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DEPRESSING STAT ALERT! Sixty percent of NBA go broke within five years of leaving the league, and 78% of NFL players experience financial distress just two years after their playing days are over.
The public eats up stories of John Daly blowing $1.65 million in a single casino session, or Allen Iverson squandering $200 million, or Antoine Walker and his “car fetish” filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy just two years after ending a 12-year, $108 million NBA career. There’s a reason car crashes cause traffic on both sides of the street, because people are addicted to the chaos.
But for every dollar lost in an athlete’s post-retirement financial apocalypse, Junior Bridgeman make’s two more.
Bridgeman carved out a nice little NBA career for himself in the 70s and 80s, tallying over 11,500 points and almost 3,000 rebounds in his 12-year career. But, his success on the hardwood pales in comparison to what he’s achieved in the business world.
Sports and business writer Joe Pompliano detailed the 66-year-old’s story in a Twitter thread on Thursday and it’s tough not to feel inspired.
https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065978322583553?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065979228590080?s=20
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https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065982718316544?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065984404443139?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065985465483264?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065986702893059?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1294065987701145600?s=20
I’m trying to imagine J.R. Smith working at a Wendy’s drive-thru in the offseason to prepare himself for a life of business post-retirement, and I think my ears are smoking and my brain is short-circuiting.
Professional sports leagues should be leveraging stories like Junior Bridgeman’s to inspire players not to invest in car washes.