Once an athlete makes it to the top of their game, unlimited success is anything but guaranteed for the rest of their life. These basketball players were all top draft picks in the year they entered the NBA. Now, all of them work ordinary, boring 9-to-5 jobs. Check out the regular jobs these former NBA players have today.
Shawn Bradley Is A Vice Principal
Vanquish the Foe
Picked second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1993, Shawn Bradley was expected to be brilliant. He wasn’t and was forced into early retirement. Now, he’s a vice principal in Utah.
Sam Bowie Trains Racehorses
YouTube
Ten years in the NBA saw Sam Bowie amount to nothing. Then he retired due to injuries and started doing low-pay racehorse training instead.
Marcus Fizer Is Now A Minister
YouTube
God must have a heavier appeal than the Chicago Bulls did back in 2000. As you can imagine, being a minister is hard work and poorly compensated.
Ed O’Bannon Is A Car Salesman
Wbur
Selling cars may not be your dream job, but Ed O’Bannon says he’s proud of it and it’s as much fun as being drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1995.
Darko Milicic Is A Farmer
ESPN
Yeah, Darko Milicic, the worst pick in 2003’s draft, went into kickboxing. Where he was destroyed in his first fight. So, he quit and moved back to Serbia where he works on an apple farm.
Luther Wright Is In The Samaritan Singers
YouTube
Luther’s play was poor for the Utah Jazz and his psychiatric breakdown ended his career amidst scandal and ignominy. Today, he sings and plays drums and guitar for a gospel group called the Samaritan Singers.
Bryant “Big Country” Reeves Runs A Cattle Ranch
Inside Fort Smith
Selected sixth by the Memphis Grizzlies back in 1995, he was expected to be a star. Instead, he got fat. Now he runs a 300-acre cattle ranch with his wife and kids.
Jonathan Bender Runs A Nonprofit
NBA
Eight years after he was picked by the Indiana Pacers in 1999, Jonathan Bender washed out of the league with nothing to show for it. Now, he’s working with a non-profit that he founded himself, doing good things but earning very little.
La Rue Martin Works For UPS
Washington Post
From the big leagues to UPS driver. Most ex-athletes don’t fall as far as La Rue Martin. However, he’s now a community manager for the company, so that’s something. Sort of.
Pervis “Never Nervous” Ellison Is A Life Coach
NY Daily News
The Sacramento Kings snapped Pervis Ellison up, but a string of injuries saw him spend more time on the bench than on the field. Now, he works as a public life coach in Burlington.
