Basketball Stars and their Post-Retirement Careers

Playing basketball is one of the most lucrative careers that many people want to go for. Players always try to give their best and sacrifice a lot to make a stable and glorious basketball career. You will know about Kevin Durant or LeBron James, who has tried hard to reach the position, they are in now.

However, like every professional sport, a basketball career is also volatile. That’s probably why you’ll find so many stories of players in this profession who made a career transition from basketball to something else.

So, which are some of the top basketball stars who had a relatively different post-retirement career or lifestyle? While some of them still love the game and use the best apps to bet on NBA whenever they want, some have changed their professions to do something entirely different.

Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen is one of the well-known retired basketball players who delivered kick-ass performances along with Micheal Jordan in his time with the Chicago Bulls. Throughout his career, he won six championships and two Olympic gold medals.

Moreover, he managed to earn around $109.9 million from these biggest achievements. In 2004, Pippen announced his retirement after giving 17 years in a basketball career. Even after his retirement, he put lots of effort into preparing for the seventh championship, but he never came into this profession again. Later, Pippen joined his brother on a livestock farm in Arkansas.

Michael Ray Richardson

Michael Ray Richardson gave his 24 years in basketball before his retirement in 2002. Despite being a four-time All-Star, he was banned from the NBA for life in 1986 by Commissioner David Stern.

Michael was alleged of violating some policies of the league. He was offered to play for NBA after two years, but he did not join again. Later, Micheal played for other leagues and also did coaching for basketball for ten years. He also joined as a teacher in Oklahoma and helped underprivileged children by running a Balls Star Youth Camp.

Tim Ducan

Tim Ducan declared his retirement in 2016 from NBA after spending his entire professional career with San Antonio Spurs. This two-time NBA most valuable player never sought for spotlight during his career, and after retirement, he tried out a different field in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). He probably started this career to keep in shape, but in this profession also, he made some eye-catching performances with his smart and swift movements. Jason Echols, the coach of Ducan, described this former basketball player as the “monster” for his stunning activity in MMA fighting.

Wilt Chamberlain

You can call Wilt Chamberlain one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is famous for scoring 30,000 cumulative points and has earned 100 points in one game. Wilt also served 14 years before announcing his retirement in 1973 from the NBA.

After his retirement, Wilt did try his luck in other professions. From publishing his autobiography to joining as a coach, he tried a hat too many. His greatest victory though was becoming a pitchman for commercials.