Sports professionals know that their career is not a lifetime career, unlike other professions where a career could span forty to fifty years. Athletes often have between ten to twenty years as a professional before their body gives up, and they are faced with the reality of nothing. Many have since turned towards entrepreneurship as a second act, with many becoming successful and increasing their wealth in the process. In this list, we observe a few NBA players who became entrepreneurs.
NBA Players earn a lot of money during their active years in the league, with some of them signing lifelong contracts with brands, giving them a cushion to invest in various business enterprises, and some of them have gone on to become mega businessmen, with their NBA career becoming a footnote in their hugely successful business enterprise.
Without further ado, here are 12 professional NBA players who became entrepreneurs.
 1. Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is widely known as the greatest player in the history of basketball. Along with the status is a financial status that places him above and shoulders ahead of any player, alive or dead, with a personal net worth of over 1 billion dollars.
While he made a lot of his money from his basketball career, the bulk of his came from his entrepreneurial efforts, starting with his partnership with Nike to create the Jordan Air brand, one of the world’s highest-selling shoes.
Other entrepreneurial investments include owning a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets, a car dealership, multiple restaurants, and a Motorsport team.
Michael Jordan has perfected the possibility of athletes having a second life post-playing career through smart investments.
2. LeBron James
Professional athletes used to wait after they retired to set up their post-retirement plans, but no more, and that truth is exemplified by LeBron James, who, despite being an active player in the NBA, already has investments across various sectors.
LeBron James most prominently has a minority stake in the English soccer team, Liverpool, and he is also a majority shareholder in Beats by Dre, which Apple has since bought.
Other investments by the NBA player include his own video company, Uninterrupted, which has produced several projects. He also owns a production company, SpringHill Entertainment which has produced works like More Than a Game, The Wall, and Survivor’s Remorse.
Aside from his business investments, including a designer retail store, UNKNWN, he is also partnered with various brands through endorsements, such as Coco-Cola, McDonald’s, Nike, and a few more others.
3. Dave Bing
Dave Bing played in the NBA for the Washington Bullets, the Boston Celtics, and the Detroit Pistons for twelve seasons. He never did win the NBA Championship, but he recorded several individual achievements, one that he carried into his life following his retirement in 1978.
Dave Bing went ahead and established his own manufacturing company, Bing Steal, and developed the company into what is now known today as The Bing Group, which is focused on supplying metal stampings to the automobile industry.
After his NBA career, Bing has built a successful business and has also moved one step forward towards politics, getting elected as the Mayer of Detroit.
4. Vinnie Johnson
Another name on our list of professional NBA players that came as entrepreneurs are Vinnie Johnson. Vinnie is another Detroit man who has taken to the entrepreneurial spirit since calling time on his career. Vinnie Johnson, in the NBA, played for the Detroit Pistons and, despite not being a native of Detroit, decided to stay in the city and make it his home.
Vinnie Johnson’s post-retirement entrepreneurial efforts are defined by the company Piston Automotive, which he created. Not only has the company been a means for him to earn some significant income, but it has also provided jobs to citizens of Detroit, making him a local hero in the city he came to call home.
5. Chris Webber
When Chris Webber was in the NBA, he made over $176 million in salaries and other income, a significant sum during his playing days which lasted 1993 and 2008.
Following retirement, Chris Webber, a talented player during his days, continued the smart and visionary thinking that defined his career by starting an investment company that represents football players and basketball players and focuses on investments in real estate and film projects.
Other than his investment company, Chris Webber is comfortably one of the professional NBA players who became entrepreneurs and has made a success of it. He also has a couple of investments in restaurants.
6. Magic Johnson
If we speak of professional NBA players who became entrepreneurs, the list would be amiss if we did not mention Magic Johnson.
He played his entire career for the Los Angeles Lakers, and such dedication to one thing could have had a dangerous effect on his post-playing life, but instead, he has gone on to become one of the richest NBA players on the planet through his company, Magic Johnson Enterprises.
The company has investments in various brands, from Starbucks to Burger King, to T.G.I. Fridays and gym franchises, all of which have made him over half a billion dollars rich.
7. Shaquille O’Neal
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Another name that deserves recognition among professional NBA players who became entrepreneurs is The Shaq, who not only made investments but returned to school to earn an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix.
His commitment to the entrepreneurial spirit has seen his investment in multiple businesses and brands. Shaq has investments in Vitamin Water, Muscle Milk, Google and has a couple of gym franchises. He also owns a couple of Five Guys burger restaurants and has a major stake in the startup company Loyale3 Holdings Inc.
Shaquille O’Neal is also an investor in Krispy Kreme, Papa John’s, and the eSports team, NRG Esports.
8. Quentin Richardson
Quentin Richardson recently retired from the NBA in 2013 but has since turned his focus on the business world to feature in our list of NBA players who became entrepreneurs.
Quentin, who has made his intention of expanding into different markets known, has since invested in the East Coast Wings & Grill franchise, under which he has 10 restaurants.
He may very well be young in the entrepreneurial game, but the former New York Knicks and Miami Heat player has already shown he has what it takes to conquer the world of entrepreneurship.
9. Chauncey Billups
Many professional NBA players who became entrepreneurs went into the restaurant franchising business, and Chauncey Billups is not exempt. Following retirement after seventeen great seasons in the NBA, Chauncey Billups took his money and invested in the popular food franchise Wendy’s, buying thirty restaurants.
Considering how well Wendy’s is doing as a company, it goes without saying that Chauncey Billups investment has been paying off.
10. George Tinsley
Like many of his peers on this list, George Tinsley’s entrepreneurial spirit was unleashed on food franchises. George, who played in the NBA between 1969 and 1972, has launched his own company, The Tinsley Group.
The group has an investment in over 50 KFC and TGI Friday’s franchises in Florida. As far as post-playing career goes, George Tinsley has proven to be one of the better examples of life as a former professional NBA career.
11. David Robinson
He was a player for the San Antonio Spurs, winning two NBA championships and featuring in 10 All-Star games, along with several other personal accolades in his career.
During his playing days, he was one of the best players in the NBA, and he had the salary and income to go with it.
He could have chosen to live on his glory as a player. Still, instead, David Robinson partnered with a former Goldman Sachs officer and established the private equity firm Admiral Capital Group. The group, which is essentially an investment group, has a portfolio worth over $100 million, which includes hotels and office buildings.
Aside from the equity firm, David Robinson also owns a Jaguar Land Rover Dealership and is an investor in Thrive15, a B2B online learning platform.
With such a level of investment as an entrepreneur, it is no wonder that David Robinson is one of the richest NBA players in the world.
12. Steve Nash
Steve Nash was a superstar who played for the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He was one of the best players in the NBA during his time in the league, with personal awards such as winning the NBA MVP award twice and eight All-Star nominations proof of his excellence as a player.
However, not his on-court achievements put him in our list of professional NBA players who became entrepreneurs but rather his entrepreneurial efforts, such as founding the venture capital company, Consigliere Brand Capital.
Aside from the venture capital company, Steve Nash is also a scriptwriter and a producer, working through his production company, Meathawk. He also owns a sports club, Steve Nash Sports Club, and he owns stakes in a couple of soccer teams, like Vancouver Whitecaps FC and RCD Mallorca.
Other notable professional NBA players who have become entrepreneurs include Baron Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Andre Iguodala, Dwight Howard, and Michael Redd.
