After retiring in 1987, Bridgeman purchased five Wendy's restaurants and engaged in a comprehensive renovation. He now controls 240 franchise stores, making him the second-largest franchisee in the United States.
Bridgeman is a role model for other ex-players who aspire to succeed, as well as a mentor for Chauncey Billups, with whom he co-owned roughly 30 Wendy's restaurants.
3. Bill Bradley
Photo: kosmagazin
Bill Bradley, a two-time NBA champion with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973, retired in 1977 following a ten-year career in the league. In 1978, he stood for the Senate in New Jersey, and he was re-elected in 1984 and 1990.
He resigned in 1996 after denouncing the political system's corruption, except for a brief return in 1999 to compete for president in 2000. He then dropped out of the race to support Al Gore.
He is currently a director of Allen & Company LLC and a member of the Starbucks board of directors, among other organizations.Interestingly, he had already won an Olympic medal in 1964
2. Yao Ming
Photo: news.cgtn
Bill Bradley, a two-time NBA champion with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973, retired from the league in 1977 after a ten-year career. In 1978, he ran for Senate in New Jersey, and he was re-elected in 1984 and 1990.
He quited in 1996, protesting the political system's corruption, except for running for president in 2000 in 1999. After that, he dropped out of the race to back Al Gore.
He is currently a director of Allen & Company LLC and a member of the Starbucks board of directors, among other firms. He also won an Olympic medal in 1964.
1. Dikembe Mutombo
Photo: firstsportz
As much horror as it instilled beneath the ads, as much sympathy as it has disseminated in recent appearances. Dikembe Mutumbo, on the other hand, is more than "Mr. No, no, no!" Even outside of American arenas, Mutombo has displayed remarkable things during and after 18 incredible seasons in the NBA.
Humanitarian work and the development of his Dikembe Mutombo Foundation are now part of his everyday routine, to improve living circumstances in his native Congo.
Mutombo also served as a global ambassador for the Special Olympics and founded a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dikembe Mutombo has committed to give back far more than he has gotten by dedicating his heart and soul to helping the less fortunate.
