Here's are athletes who found success after their careers!
10 - George Foreman
How many of you guys out there have owned a George Foreman grill?!
Maybe you still do!
Considered a heavyweight champion in pretty much all categories of life, George Foreman
might actually be more known for the grills he pushed than actually being a boxing champion!
To one generation, Foreman became a symbol of strength after his gold-medal victory in
boxing at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
From then on, he became almost unstoppable.
He won every single fight he had until finally losing to Muhammad Ali in 1974.
However, to another generation, he was the newest and oldest heavyweight boxing champion
who happened to be on TV selling an interesting grille.
Foreman was approached by Salton, Inc. to push the grilles, since he credited his comeback
success to his new healthy diet.
Foreman said yes, and the rest is history.
The venture gave Foreman a $138 million bump in his fortune, with sources saying he still
earns 40% of all sales.
Since 1994, the George Foreman Grill has sold over 100 million units!
Selling 100 million of anything is just ridiculous!
9 - Jamal Mashburn Remember when Jamal Mashburn was lighting
it up back in the day at Kentucky?!
After a successful career in college basketball and the NBA, Mashburn turned his sight to
the business world.
Mashburn has always said that it wasn't a surprise decision.
Apparently, ever since he was a teenager, he not only dreamed of becoming a world-renowned
basketball player, but also as a hardworking businessman who carried a briefcase to work.
Mashburn today owns more than 80 restaurant franchises nationwide in the US, has ventures
in real estate, and even has interest ownership in thoroughbred horse racing.
Doing the business thing hasn't been easy, as he says he gets approached by other former
athletes who claim to have the next big business idea all the time.
The funny thing is, a lot of athletes themselves get approached with business deals all the
time during their playing days!
He says saying no is what he says if the project just doesn't seem profitable.
After all, accumulating and protecting a net worth of $45 million doesn't happen by investing
in random projects.
However, he still does believe in picking up the appropriate risk.
In 2013, he teamed up with with former NFL star Winston Justice to create a venture capital
firm to invest in the tech industry.
8 - Magic Johnson
Can things get better after you get voted as the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1987,
1989 and 1990?
If your name is Ervin Johnson but you go by Magic, then yea, things CAN get better.
Do I really need to go into how his playing career went?
Being the orchestrator of the Showtime Lakers in the 80’s with his ridiculous display
of basketball skills and earning $45 million along the way isn’t too shabby.
But what he did as a player somehow fails in comparison to the now ever-growing wealth
he’s created since he’s been retired.
Known as a very intelligent businessman, Johnson has been able to venture in many different
areas such as real estate and media.
Even though he publicly announced he was HIV positive back in 1991, the success didn’t
really change for Magic.
The media frenzy created by his announcement didn’t stop his successful business mindset.
After establishing Magic Johnson Enterprises and investing in a variety of businesses that
includes buying a minority ownership in the Dodgers, he keeps on growing his net worth.
He’s ranked 10th on Forbes' list of Highest-Paid Retired Athletes, having a net worth of $500
million!
7 - Bill Bradley
Successful doesn’t exactly describe the amount of achievements Bill Bradley has been
able to achieve after his playing days.
Bill Bradley was a former college basketball star at Princeton.
He then played professionally with the New York Knicks, where he won two championships;
after he retired, his number was retired as well, being the fourth Knick to have his number
retired.
In 1977, he decided to run for the senate, coinciding with his retirement from the NBA.
Once in the senate, he was known for being something of a nerd, specializing in complex
policies.
He even decided to run for president in 2000.
Even after receiving high-profile endorsements, his 2000 presidential candidacy for the Democratic
Party wasn't enough for Bradley to beat out Al Gore for the nomination.
On many occasions he has mentioned that his success in sports and in life is based on
his respect for practice time and preparation.
During his NBA career, Bradley used his fame on the court to explore social as well as
political issues, meeting with journalists, government officials, and social activists.
He also worked as an assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington,
D.C., and as a teacher in the street academies of Harlem.
However, interestingly enough, Bradley has said that he felt uncomfortable using his
celebrity status to earn extra money endorsing products as other players did.
6 - Vinnie Jones
Did you guys know that Vinnie Jones actually was a professional soccer player before he
was playing tough villains in such movies as Lock stock and 2 smoking barrels and Snatch?
His professional soccer career started back in 1986 and ever since then he became known
as an enforcer in soccer.
Known for his rough playing tactics, Jones became popular for his enforcer role, and
to this day he holds the record for the fastest foul ever in a soccer match, with Jones receiving
a foul just 3 seconds into a match!
Being a quote,”hard man” in soccer certainly proved to be useful for Jones, helping him
land roles in the British films I mentioned before, and it also helped him make the leap
into American films such as Gone In 60 Seconds and Swordfish.
With a real life background as tough as this guy, how would you not expect him to be the
go-to bad guy when it comes to these intense and rough characters?
5 - Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson is a case of several types of retirement.
Most people on this list have retired from their sports life, some have even done it
several times.
But Jackson is known as a retired player and multiple-time retired coach of the NBA.
He first started his professional career when he was drafted by the Knicks in 1967, where
he became a fan favorite because of his energy on defense.
After playing for a couple seasons with the Nets, he retired as a player in 1980.
However, his best days in regards to basketball were still ahead of him.
Jackson was able to coach MJ and the rest of the bulls to six championship during his
time as coach.
As if this wasn't enough, he took his zen magic to the Lakers and he gave Shaq his first
ever championship win, as well as helping coach Kobe to his 5 titles.
Jackon’s unusual zen coaching techniques allowed him to get the most out of the superstars
playing for him at any given time.
4 - Michael Strahan
Transitioning from the NFL to home screens nationwide proved to be fairly easy for Michael
Strahan.
Although he was once someone that pretty much all quarterbacks feared, as Strahan still
holds the record for most sacks in one season, Strahan has become the lovable, friendly guy
everybody wants to watch on TV.
But this scenario wasn't exactly what he first thought he would do as a teenager.
After only one season of high school football, he earned a scholarship to Texas Southern
University, where his record-breaking career in college football would officially start.
Shortly after that, he was drafted by the New York Giants where he spent his entire
career.
He won the Defensive Player of The Year award in 2001.
When he finally decided to retire, he did it in a big way, by going out a winner after
the Giants won the Superbowl by beating the Patriots in 2008.
After having an amazing career, Strahan then jumped right on TV and somehow became a star
without skipping a beat.
Becoming a commentator on Fox NFL Sunday?
He seemed like a pro from day one.
From sports television he then jumped into the mainstream, landing a hosting gig alongside
Kelly Ripa in Live With Kelly and Michael.
Then he became the face everybody sees on Good Morning America.
Needless to say, he actually now earns a lot more than he did in his playing days.
3 - Terry Crews
There’s no way the most famous pecs in the world weren’t going to be on this list.
It comes as no surprise that Terry Crews has become one of the most well-known names in
the entertainment industry, given his multiple talents.
A lot of people didn’t know that one of his talents include a career as a linebacker
in the NFL.
He was drafted back in 1991 by the Rams, then he bounced around to different teams.
He was on the Chargers in 1993, and he also went to the east coast playing with Washington
and Philadelphia.
However, it wasn't until 1999, two years after his retirement from football that he got into
the the entertainment industry.
After a few minor roles in movies, commercials, and music videos, he got his big break in
the Wayans brothers' 2004 film White Chicks.
From that moment on, Crews has continually found work.
From his hilarious Old Spice commercials to his role as Sergeant Terry Jeffords in the
comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine to hosting Who Wants to be a millionaire, it’s safe to say Crews’s
acting career has been much better than his football career.
2 - Oscar De La Hoya
The world of boxing has its ups and downs for most boxers, even if they were once well-known
champions.
But for Oscar De La Hoya, his fortune has been well taken care of on and off the ring.
The former gold medal-winning and world champion boxer became a prominent name in boxing by
winning 10 world titles in six different weight classes.
His ability to earn in boxing was unprecedented before someone named Mayweather came along–
some of his fights have been the biggest-earning fights ever, with over $700 million just in
pay-per-view income.
After announcing his retirement in 2009, De La Hoya has become one of the most steady-earning
retired boxers in the world.
His continued success is because of his creation of Golden Boy Promotions, his boxing firm
that consistently puts on some of the best fights in the business.
Although he’s messed with the idea of coming back to the ring, De la Hoya seems to have
found a safe place backstage promoting the biggest fights now, instead of being in the
middle of the ring.
1 - Ion Tiriac
Known for his unfiltered comments about women and his love life, this Romanian former tennis
star has created a completely ridiculous empire after his tennis career.
For example, Ion Tiriac has turned the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain into one of the most
popular sporting events in the country.
When he decided to retire, his fortune didn't disappear; he became the manager of tennis
super stars such as Boris Becker and Guillermo Vilas.
At the same time, he did what any smart business mogul would do with his fortune: he opened
up his own bank, and that’s where the majority of his wealth has come from.
With over 50 branches nationwide, UniCredit Bank has become one of the largest private
banks in Romania.
Tiriac has managed to extend his business to insurance, hotel and car businesses.
He’s actually one of the richest men in all of Europe, with a fortune close to 1.7
billion euros!
Some say that the reason behind his success is because of the attitude he has being born
in Transylvania, only 40 kilometers away from Dracula's castle.
During his long career, he won 22 double titles, with one grand slam title in men’s doubles
at the 1970 French Open.
Here's what's next!