Basketball Or Nothing: Where Are They Now?

We catch up with some of the biggest names in basketball to see where they are now and what they’re doing to stay in the game.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan who is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, played in the NBA from 1984 to 2003. During his career, he won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and was named the NBA Finals MVP five times. He was also a 14-time All-Star and a 10-time member of the All-NBA First Team After retiring from basketball, Jordan became majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in 2010.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kobe’s parents were Gold medalist in track, Joe Bryant and former professional basketball player Pamela Cox Bryant. From an early age, Kobe showed signs he had the potential to be a Professional Athlete like his father. When Kobe was just six years old, he started playing organized basketball. In 1992, at the age of 14, Kobe entered the NBA draft but wasn’t selected by any team. Instead of joining the NBA right away, Kobe decided to play basketball for Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

In his senior year, Kobe led his team to the state championship game where they lost to Plymouth-Whitemarsh high school During his high school career, he was named Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year and was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game After high school Kobe decided to forgo college and enter the 1996 NBA Draft This time he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick of the first round but was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe became one of the most well-known and successful players in Lakers history during his 20 seasons with the team. He helped lead them to five NBA Championships and was named an All-Star 18 times. In 2008 and 2012, he was named MVP of The Finals as he led his team to back-to-back championships those years. He also won two Olympic gold medals as a member of Team USA in 2008 and 2012.

In 2016, after scoring 60 points in his final game as a Laker, Kobe retired from Professional Basketball with over 33 thousand points scored (third most in NBA history) and numerous accolades and awards throughout his 20-year career.

Since retiring from playing basketball professionally, Kobe has launched several businesses ventures including a production studio (Granity Studios), authored children’s books (“The Wizenard Series”), and created an animated short film called “Dear Basketball” which won an Oscar for best animated short film in 2018.

LeBron James

Lebron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest NBA players in history, James is frequently compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. He has won four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards two Olympic gold medals and an NBA Championship He played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary high school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar A prep-to-pro, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school in 2003.

James led Cleveland to their first Finals appearance in franchise history and their first title in 52 years. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine twice, becoming only the third African-American male to do so as a High School athlete. His rookie season ended with him being voted Rookie of the Year and finishing second behind Carmelo Anthony for Rookie Challenge MVP at All-Star Weekend Throughout his career, James has been recognized as one of the strongest and fiercest competitors in all of professional sports He has been given numerous nicknames including “King James”, “The Chosen One”, “The Akron Hammer”, and “LBJ”.

Kevin Durant

In 2006, at the age of 19, Kevin Durant was the Seattle SuperSonics’ second overall pick in the NBA Draft After one season with the SuperSonics, the team relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. Durant spent nine seasons with the Thunder, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 and being named to seven All-Star teams. In 2016, Durant was named MVP of the NBA Finals after leading the Golden State Warriors to a championship victory. The following year, he was named NBA Finals MVP again as he helped lead the Warriors to their second consecutive title. Durant is currently signed with the Brooklyn Nets

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony was one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA during his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks He was a nine-time All-Star and won an Olympic gold medal as part of Team USA in 2008. But after Suffering a series of injuries, Anthony’s production began to decline, and he was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Chicago Bulls in January 2019. He was then released by the Bulls, and he hasn’t played in the NBA since.

So what has Carmelo Anthony been up to since leaving the NBA? He’s kept a low profile for the most part, but he did launch a production company called Melo Studios in 2019. The company has produced two short films so far, and Anthony has said that he wants to use it to tell “powerful stories that touch people’s hearts.” He’s also been working on a documentary about his life, which is expected to be released sometime in 2020.

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Miami Heat Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers He is a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named NBA Finals MVP in 2006. In 2010, he helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship Since his retirement in 2019, Wade has been working as an analyst on ESPN’s NBA Countdown

Chris Paul

Chris Paul was born on May 6, 1985, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina He is a professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also played for the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets Paul is a nine-Ime Nba All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection, and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive team member. He is one of only two players in NBA history with at least 150 steals and 150 3-pointers in a career.

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin who was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2009, is currently in his 11th season in the NBA. In that time, he’s been an All-Star six times, won the Slam Dunk Contest twice, and led the Clippers to the playoffs nine times. He currently ranks ninth in the NBA in career dunks.

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned the Most Valuable Player Award for the 2016–17 season. While playing college basketball for the UCLA Bruins he was named first-team All-Conference as a sophomore in 2008. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics who then traded him to Oklahoma City on draft night. Westbrook has been a five-time All-NBA First Team member and led the league in scoring in 2014–15 and 2016–17. He is also one of two players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, along with Oscar Robertson in 1961–62. In 2017, he set an NBA record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42.

Kevin Love

Kevin Love was drafted fifth overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies but was immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. He made an immediate impact with his new team, averaging 17.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award In his second season, Love became just the second player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 15 rebounds per game He has been named an All-Star three times and is currently the longest-tenured player on the Timberwolves Roster