Former NBA All-Star Cliff Robinson Is Opening A New Weed Biz Called ‘Uncle Spliffy’

There are a lot of pro athletes who often talk about how they’re scared of life after sports, where the daily grind of planning for games and seasons and competing against the best players in the world is gone, leaving them to search for something else to do.

We all know about stories of athletes going bankrupt because they don’t find that one thing to occupy their time, but it looks like former NBA All-Star Cliff Robinson isn’t planning on being one of them, as he’s set to appear and speak at the Cannabis Collaborative Conference in a few weeks to discuss the opening of his new marijuana business, “Uncle Spliffy.”

According to the Portland Business Journal’s Andy Giegerich, here’s what the former 19-year veteran had to say about the new venture:

“It’s an opportunity for me to get out there and tell people a little bit about myself outside of basketball,” Robinson said. “People in Oregon know me as a basketball player, but I want to distill the stigma around cannabis, the misperception that athletes and cannabis are incompatible.”

“Oregon has always been known for good cannabis, and it’s an exciting time to be here,” he said. “I’m excited to be part of a team that’s doing it the right way.”

Robinson, whose new store is a play off of his old nickname, “Uncle Cliffy,” also talked about why weed might be a better option for athletes to use rather than painkillers, as well as the drug in relation to NBA players:

“Cannabis is definitely a more positive alternative to pharmaceuticals at the end of the day,” he said. “Those are synthetics. I’m talking about something that’s natural that can bring the outcomes you’re looking for, be it for muscle tension or relaxation or preparedness. There are a whole lot of different things that are beneficial.”

“When you talk about guys playing on a professional level, there’s a lot of physical and mental stress that comes with that, and to have something available to you that has health benefits, I don’t see the issue with it myself… “There are a lot of things that have to fall into place before” cannabis isn’t frowned upon in the NBA, Robinson said. “We can continue to break down the walls of the issue.

Once disciplined by the league for using marijuana, it sure seems as if Cliff Robinson knows there are players who smoke as a way to get away from the struggles and stress of playing a pro sport, and it sure does seem like its been a hobby of his for a long time, so, naturally, it’s an ideal venture for him.

With many states passing laws that legalize marijuana, Oregon being one of them, Robinson says his new business will be based in Portland—which is where he enjoyed the majority of his NBA career.

Clearly a proponent of weed and how it can play a positive role for people, especially athletes, it’ll be interesting to see how much influence Robinson can have.

[H/T Bleacher Report, Portland Business Journal]

Nick Dimengo avatar
Nick's a Sr. Editor for BroBible, mainly relying on his Sports Encyclopedia-like mind to write about things. He's also the co-host of the BroBible podcast "We Run This," and can be seen sweating his ass off while frequently running 10+ miles around Seattle.