For most top-level stars, life after basketball isn’t something to get worried about. With astronomical wages, hyper-sized endorsement deals, and celebrity fame, those retirements’ years are looking pretty rosy. But not every ex-NBA player decides to lay back and soak up the easy life. In fact, plenty of players look to new ventures where, if they’re lucky, they’ll flourish. Of course, enough ex-players take the analyst road and pop up on our screens each week. But here are some players that have stepped away from the court … and succeeded.
Karl Malone
Malone may not have gotten the NBA championship he wanted so much, but life after basketball has been good for The Mailman. Malone has business stakes in auto dealerships and restaurants as well as being a hunter, logger, and real estate developer. He happens to be a radio personality too. Not bad for a guy that simply stood in the middle bumping bodies on his way to 4,761 points.
Rick Fox
Fox, a teammate of Malone’s on the 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers side, made no secret of his intentions to be an actor. The three-time NBA champion took to the silver screen during his career, appearing in the likes of ‘Blue Chips’ and ‘He Got Game.’ Since retiring in 2004, Fox has gone on to appear in a number of television shows, including ‘One Tree Hill,’ ‘Ugly Betty,’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ Perhaps his most famed appearance though came on the 2010 series of ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
Dave Bing
A Hall of Famer who spent most of his career with the Detroit Pistons, Bing retired from basketball in 1978 and immediately founded a steel company. The company, which supplied steel to the motor industry, was a runaway success, netting Bing a tidy profit in the process. We might also mention that Bing would go on to become mayor of Detroit.
Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier
Simply put, Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier is a New York Knicks legend. It makes sense then that he continues to have success in the Big Apple. Aside from doing color commentary for the MSG Network, Frazier is also proprietor of Walt Frazier’s Wine & Dine, a sports-themed restaurant at the heart of Manhattan.
Shaquille O’Neal
Okay, O’Neal remains on television as an analyst for TNT but basketball’s not the only pan the big man has boiling. In addition to releasing rap albums and appearing in movies (‘Kazaam, anyone?), the four-time NBA champ also owns an assortment of businesses, earned a doctorate in Human Resource Development, and has done three stints with various police academies. He’s made it clear that he even intends to be sheriff one day.
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