In 2001, Darko Milicic was drafted just one pick behind LeBron James, but Milicic’s NBA career lagged far behind. The Detroit Pistons had high hopes for the 7-foot-tall Serbian, but Milicic did not like playing for the NBA. In fact, he’s already sold his Pistons Championship ring and donated the money to charity. He abruptly retired in 2012. “I was so lost,” Milicic said, “I really came to hate basketball, you know? I just wanted to come back home and live another life.”
And so, he did. After playing briefly for a Serbian basketball team and then giving a kickboxing career a quick shot, he found his true calling. Back at home in his native Serbia he became an apple farmer. He traveled to Italy to study orchard farming and put $8 million into a 125-acre apple farm that yields over 10,000 pounds of fruit per year. He loves it. With sheer excitement in his eyes, he talks about getting into cherry farming.
Derrick Coleman – Clean Water Delivery
First-round pick Derrick Coleman became Rookie of the Year for the Nets after they drafted him in 1990. He went on to play for the All-Stars in 1994. Averaging 20 points per game, Coleman had huge potential, but by 2005, with fifteen NBA seasons under his belt, the Pistons released him from his contract due to his part in an infamous on-court brawl in 2004 between the Pacers and the Pistons.
Today you might find him hauling clean water supplies to residents in Flint, Michigan. Since it was discovered in 2014 that the city of Flint had signed up for a contaminated water source, Coleman had been driving 65 miles a day to deliver fresh water supplies to Flint. “I’ve seen the rust and everything that’s in their water,” a concerned Coleman said, rhetorically asking, “How can this happen here in America?” Michigan is Coleman’s hometown. He went back to live there in 2011. Besides supplying clean water, he invested heavily in renovating and revitalizing the city, trying to bring jobs and economic development to Flint, but he invested during poor economic times and lost it all.
John Stockton - Youth Basketball Coach
John Stockton made his mark as an up and coming point guard at Gonzaga catching the eye of the Utah Jazz who chose him in the first round of the 1984 draft. He played for the Jazz his entire career racking up assists by sending packages to Karl “The Mailman” Malone until he retired in 2003. Stockton was appreciated. The city commemorated him by renaming the street to the Salt Lake City Delta Center “John Stockton Drive.” In 2004, they retired his number 12 jersey. In 2009 he became a Basketball Hall of Famer.
After retirement Stockton became a coach. First, he coached youth teams, splitting his time between several different teams. In 2015 he coached professionally, joining the women’s basketball program at Montana State University for a few years. He’s also been pursuing a business career.
Detlef Schrempf – Business Development Officer
Detlef Schrempf chose the most practical career path possible after retiring from the NBA in 2001. As a financial advisor, he learned how to best manage his wealth, and he’s done a great job! His net worth is $5 million. He hit the NBA shortly upon migrating from Germany to the U.S. After dominating the high school court when he moved here in his senior year, he led the Washington Huskies to the Pac-10, twice.
As an NBA star, Schrempf racked up scoreboards for the Dallas Mavericks, the Indiana Pacers, and the Seattle SuperSonics for 16 years. He was a two-time Sixth Man of the Year and a three-time All-Star. After retirement he stayed in the league for a couple years as an assistant coach for the Sonics. Coldstream Capital has been pleased to employ Schrempf as a Business Development Officer.
Hakeem Olajuwon – Real Estate Mogul
Hakeem Olajuwon is another basketball legend whose name is synonymous with the NBA. Olajuwon may have been born in Nigeria, but he’s an American superstar. Starting out at the University of Houston, he came to the NBA with the Houston Rockets in 1984. Apropos of the Rockets, Olajuwon launched his legacy with a bang. That year he won, not just NBA MVP, but NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP. It goes without saying, he led the Rockets to an NBA title that year as well. He did the same thing the next year. Back to back championships!
So, what else has he done? Well, first of all he mentored players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, to name a couple. After retiring in 2002 from 18 seasons of play, he became a Houston real estate magnate. With huge investments in the city’s properties, his company, Palladio Development Ltd., churned out $100 million in profits. As a devout Muslim, he’s made his fortune interest free. He’s worth $200 million.