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VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 I NBA FINALS 2013

INSIDETHISISSUE FEATURES

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Dikembe Mutombo Global Humanitarian

Road to the Playoffs WE MADE THIS GAME:

Chewing the “Fat” With Lever BASKETBALL 101:

Lynette Woodard is Breaking Ground Again

DEPARTMENTS

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NEWS & EVENTS SUCCESS INSIDER • HearStrong • NexGoal • Black Health TV • Wheels of Fortune

WEALTH NBRPA HQ

IN EVERY ISSUE

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Fish Talk

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Executive Summary

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Matt Fish, Editor Arnie Fielkow, NBRPA President & CEO

Luxury Lifestyle Luxury Real Estate Center Court Nuf’ Ced Legends

PremierSW_FP_Layout 1 6/17/13 4:35 PM Page 1

At Premier Southwest Planning Group LLC, we specialize in personal finance and estate strategies. Our process is specifically designed to maximize your wealth and facilitate financial security for you, your family or your small business.

Whether you are seeking financial security as an individual, a family or a business, you need the personal financial engineering process to help you achieve your ideal financial plan.

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Bruce Weinstein • 602-705-4555

Services Include: • Life, Home, Auto, Business Insurance • Annuities • Disability Insurance • Estate Planning • Retirement Planning • Risk Management • Employee Benefits • Asset Management

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From Rebound Magazine

Fish Talk

BY MATTHEW FISH I PUBLISHER/CEO

All-Star Recap and Finals glimpse.

As always, All-Star weekend was fun fun fun. Way to go Houston chapter! With outstanding events and great causes they certainly represented the NBRPA in the best light. Special thanks to everyone who helped make it a great time.

What a wonderful extended weekend to learn about all of the great things our organization and members are doing and enjoy fellowship, reconnect with friends from playing days and friends from the best alumni association professional sports has to offer, the NBRPA. My favorite part of All-Star weekend has always been The Legends Brunch on Sunday morning, the actual day of the NBA All-Star game. Honoring those whom have made professional basketball the powerhouse sport it has become, makers of the game, those that assisted in the game, and those that have given their entire lives to the game. This is truly a spectacular breakfast, one that I never want to miss.

The playoffs are in full swing and the finals are upon us. Who will be crowned world champion in professional basketball? If our readers remember in the All-Star issue, many members were asked whom they thought would win it all.

In the late 90s I played for the Miami Heat. We were beaten by Michael Jordan and the Bulls, that year’s eventual champion. Since comments were collected from members by teams they played for, the time spent with the Heat gave me the opportunity to comment on this year possible winner. I picked the Heat to win it all. (How daring) They certainly look like the team to beat.

No matter who is crowned, the intensity of the NBA Finals will be hot, with the Heat or not.

I look forward to seeing you all in Florida for the Legends World Sports Conference. My wife Rebecca and I will be celebrating our 14th anniversary and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate than with my great friends of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, the Legends.

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Great News for NBRPA Members

D

ue to our strong relationship with the NBA, membership is growing and we are diligently working to serve both members and the community through new programs.

With unprecedented collaboration between the NBRPA and NBA, NBA All-Star 2013 was a very important weekend for our Legends of Basketball. Former NBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotters players came out in droves to take over Houston — utilizing the All-Star Weekend as a vehicle to recognize the careers of NBRPA Members, celebrate Black History Month and give back to the community.

The NBRPA jointly announced an extension and expansion of its historic partnership with the NBA alongside Commissioner David Stern and Commissioner-Elect Adam Silver The NBRPA also announced a new, 14-city nationwide youth basketball and mentoring program in conjunction with the National Police Athletic League (PAL) and National Urban League (NUL) during All-Star Weekend. The program, Full Court Press: Prep for Success, will include day-long youth basketball and life skills clinics conducted by NBRPA Members in each market, combined with a year-round mentoring program for each youngster that participates in the session.

The NBRPA followed All-Star Weekend with a strong effort to place members in hospitality settings for postseason college basketball tournaments as part of our Book a Legend program. Not only did NBRPA members appear at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and Final Four, but also the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC Men’s Tournaments.

In March, the NBRPA Miami Chapter teamed up with Head & Heart Philanthropy to host a charity dinner featuring a keynote address from former United States President Bill Clinton. The non-partisan event included a day-long philanthropy summit for members , capped by a moving speech delivered by Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe. Connections made during the event will lead to a goodwill trip to Haiti by NBRPA Members prior to the 2013 Legends World Sports Conference.

Speaking of our annual conference, the NBRPA is headed to Florida! We are pleased to announce that the NBRPA will host its annual Legends World Sports Conference at Club Med’s Sandpiper Bay Resort in Port St. Lucie, Sept. 20-22, 2013. This premier gathering for former professional basketball players, the Legends World Sports Conference (LWSC) is the NBRPA’s annual opportunity for networking.

The NBRPA ‘s Full Court Press: Prep for Success will hold clinics in nearby Orlando and Miami on Sept. 21 and 28, respectively. Industry Specialists covering a variety of relevant topics, including Jobs in Sports, Finance, Career Transition, Continuing Education, Appearance/Speaking Opportunities, Social Media, Health & Wellness, Charitable Foundations and more.

Things are moving positively quick for the NBRPA. Thank you for your support of the NBRPA and we will see you in Florida!

Official Publication of the NBRPA VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 I NBA FINALS 2013 NBRPA REBOUND MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER/CEO Matthew Fish I mattfish@reboundmagazine.com DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Dan Klaudt I danklaudt@reboundmagazine.com ART DIRECTOR Dara Fowler I dara@dfgraphics.com CONSULTANT Larry Pond I larrypond@reboundmagazine.com A special thanks to Connie Wardman helping with the content for NBA Finals Issue of Rebound

Sales mattfish@reboundmagazine.com sales@reboundmagazine.com Editorial editorial@reboundmagazine.com Website/IT danklaudt@reboundmagazine.com Advertise advertise@reboundmagazine.com Administration admin@reboundmagazine.com NBRPA

CEO Arnie Fielkow STAFF Paul Corliss, Brian Gaughan, Excell Hardy Jr., Erin Miller, Mark Scoggins, Charece Williams, Sam Vincent NBRPA BOARD MEMBERS Otis Birdsong, Chairman of the Board Thurl Bailey, Vice Chairman Marvin Roberts, Treasure Steve Hayes, Secretary Robert A. (Bob) Elliot, Past Chairman Dr. George W. Tinsley Sr., Past Chairman Harvey Catchings, Director Spencer Haywood, Director Larue Martin Jr., Director Johnny Newman, Director

Yours in basketball,

© SPORTS MEDIA MARKETING LLC

Arnie D. Fielkow President & Chief Executive Officer NBRPA

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3317 S. Higley Road, Ste 114-224 Gilbert, Arizona 85297 P 480-586-6941 www.ReboundMagazine.com REBOUND is a trademark of Sports Media Marketing LLC

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NEWS & EVENTS

Globetrotters expand successful pilot program, bringing more Summer Skills Clinics coached by Globetrotters stars to more kids in more cities.

(PHOENIX, Feb. 28, 2013) – Building on last summer’s success, the world famous Harlem Globetrotters are excited to announce the expansion of their partnership with fitness club industry leader, 24 Hour Fitness®, opening up their Summer Skills Clinics — the only clinics coached by Globetrotters stars — to more families in even more U.S. cities.

Last summer’s 11-market pilot program included soldout clinics and garnered extremely positive feedback from kids and their parents, prompting the Globetrotters to bring more players and more clinics to more cities across the U.S. This summer, the Globetrotters will conduct Summer Skills Clinics at 24 Hour Fitness locations in 18 markets: Los Angeles; Dallas; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Houston; Seattle; Phoenix; Miami; Denver; Orlando, Fla.; St. Louis; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Las Vegas, Nevada; Austin, Texas; Omaha, Neb.; and Hasbrouck Heights and Paramus in New Jersey. For parental convenience, weekly schedules have been changed to three two-hour clinics per day, and now include Saturday clinics at all locations.

The Globetrotters will also be adding more motivational talks, including highlights from their new community outreach program, “The ABCs of Bullying Prevention.”

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT MIAMI NBRPA CHAPTER EVENT

NBRPA members of the Miami chapter held a charity dinner in March in partnership with Head & Heart Philanthropy thanks to the efforts of Miami chapter president Walter Bond and his team. The highlight of the event was a keynote address by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Ending the day-long summit was a speech by Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe.

Also attending were NBRPA members: chairman of the board Otis Birdsong, founding member Dave Cowens, Houston chapter president Major Jones, and Orlando chapter president Tree Rollins. Birdsong offered opening remarks.

NBRPA MEMBERS GO DANCING

NBRPA members made appearances during various March Madness tournaments this year — the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and the Final Four.

Mingling with old friends and fans, sharing war stories, signing autographs and taking part in photo opportunities were a number of Legends who were standout players in their own college conference days.

“We are excited to team with the NCAA and several major college conferences for men’s college basketball postseason tournaments this March and April,” said NBRPA President & CEO Arnie D. Fielkow.

NBRPA & REMN HOST A BASKETBALL CLINIC & HOME BUYING SEMINAR

NBRPA Legends and the Real Estate Management Network (REMN) team

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© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY HARLEMGLOBETROTTERS

Harlem Globetrotters Roll out Hit Summer Skills Clinics in Partnership with 24 Hour Fitness

“Expanding our Summer Skills Clinics program speaks to the Globetrotters being so much more than a great live tour.” said Angela Leaney, the Globetrotters’ executive vice president of brand marketing. “Globetrotters Summer Skills Clinics are a fan-driven concept, and thanks to insight from our stars, the kids they coached, the parents and our partners at 24 Hour Fitness, this summer’s clinics will be even better. It’s awesome fun for all.”

“As a company committed to improving lives through fitness, 24 Hour Fitness is pleased to once again partner with the Harlem Globetrotters and host Summer Skills Clinics to encourage physical activity, sports participation and character development among youth,” said Randy Drake, senior vice president of business development, 24 Hour Fitness. “Last year’s clinics were very well received by our members and guests, and we are excited to offer this exclusive program again this year.”

Clinics are open to boys and girls of all skill levels, ages 6-12. The registration price remains at 2012 levels of $59 per two-hour session. For more information, and to find the Clinic nearest you, visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

collaborated on an event in January at New York City’s Central Baptist Church. It included a basketball clinic for the youth and a REMN-led home buying seminar for the adults. Sam Vincent, NBRPA’s vice president of membership, chapter and player development, led the clinic alongside Legends Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Hollis Copeland, Fred Crawford, Carl Green and Tom Hoover of the newly-forming NYC NBRPA Chapter. Over 40 kids went through the coaches’ two-hour session. REMN offers free credit reports to all NBRPA members as part of their annual support of the association.

JOHN LUCAS’ CHARITY BOWLING TOURNAMENT

Over the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, NBRPA member and former NBA player and coach John Lucas held a charity bowling event to raise funds to build The John Lucas Wellness Center. Fully supported by the NBRPA, it had members in attendance to interact with bowlers and attendees.

ORLANDO NBRPA CHAPTER ANNOUNCES MERCEDES BENZ GOLF TOURNAMENT

August 30th is the date set by the Orlando chapter for the MercedesBenz Golf Tournament at Reunion Resort in Orlando. It will raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Basketball 4 Life. Golfers will also be competing for one of two spots on the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Team that is advancing to the Sectional Tournament being held in November at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort in Hawaii.

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Cinemoi ups it’s move into cable talk show competition, Adding NBA Basketball Great Isiah Thomas To Schedule Following great reception of its Jonathan Ross Show “Unfinished Business With Isiah Thomas” to Debut June 2013 Cinemoi North America TV network has accelerated its expansion into big-name-host talk show programming. As a consequence of the strong critical and viewer response to Cinemoi’s weekly broadcast of Englands leading variety talk show program “The Jonathan Ross Show,” the network has signed NBA great and popular sports commentator and game analyst Isiah Thomas to host a new interview and commentary show entitled “Unfinished Business” with Isiah Thomas” for the domestic and international movie and lifestyle programming broadcast on DIRECTV’s Channel 259. Thomas’ debut as a talk show host following his heralded success as Hall of Fame player, TV commentator, basketball coach, sports executive and philanthropist, was announced by Daphna Edwards Ziman, President of Cinemoi North America.

“Isiah Thomas has been a champion and all-star at all of the challenging occupations he has tackled,” Ziman said, “and his debut as a charismatic host should be another rookie of the year success, because in the art of evocative conversation and relevant and lively exchange, he is already an allstar.” Ziman reminds us that Thomas was voted to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, a rare honor, and he led his teams to glory in both college (Indiana University under Coach Bobby Knight) and professional competition, lighting the torch of the Detroit Pistons in his first year as a pro.

Thomas show, which will air weekly starting in June, will focus on notables from all fields of accomplishment who

have achieved success “against all odds”, as well as Americans from all walks of life who are icons in their own way, having overcome obstacles which seemed impossible to conquer, to reach personal success. “He will focus on the victory of the spirit over all obstacles, and this is a very apt subject for an iconic sports figure, whose life story epitomizes what the victory of the spirit is against all odds,” adds Ziman.

Isiah will present his viewers with the philosophies and practices of people of achievement who surmounted personal challenge, an aspect of Isiah’s own remarkable life story.

Thomas, the youngest of nine siblings was born and raised in extreme poverty in one of Chicago’s roughest neighborhoods by a single mother. In his book The Fundamentals: Eight Plays for Winning the Games of Business and Life, Thomas details the harsh circumstances of his childhood, including spending his childhood roaming the streets with and empty stomach, looking for fast food wrappers with scraps of cheese still stuck inside. But Isiah’s spirit went up against the impossible — despite these harsh circumstances, he had completed his high school education and earned his college degree at Indiana University, while leading its basketball team, the Indiana Hoosiers to the NCAA championship. Although Standing at 6’1”, he is considered one of the 50 greatest basketball players of all time, leading the Detroit Pistons to NBA Champoinships during his 13 years with the team.

His accomplishments are endless — Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2000); NBA All Rookie Team (1982); 12-time NBA All-Star (1982-93); NBA All-Star Game MVP (1984, ’86); All-NBA First Team (1984,’85,’86); All-NBA Second Team (1983,’87); NBA Champion (1989, ’90); NBA Finals MVP (1990); U.S. Olympian (1980); J Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1987). “There is no better host for a show featuring those who have surmounted seemingly impossible obstacles to achieve personal success and positively affect the lives of others,” Ziman Stresses.

“Unfinished Business with Isiah Thomas” will air as a weekly 30-minute program starting in June 2013.

Cinemoi North America is quickly becoming one of the most desired destinations on cable network introducing American viewers to curated, contemporary and vintage movies and providing coverage to glamorous world events and exotic destination. U.S. viewers have accessible 24-hour exciting and entertaining movie and lifestyle programming, primarily in English, ranging from CineDramas to CinefilmNoir, CineFestivals, CineCouture, CineThriller, and CineRomance.

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LUXURYLIFESTYLE AUDI R8 STASIS CHALLENGE EXTREME WHAT OFFERS A DRIVER 710 HP and a V10 engine that can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds? The very rare Audi R8 Stasis Challenge Extreme.

This ultimate supercar offers the ultimate driver experience. It is presented in phantom black pearl paint and has an enhanced black leather package with crimson stitching, carbon-fiber side blades, interior inlay, exterior mirrors and door spills. It also includes the Passport 9500 ci radar/laser system.

Available at far below replacement cost with just 6,200 miles, for more information on this luxury supercar, contact Mike at 702 275 3836.

BEAUTIFUL BEDS, TABLES AND MORE AWAIT YOU AT TALL PAUL’S IF YOU’RE TALL, you’ll want to get to know Tall Paul’s Tall Mall. Here, tastefully designed home furnishings comfortably fit tall individuals.

At 6-foot-11, architect Paul Hartmann decided his beds, chairs, tables, desks and such should be more than “functional” – they should be comfortable and enjoyable. He personally became tired of under-sized household furnishings as a teenager and young adult. After answering his own needs, he opened Tall Paul’s Tall Mall in 1999 which has become an industry leader with an expansive list of friends, fans, and followers.

A good introduction to Tall Paul’s starts with his ever-popular beds. No more cold toes, disarrayed linens, and less-than-restful nights. Tall Paul’s various beds come in lengths up to 8 feet in length. Order your bed 6-8 inches longer than your height for the best night’s sleep.

Hundreds of happy people are enjoying the bed they got from Tall Paul’s.

Choose from a range of bed frames, oh so-comfortable mattresses, mattress pads and a delightful selection of sheets, blankets and comforters. Your only surprise? That you hadn’t heard of Tall Paul’s sooner.

Quality, styling and comfort set the tone for Tall Paul’s Tall Mall. His tables, desks, chairs, shower extensions, and furniture elevators were designed by Paul, and now shared with other tall people. Need something else? Call Paul at 802-522-8028.

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LET STERLING ASSOCIATES “ASSIST” YOU IF YOU LOVE BEING ON THE WATER and are considering purchasing a boat, let Sterling Associates “assist” you with the loan process. Sterling has been in the loan origination business since the early 1980s and, according to President Tom Smith, the staff are all long-term employees with a wealth of expertise and a true commitment to excellence.

The company prides itself not only on managing the numbers but also on building personal relationships with clients. Each transaction takes into account the client’s values and personal needs in addition to the overall transaction outcome.

That desire to create and maintain a long-term client relationship is shown in several ways, one of which is the company’s willingness to do loans starting at $25 thousand and going up to $10 million.

The company’s emphasis on people as well as the numbers is responsible for its success. To date, Sterling has originated over $3.5 billion in loans for their clients.

As a subsidiary of UniBank for Savings, they portfolio loans and also work with 17 other banks across the U.S. With offices located across the country, the Sterling Team can help you; they also have a presence at the major boat shows across the country.

In addition to boat loans, Sterling Associates also offers loans on RVs (recreational vehicles) and Aircraft financing. For more information, visit them at www.BoatBanker.com or email Phill Hawkins (Phill.Hawkins@unibank.com) or Walter Martinez (Walter.Martinez@unibank.com). You may also call them directly at 1-888-286-7771.

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LUXURYREAL ESTATE JOYCE REY — IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

Basketball Courts Court Potential Buyers UNLIKE BASEBALL OR FOOTBALL, basketball was the first sport actually created in the United States. The basketball court itself not only evokes a sense of nostalgia as one of America's favorite pastimes, it has also become an important status symbol for homeowners. After all, if you have enough square footage to build a basketball court in your home, then you must have achieved success.

Whether indoor, outdoor, half-court or full, the home basketball court is a place where physical fitness, bonding, healthy competition and even conflict resolution happens. Does anyone remember when President Obama recruited Cabinet officials and lawmakers to play a backyard game on the converted tennis court on the White House’s South Lawn? Or when rapper Lil B challenged Kevin Durant to a basketball game to end their war of words?

As a luxury real estate specialist who is frequently inside the world’s most extraordinary homes, I can tell you that I have seen more basketball courts as luxury amenities today than I did when I first started in this business in the 1970s. Michael Jordan reportedly built an entire athletic wing with a basketball court in his new Jupiter, Florida mansion. Several homes with private courts owned by former and current NBA stars, include Shaquille O’Neal and Kenyon Martin, have been placed on the market in the last five years.

And it’s not just professional basketball players who are building them these days! I recently sold a Bel Air estate with an outdoor basketball court which was built for the owner’s son. In Santa Monica there is also a $35 million spec home currently for sale with a fabulous outdoor sports court, showing you just how in-demand the amenity has become among the general public.

While it’s difficult to put an exact dollar amount on how much a basketball court could potentially add to your property’s value, I can tell you from experience that it will have a positive impact on the resale value. And when combined with other amenities, its value significantly increases.

For example, I currently have an amenities-rich Paul Williams-designed estate available for either purchase ($25,580,000) or lease ($100,000/month) in Beverly Hills, which offers seven bedrooms, media room, wine cellar, guest house, pool, spa, tennis/basketball court, bowling alley and game room. Without those amenities, I’d estimate the property would be worth approximately 20% less.

And if the basketball court in question was previously owned by a celebrity, that fact would also add cachet — to the point where it stays with the property long after the celebrity has moved on. I saw this recently with a home I listed in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which was formerly owned by hockey star Wayne Gretzky. By the same token, a celebrity-owned court can also help your real estate agent garner publicity for the listing.

Whenever I see a basketball court in a home I am selling, it fills me with such fond memories, watching my son play on his high school team over many years ago. It’s a special amenity that adds value to your home and to your life.

Joyce Rey, the Executive Director of Previews Internationals (the Estates division of Coldwell Banker) in the United States, is known for representing the landmark estates of Southern California. She has closed nearly $2 billion in career sales, and led the #1 real estate team on the West Coast in 2012 for the company. When she is not selling the world’s finest estates, she can be found at the Staples Center, watching a Los Angeles Clippers game as a season ticket holder.

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FRANK D. ISOLDI – WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO ALTHOUGH FRANK D. ISOLDI markets and sells homes at all price points, his expertise includes the marketing and sale of luxury homes. As a broker sales associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Westfield East in Westfield, New Jersey, Frank continues to earn awards and honors year-after-year. For the 2012 year alone he was awarded the Coldwell Banker International President’s Premier Award for service and success. This marks the 13th consecutive year he has been honored with this award, ranking him among the top one percent of the company’s 83,000 associates worldwide. He also earned the New Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Award at the Platinum level, the tenth consecutive year he has received this honor. And he was also voted one of the top 250 Sales Professionals by the Wall Street Journal for 2012 – these three are just a small sample of the number of recent professional awards Frank has won for his real estate sales expertise and his uncompromising service to his clients. If you are looking for a luxury home in the New Jersey area, contact Frank D. Isoldi. www.frankdisoldi.com

SUNSHINE SPLASH IN WATERFORD, CONN. IF YOU LOVE SPORTS, you will love this home on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline — it is an absolute athlete’s paradise!

Designed and built with the highest quality materials and workmanship, it has been impeccably maintained, providing year-round entertainment and exercise options for all ages. The entire lower level of this award-winning contemporary home is devoted to sports. It includes: • A gymnasium with a commercial-grade backboard and basketball hoop, high-impact Fibersin wall panels and a poured rubber athletic floor for basketball and racquetball • Tectum ceiling panels for sound control • Brunswick Madison pool table • Ping-pong table • CalGym exercise equipment • Indoor 60-foot heated lap pool • A media room and office • Heated with radiant heat, warm air heat and central air conditioning • Sports continue outdoors with a full-size heated pool • Your nearby lake where you can swim, fish and kayak.

Located in a premier contemporary neighborhood, this five-bedroom, five-bath home features high ceilings and 25 skylights that keep the home sun-drenched year round due to its east/south orientation. The large custom kitchen and double-sized living room are perfect for entertaining.

The first floor master bedroom suite includes a custom granite bathroom, steam room/shower, Jacuzzi and double sinks. Loaded with storage space, all bedrooms include walk-in closets.

Extensive indoor and outdoor lighting includes a Lutron lighting system in the recreation area and LED programmable accent lights for the indoor pool. The outside is beautifully landscaped and the bonus is a local go-to caretaker who supervises the care of the home and property.

Professional basketball isn’t far away with the Celtics in Boston and the WNBA Connecticut Sun in nearby Uncasville. The home is also located 15 minutes from two of the largest casinos, the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort that offer world-class restaurants and entertainment in addition to gaming.

Located in the famous Mystic coast area, there are tourist attractions for the family, the beach lover and the boating enthusiast. While the home is very private, whether you choose to drive there or travel by yacht, plane or train, it is easily accessible.

For more information or to view the entire home, please visit www.9waterviewdrive.com. I will be happy to help you make this athlete’s paradise your new home.

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LUXURYREAL ESTATE I CONTINUED SPORTS LESSONS TRANSLATE TO BUSINESS LESSONS IN 1960 I WAS a Claremont, California high school sophomore trying out for the varsity basketball team. At 6-foot-2 with an athletic build, my chances appeared to be a slam dunk. Over several weeks of conditioning we were now down to a select group for the final day. But our pre-celebratory cheers stopped as we watched the football players effortlessly run through drills. They had been recruited to tryout alongside us, causing the bench to thin. As the last name was called, reality made its way like aching muscles needing to be iced, and with a sigh of acceptance, 15 of us gathered our belongings and headed home.

As the sting of being cut began to wear off, questions lingered. As with most athletes, there came that moment of discovery – while relatively good at all sports, I was not great in one. What began as a process of reevaluating my body type, natural ability, and willingness to work hard ultimately proved to be my path to a successful life’s journey.

Before my senior year, our family relocated to Los Altos in northern California. Since age thirteen swimming had come naturally but the swim team at this new school had unbelievable record times. When I sought out a top notch coach so I could make the team, he said “If you do everything I tell you to do, you’ll go a 55-second 100-yard butterfly by the end of swim season.” I made up my mind to commit 100 percent and try.

As a result, I moved to 20th in the nation, making the high school All-American Swimming Team. A year after high school I was ranked among the top 10 in the world, setting American records in three butterfly events and a freestyle relay, and having times on par with 5th place in the Olympics. By the summer, I made the U.S. Olympic team as an alternate for the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo.

Sports set the foundation for a great work ethic and time management skills, along with a full ride athletic scholarship to The University of Texas at Austin where I earned the All-

American designation in five events, set two conference records and received the Most Valuable Athlete Award. Great coaching, team work, perseverance, self-confidence, and a belief in something greater; this combination helped me transcend from a student-athlete to a successful thirty-year career in commercial real estate.

After earning an MBA at Pepperdine University I bought and managed $3 billion of commercial real estate nationwide.

Continuing with the spirit of athletics, today I’m running a diverse team at Madison Realty Companies in Pasadena with talent averaging 25-years each in the real estate industry; all of whom are pushing for their own gold in their personal lives. I never imagined that decades later sports would impact my life and those around me for the better.

Gary Langendoen lives in Pasadena, California where he continues to compete in masters swimming. He has four sons and a daughter, of which two of his sons played college water polo. Mr. Langendoen is the Managing Partner of Madison Realty Companies, best known for increasing value of real estate syndications for its investors. For more information, please call 626.796.8700.

CAROL’S LUXURY LISTINGS — WE SPECIALIZE IN SERVICE I AM THE DAUGHTER of World War II veterans who migrated to Chicago after the war and bought a huge 14-room brownstone on the West Side. It was a beautiful home with all sorts of special features and I vividly remember playing in this home with my brothers. I didn’t realize until I was an adult that it had inspired me, instilling in me a love of architecture and luxury real estate.

Now a luxury real estate specialist with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, I am also a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing. I assist athletes, celebrities and CEOs to find memorable residences throughout the U.S. and abroad. I make sure we always live up to our tagline, “At Carol’s Luxury Listings, we specialize in service.” So please visit me, Carol Holland, at www.luxehomes.org or contact me at: 773-494-9125 cell, 773-285-7964 direct, 773-285-7952 fax.

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YOU DO

WHAT DID WHEN YOU CHECKED IN?

By Connie Wardman

When Dikembe Mutombo addressed the recent fourth annual Global Health and Humanitarian Summit as a keynote speaker, he began his remarks with the following: “We’re all here for a short period of time. We check in and we check out. What did you do when you checked in? Did you just fall asleep?”

This is a question that for Mutombo will be an easy answer when he checks out — he definitely did not fall asleep while he was here.

Held at Emory University in Atlanta, this annual conference is just one more opportunity for a humanitarian like Mutombo to get out his message to all who will listen — it is one of encouraging others to donate their time and resources to helping people whether it’s on a local, national or global basis.

An NBRPA Legend, Mutombo is also a legend for his own charitable good works through his namesake organization, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, Inc. where he serves as its chairman and president.

A man who has never gotten too big to remember his roots, clearly he practices what he preaches. But it doesn’t take much to bring out his fun-loving nature as is evidenced by his recent commercials for GEICO where his well-known shot blocking abilities are displayed in several everyday situations along with his big smile, laughter and his signature fingerwaving that NBA fans know and love so well.

Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is considered to be one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players of all time. At 7-foot-2, he was the fourth overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft and went on to an 18-year career in the NBA, also playing for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets along the way. His career statistics as well as his highlights and awards are what you would expect to see from a Legend.

But make no mistake — for all his basketball skills and good natured fooling around, Mutombo’s life calling is to make things better for his fellow man. His original goal of bettering living conditions in his home country led him to Georgetown University on a USAID scholarship to become a doctor. But it didn’t take long for the legendary Hoyas’ basketball coach John Thomson to recruit him as a center. Mutombo didn’t disappoint.

Setting a team record of 12 blocked shots in a single game, his abilities along with those of teammate Alonzo Mourning prompted Georgetown fans to create “Rejection Row,” a section under the basket. And as his basketball prowess grew, his original goal of becoming a doctor was replaced with a career in the NBA. Graduating in 1991 with dual degrees in linguistics (he is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Tshiluba, Swahili, Lingala as well as two additional Central African languages) and diplomacy, his original goal of helping his people by giving one-on-one aid as a doctor turned instead to creating his foundation in 1997 through which he could use his resources to help on a larger scale. Located in Atlanta, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation’s

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mission is to improve the health, education and quality of life for the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. One of his personal highlights as well as an important step for the foundation was the opening in December 2007 of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, named in memory of his beloved mother. Built in the DR Congo’s capital city of Kinshasa at a cost of $29 million, this general hospital has now treated over 100,000 men, women and children. And thanks to the foundation’s continued support, the hospital’s ability to serve its population continues to grow.

While his primary interest has always been the Congolese people, Mutombo hasn’t focused on them exclusively. As a former spokesperson for the international relief agency CARE, in 1993 he traveled to the Somali refugee camps in Northern Kenya and, with his Georgetown colleagues Mourning and Patrick Ewing along with NBA Commissioner David Stern, he went to Cape Town and Johannesburg. He is the first Youth Emissary for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and has also served on the advisory board for the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and currently is serving on the boards of UNICEF, the National Constitution Center and Opportunity International. If that weren’t enough, Mutombo is also a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics.

In 2009 Stern appointed him to the newly created position of Global Ambassador for the NBA, giving Mutombo the opportunity to grow and celebrate the game of basketball through any number of international NBA events, including Basketball

But make no mistake — for all his basketball skills and good natured fooling around, Mutombo’s life calling is to MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR HIS FELLOW MAN. 22 I

Without Borders. He works on the NBA Cares outreach program with Hall of Famer Bob Lanier who serves as special assistant to Commissioner Stern. Beyond Mutombos work with the NBA, he has been named ABC’s “Person of the Week,” Essence Magazine’s 2001 Achiever and Sporting News’ No. 1 Good Guy. He has also been featured in Europe’s TIME Magazine, Sports Illustrated for Kids, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Houston Chronicle to name just a few.

When you read the list of Mutombo’s honors and awards beyond his NBA playing statistics, you now begin to see the impact this one man from the DR Congo has made on the world: • World Economic Forum - Young Global Leader • Wilt Chamberlain Award - Operation Smile • Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters from SUNY/Cortland • Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters from Georgetown University • Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters from Haverford College • NAACP Phoenix Award • The Henry Iba Citizen Athlete Award • 2000 – The President's Service Award given by President Bill Clinton • J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA • Ernie Davis Humanitarian Award • The Samuel J. Halsey Award - Georgetown University • Constituency for Africa's Trailblazer Award.

• 2007 – Mutombo was recognized by President George W. Bush during his State of the Union address.

• 2010 – Laureus World Sports Award • 2010 B.C. Forbes Peopling of America Award • 2010 Miracle Corners of the World Award • January 2010, President Barack Obama served as a surprise guest at the eighth annual "Let Freedom Ring!" event celebrating of the life and legacy of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., honoring NBA great and philanthropist Dikembe Mutombo, who received the John Thompson, Jr. Legacy of a Dream award.

• 2010 Humanitarian in Sport Award during the Beyond Sport Summit, which was attended by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

• 2010 Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy awarded to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• 2011 Goodermote Humanitarian Award by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Yes, when Dikembe Mutombo checks out at the end of his life, he will be able to say that he didn’t fall asleep. What about you?

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NBA CAREER STATISTICS Points Rebounds Blocks

11,729 (9.8 ppg) 12,359 (10.3 rpg) 3,289 (2.8 bpg)

NBA HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS • Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year • Eight-time NBA All-Star • Two-time NBA rebounding leader • All-NBA Second Team • Two-time All-NBA Third Team • Three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team • Three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team • NBA All-Rookie First Team • Two-time J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award recipient

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ROAD TO THE

THIS

year’s NBA playoff picture is different than in recent years with many possible twist and turns. Yes, the road to the championship will still go through Miami. If the Heat does not bring home a championship this year and several years down the road it will be considered a major disappointment and a huge upset.

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By Bob Huhn

E PLAYOFFS There are a couple of perennial playoff teams that will not be in the postseason this time around. The Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000, snapping the second-longest active playoff appearance streak. The Orlando Magic will be sitting out the tourney for the first time since 2006. Their stretch was the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.

This year there are young superstars who have carried their teams for much of the season and are ready to take the next step. There are teams that have not appeared in the postseason for many years and there are several injuries to star players, including the Lakers’ future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant that will seriously hurt their team’s chances.

Here is a look at the 2013 NBA playoffs.

NO. 1 MIAMI HEAT VS. NO 8 MILWAUKEE BUCKS The Miami Heat have the “Big Three” — the best player in the league in LeBron James, perennial All-Star Dwayne Wade, and a top big man in Chris Bosh. They are coming off a season where they established a franchise record 66 wins which was tops in the league. They have a much improved supporting cast which helped them rattle off 42 straight wins, and oh, by the way, they are the defending champs. In the last month and a half they have lost only four games. There is a possibility that they won’t lose four games in the playoffs. Barring any major injuries, they should repeat, easily.

The Bucks made the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and they are the first team in the last two years to qualify with a losing record of 38-44. No one is really giving Milwaukee a chance but the club does some things well.

They were second in the NBA at forcing turnovers and when point guard Brandon Jennings is on, he and the Bucks do not turn the ball over. They rebound well but for that to happen this series, center Larry Sanders who is nursing a sore back, has to be healthy. Despite Jennings’ bold statement that his squad will win in six. The Heat will win this series in four.

NO. 2 NEW YORK KNICKS VS. NO. 7 BOSTON CELTICS As Carmelo Anthony goes, so go the Knicks. New York won the Atlantic Division for the first time since 1994 and compiled their best record, 54-28. In the past the Knicks were overrated, overpaid and had players who underachieved. This season was different. With Anthony leading the league in scoring, the Knicks finished third in the league

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on offense. The club also set an NBA record for three-point shots made. New York has not won a playoff series since 2000. But this year, despite missing some key players like All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire, because of injuries they could be the only Eastern Conference team to challenge the Heat. The Knicks took three of four against Miami this season.

They should not have any trouble with the aging Celtics and will win in five.

That squeaking sound you hear are the Boston Celtics’ legs and their window of opportunity closing. This could be the last hurrah for the men in green. Rumors abound that Kevin Garnett may retire after the season and Paul Pierce might be traded to the Clippers to finish his career. Boston had a trade completed before the trade deadline that would have sent Pierce to Golden State but the veteran vetoed the trade. Boston has never been eliminated in the first round in the Garnett-Pierce era which began in 2007. That streak should end, especially with the Celtics’ leader point guard Rajon Rondo being out.

NO 3 INDIANA PACERS VS. NO. 6 ATLANTA HAWKS For the first time since 2004 the Indiana Pacers won the Central Division. The Pacers aren’t flashy. They win games by grinding it out and playing tough defense. They have the leagues’ best defense, holding teams to just 42-percent shooting and are ferocious around their opponents’ threepoint arc. They did struggle down the stretch losing five of their last six. They split the four-game season series with Atlanta and outscored them by only five points, 400-395.

The Hawks need to have great performances from their best players, Josh Smith and Al Horford. Other than those two players, the rest of the squad play hard and they are feisty but there is not a lot of talent and depth.

Atlanta also struggled late in the season and they will need to step up to move on. Indiana in six.

NO. 4 BROOKLYN NETS VS. NO. 5 CHICAGO BULLSS The Nets are another team that hasn’t been in the playoffs in a while. They last appeared in 2007. Once P.J. Carlesimo took over the reins this season the Nets started to gel. Brooklyn has one of the better offenses in the NBA. They rely on Deron Williams, who averaged 22.3 points this season, and center Brooks Lopez. The Nets defense is erratic but it might just be enough to get by the Bulls.

The Bulls are another team missing its top player, Derrick Rose. And Joakim Noah is hobbled with a foot injury. Carlos Boozer has picked up some of the scoring slack but it might not be enough. This series should go the distance and could come down to which team is healthier.

NO. 1 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS. NO. 8 HOUSTON ROCKETS. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. The club is seeking revenge this year against Miami because the Heat defeated them in last year’s NBA finals, 4-1. This year’s Thunder team might be better than last year’s. They compiled a 60-22 mark to top the Western Conference. They still have one of the best players in the league in Kevin Durant. Along with Durant, point guard Russell Westbrook and much improved Serge Ibaka, the Oklahoma City offense became one of the best in the league. They also improved significantly on defense, finishing fourth in the league.

Speaking of chips on their shoulders, Houston’s James Harden has a pretty big one himself. Harden left the Thunder before the season began to sign with the Rockets. The forward had his best campaign of his career finishing as the league’s fifth best scorer. He will need help from his teammates if the Rockets are going to upset his former team.

Although Houston has made strides this season and is in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, there might not be enough depth. Thunder in five.

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NO. 2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS. NO. 7 LOS ANGELES LAKERS Under the tutelage of Coach Gregg Popovich and thanks to veterans Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, the San Antonio Spurs keep rolling along and winning. No one has more success and experience in the playoffs. With this core, San Antonio has won four Larry O’ Brien Trophies since 1999.

The Spurs do have some injury concerns. Tony Parker missed several games down the stretch and Manu Ginóbili has been dealing with a sore hamstring but the Spurs have proven they find ways to win.

Unless there is a miracle medical procedure that will get Kobe Bryant on the floor for the playoffs, it will be a short postseason from the Los Angeles Lakers. With Bryant’s injury and the uncertainty of point guard Steve Nash, nobody is expecting Los Angeles to do much against the Spurs. They do have some players who could do some damage like Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard if he puts his mind to it but the Lakers will also have to step up their defense. Expect San Antonio to win the series in five and be there at the Western Conference Finals.

NO. 3 GOLDEN STATE VS. NO. 6 DENVER NUGGETS This is a battle between two teams on the rise. No one expected much of anything from the Golden State Warriors but they finished with one of the best records in the league.

The Warriors live with the three-point shot and die with the three-point shot. This past season they hit the highest percentage of three-pointers. Guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson led the assault from behind the arc as the team shot better than 40-percent.

The Denver Nuggets set a franchise mark of 57 wins this season. However, they have a rash of injuries going into the playoffs. Danilo Gallinari has a knee injury and is out of the playoffs. Kenneth Faried, Ty Lawson and Timofey Mozgov are all suffering with various ailments. Despite those injuries the Nuggets can still get up and down the floor as well as anyone. This should be another series that goes seven but because of Denver’s injuries, Golden State should win.

NO. 4 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS VS. NO. 5 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES For the first time ever, the Los Angeles Clippers won the Pacific Division. They won 50 games this year, 32 at home and won seven in a row to finish the season. The Clippers run and gun offense is led by one of the top point guards Chris Paul, and one of the most exciting players in the league, Blake Griffin.

The Memphis Grizzlies play just the opposite style.

They like to slow down the tempo and rely on their defense, which was ranked number one this season. The Grizzlies rely on their two big men, Zack Randolph and Marc Gasol.

Gasol is considered by many as the top defensive player in the league. This will be an interesting matchup because of the two contrasting styles. Whoever controls the tempo will win the series but it should go the distance. Last year Memphis had home court advantage and eliminated the Clipper in seven. This year Los Angeles has and will advance to the next round.

“

28 I

This year there are young superstars who have carried their teams for much of the season and are ready to take the next step. There are teams that have not appeared in the postseason for many years and there are several injuries to star players...

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CENTERCOURT MAYOR KEVIN JOHNSON’S FIGHT TO KEEP KINGS IN SACRAMENTO SACRAMENTO MAYOR KEVIN JOHNSON, aka K.J., has been fighting to keep the NBA’s Kings from leaving his city for a new home in Seattle. The recent decision by the relocation committee is to keep the Kings in Sacramento, and NBA Commissioner David Stern has said that while he’s still commissioner, expansion will not be a viable option.

NBRPA’S NEWEST PLATINUM MEMBER – YAO MING WIDELY REGARDED as the greatest Chinese basketball player in history, Yao Ming is the newest Platinum Member of the NBRPA. He was honored by both the NBA and NBRPA at the NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston at the 14th Annual Legends Brunch.

DALE ELLIS’ JERSEY RETIRED CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER FOR DALE ELLIS, a two-time first-team All-American and president of the Atlanta NBRPA chapter.

The University of Tennessee recently retired his No. 14 jersey. He is the fourth player to be permanently honored by the university and his jersey now hangs in the rafters of the Thompson-Boling Arena.

GIVING THE GIFT OF HEARING — Robert Horry and A.C. Green AS PART OF THE EVENTS held during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, seven-time NBA World Champion Robert Horry and The HearStrong Foundation provided the gift of hearing to two deserving children at Houston’s Peck Elementary School. Horry presented them with certificates for state-of-the-art EarQ hearing devices. In April A.C. Green, three-time NBA World Champion joined the EarQ team at the AudiologyNOW conference in Anaheim to meet and greet visitors, sign autographs and take photos.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OTIS BIRDSONG CONGRATULATIONS to Otis Birdsong on the 40th Anniversary of Winter Haven’s Blue Devils winning the Florida state basketball championship – the only time they ever won it. As part of that team, Birdsong, a four-time NBA All-Star, went on to become a First Team All-American at the University of Houston, still ranking 14th on college basketball’s all-time scoring list.

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SPONSORED BY

WAYNE EMBRY RECEIVES HERITAGE AWARD

Wayne “Tree” Rollins Named Assistant Coach for WNBA’s Chicago Sky

CONGRATULATIONS to NBA pioneer Wayne Embry who recently received the Heritage Award from the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame and was a member of their 2006 charter class. This award, his second from the organization, was created specifically to honor previous inductees who have had a significant impact on Ohio after the end of their playing careers.

CONGRATULATIONS go out to Tree Rollins on being named assistant coach of the Chicago Sky, replacing Jeff House who is moving to the University of Kentucky. After a successful 18-year NBA career, Rollins has also had an extensive coaching career.

WALTER BOND IS “GIVING YOU THE BUSINESS” THE FOOD NETWORK’S new series that

premiered in April, Giving You the Business,” is being hosted by Walter Bond. Speaking with owners and employees on how to excel in business, Bond is widely recognized for empowering people, helping them to become personally accountable.

ADONAL FOYLE PUBLISHES FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK ADONAL FOYLE’S FIRST BOOK, “Too Tall Foyle

Finds His Game,” is aimed at children ages 3-8 and is based on his personal journey to the NBA. Incorporating important life lessons as never giving up, dreaming big, studying hard and displaying tolerance. A portion of the proceeds will benefit his Kerosene Lamp Foundation (www.KLFkids.org).

I 31

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We Made This Game

Chewing the “Fat” With Lever

L

afayette “Fat” Lever is a basketball star that knows exactly how he became successful.

It is understood by most people that athleticism, hard work and talent all factor into the success of a basketball player. But Fat, a nickname his brother created because Lafayette was too difficult to say or write, attributes his great career to others.

A native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Mr. Lever was born in 1960 and graduated from Pueblo High School in Tucson. A two time back-to-back high school state champion, he went on to Arizona State University where he was an All-Pac-10 performer his junior and senior years, team captain, MVP and second-team All-American his senior year. He, along with future NBA players Alton Lister and Byron Scott, helped ASU attain the highest national ranking in the history of the program, No. 3. Fat ranks third in assists (444) and steals (236) in the Suns Devils’ all-time career lists.

In 1982, he was drafted to the NBA by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round (11th) and went on to play 11 years in the NBA with three teams — Portland, Denver and Dallas.

One of the league’s best point guards in the late 1980s, he was the third-greatest triple-double threat in the NBA behind Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, finishing his career with the sixth-most career triple-doubles (43) in NBA history. A two-time NBA All-Star, Mr. Lever made the All-NBA Second Team selection in 1987 and an All-Defensive Second Team honor in 1988.

This May, Mr. Lever was honored again and inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Interviewing him just before took the stage as always; he was gracious, humbled and excited to take his place in Arizona history. He spoke kindly of his family, coaches and teammates that molded him into the person whom he is today. Never wavering his believes and morals, a true student of the game and life, Fat calmly addressed all questions in a manner that would soothe anyone listening.

As Fat took the stage to accept his award, he chose one of his favorite songs to play him up. The song sung my Maxwell is titled Help Somebody. Once on stage, Fat drew attention to the song which became apparent the bulk of his message. He explained that he could have never done the things in his life without the help of family, friends, coaches and teammates. He praised others; he thanked the people in his life that went out of their way to help him. Knowing these assists in life were a catalyst for his success, he lives his life bringing others up, and as true to his humble gracious heart, always looks to find a way to help somebody. “Help somebody, help somebody, Show them what it is, give a little bit more. Help somebody, help somebody. Show them what it is, let 'em know” Lyrics by Maxwell.

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BASKETBALL101

ANOTHER FIRST for LYNETTE

WOODARD

If you love basketball,

“Whatever it took, I had it — I was willing to work hard to achieve my goal. They’d have to reckon with me.”

then you must know the name of Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard.

She made basketball history by being the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters and she’s now making history again as the first female member of the NBRPA. Eligible for membership due to her playing days with the Globetrotters, she joined through the efforts of Houston Chapter President Major Jones.

Her reaction to this is that it’s all “Pretty cool.” Although she’s long been referred to as a pioneer and trailblazer in women’s sports, it took her awhile to believe it. But she has finally recognized the truth in these descriptions and now hopes that her successes will encourage and inspire young people to follow their dreams.

Basketball played at a professional level takes more than good ball handling and the ability to do fancy tricks, it takes confidence, and Woodard is no slouch in that department. She says her mindset has always been relentless — “Whatever it took, I had it — I was willing to work hard to achieve my goal. They’d have to reckon with me.” Although she’s been breaking down barriers for her entire career, what’s really driven her forward is her love of the game.

Revealing her innate recognition of her talent, she also said she knew that “When I picked up a ball, I could do magic.”

She grew up watching one of her basketball heroes, her cousin Hubie “Geese” Ausbie who played with the Globetrotters. Calling him a showman, she said he inspired her to dream about playing with the Globetrotters even though there were no professional basketball opportunities for women at that time.

What she had in addition to confidence, persistence and a sense of fun was a great imagination. She and her older brother Darryl were very close and she credits him for teaching her the game.

Woodard says they started out playing “sockball,” rolling up their socks and tossing them behind the bedroom door. Once their parents realized what they were doing, she says they bought them a real ball and hoop for the backyard and that was the start of her developing her ball-handling skills.

Those skills with the round ball made her a record setter in varsity women’s basketball in high school as well as college. Playing

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By Connie Wardman

with the Lady Jayhawks at the University of Kansas, she broke the NCAA women’s record by racking up 3,649 points in four years and a 26.3 point-per-game average. A four-time All American, when she graduated the university retired her jersey number, the first University of Kansas student to receive this honor. Woodard remains the women’s scoring leader in major college basketball.

After college Woodard traveled abroad with the national women’s basketball team and then tried out and won a berth on the 1980 Olympic U.S. women’s basketball team. Unfortunately, that was the year the U.S. boycotted the Games due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. But when the 1984 Olympic Games rolled around, she again made the team as captain, leading the team to its gold medal win.

She recalls that the Olympic win by the women’s basketball team led to the realization by many that women really could play the game. It impressed the Globetrotters enough that they held auditions for women players. Although some were skeptical in the beginning, she says that watching the women at tryouts was an eye-opener for many of them. And the Globetrotters certainly recognized her talent. Woodard made the history books once again in 1985 as the first woman to play on the famous team — it was literally her dream come true.

But she’s quick to point out that it wasn’t just a publicity stunt. Before you can do the magic tricks that are part of the team’s signature, you first have to have a solid grasp of the fundamentals, something the Globetrotters have always insisted on for every player on the team. Being the first woman on an all-men’s team had the potential to be awkward but she says the guys treated her well, really like a little sister, teasing and joking with her, even giving someone she was dating the third degree.

After two years with the Globetrotters, Woodard left to play with a professional women’s basketball team in Italy for two more years before joining a Japanese league for an additional three years, winning championships along the way. In 1993 she returned to the states and became athletic director for the Kansas City School District but she continued to compete, playing for the U.S. national teams that won the 1990 World Championships gold medal and the 1991 Pan-American Games bronze medal before making the decision to retire from basketball.

Woodard said that even though she was going to retire, she was determined that whenever she’d pick up the ball, people would know she had played the game. With that comforting thought in mind as she left the game she loved, she went to New York City to work as a stockbroker. Her retirement didn’t last long, however.

When she was playing in women’s professional basketball leagues overseas, Woodard shared that many days and

“Basketball is all about bringing different people together for the good of the game and Lynette Woodard embodies that philosophy. ” — NBRPA President & CEO Arnie D. Fielkow

nights she had wished she could be playing like this in the U.S., wondering why women’s professional basketball wasn’t happening here. Then it happened — the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was formed. Even though she was in her late 30s at the time, in 1997 she was signed by the Cleveland Rockers. And in the 1998 WNBA expansion draft she was picked by the Detroit Shock. In a wonderful turn of events, her boss in the financial industry approved her playing since it coincided with the financial slow season.

Her final retirement from professional play came in 1999 when Woodard returned to her alma mater, the University of Kansas, to serve as the assistant coach of their women’s basketball team. Following head coach Marian Washington’s retirement due to health reasons, she served as interim head coach until a new coach could be hired in 2004. The new regime made a clean sweep, giving Woodard time to actually rest and reflect on her life and career.

Saying that “You never know which snowflake will start the avalanche,” the result of Woodard’s time off was a move to east Texas and the start of a whole new career in hyperbaric medicine — basically the medical use of high oxygen levels on wounds not healing with regular medical treatments. It required her to take courses in this new medical field as well as gaining hands-on clinical experience. She is both thrilled and inspired by the healing she sees taking place on a daily basis. So don’t be surprised if the news you next hear about Woodard is her opening her own hyperbaric medical clinic.

Making the announcement of her membership into the NBRPA Legends, NBRPA President & CEO Arnie D. Fielkow said that “Basketball is all about bringing different people together for the good of the game and Lynette Woodard embodies that philosophy. The NBRPA is proud to announce Lynette as our first female member — she has opened a new door and we welcome her into our family with open arms.”

Woodard was presented with a Harlem Globetrotters "Legends" Ring in 1996 and was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2004.

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SUCCESSINSIDER GIVING THE GIFT OF HEARING “36 MILLION AMERICANS SUFFER from some degree of hearing loss,” said Ed Keller, president of EarQ in Syracuse, NY. It is a silent epidemic.

The shocking fact is that 80 percent of those people never have their hearing loss treated for two primary reasons: it’s not life-threatening and there is a negative stigma attached to wearing hearing aids. However, hearing loss affects a person in almost every way — including professional performance, personal interaction and overall health, as hearing loss can impact other serious issues such as social withdrawal and isolation, hypertension, depression, diabetes and even heart disease.

That is why Keller and EarQ formed The HearStrong Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, in January 2013.

Rather than treating hearing loss as a negative, the foundation sees addressing the issue as an empowering act that offers people of all ages a better quality of life through a regained sense of community.

HearStrong asks the question – if you know someone who addressed personal hearing loss and then accomplished a life goal, doesn’t that person deserve to be recognized? The foundation believes the answer to that is “yes,” recognizing the individual accomplishments of people of all ages who are actively engaged in overcoming their personal hearing loss by naming them a HearStrong Champion.

Through EarQ’s relationship with the NBRPA, including its hearing education and discount program, the foundation is also asking NBRPA members to get involved and use their celebrity status to help de-stigmatize hearing loss in their communities.

Keller and a number of EarQ staff members were on hand at the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend. While there, they joined seven-time NBA World Champion and NBRPA member Robert Horry, as well as other NBRPA representatives, in giving the gift of hearing to deserving children from Houston’s Peck Elementary School. Horry presented certificates for state-of-the-art EarQ hearing devices to two children whose families would not have been able to afford them.

In a separate ceremony, former NBA All-Star and NBRPA member Cedric Ceballos helped honor one of the first HearStrong Champions, Rev. Johnnie Mathis. A hospital chaplin from Hempstead, Texas, his life-long hearing loss was made worse by radiation treatments in 2006 for vocal cord cancer. Mathis is now fully able to experience life with his new hearing devices from EarQ. Selected from nominations worldwide, HearStrong Champions are honored through individual ceremonies in which they are named HearStrong Champions and presented with a gold medal and a certificate.

To learn more about The HearStrong Foundation and how you can get involved to make a difference in your community, visit www.hearstrong.org or email info@hearstrong.org.

CORPORATIONS LOVE COMPETITORS — That Means They Want YOU! FORMER HOCKEY PLAYER KEVIN DAHL knows about athletes. As a former Olympian and a player in both the minors and the NHL, he knows how a life focused on your sport often leaves you without resources when your playing days are over. As a result, he and Brad Mullins founded NexGoal, a company that helps alumni athletes and current and retired professional athletes enter the business world through a three-pronged approach of Career Coaching, Job Search and Franchising.

Whether you need career services, help finding a job, or are looking for a franchise opportunity, NexGoal can help. It is athletes helping athletes, providing a team concept that mirrors your athletic experiences. They understand the transferable skills you bring to a corporation or as a franchise owner. NexGoal provides a “business in a box” — complete with technology, training, and on-going field support – getting franchisors up, on their feet, and in the market immediately.

Whether you are retired or still have your hand in the game, if you’re looking for transition support check out their website at www.nexgoal.com.

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A NEW WAY TO DELIVER HEALTH CARE INFORMATION ONE OF THE LATEST BENEFITS for NBRPA members is its partnership with Black Health TV (BHTV). As the largest provider of health videos on the Internet geared toward African-American consumers they offer medical content for condition prevention and management, fitness, cooking videos, and healthy lifestyle recommendations by health and wellness experts within the African-American community.

Two very bright and talented African-American men with a common mission to give back to their community — Dr. Corey Hebert, doctor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and a television and radio talk show host from New Orleans, and Cary Wheelous, operations manager of Deutsche Bank, their partnership has produced a unique approach to the dissemination of health care information based on people’s cultures.

Dr. Hebert is a contributor to the Discovery Channel’s “How Stuff Works” and a frequent contributor to the “Dr. Oz Show.” He has the ability to talk about important health issues in common, easy-to-understand language without talking down to people.

As one of the few physicians to stay in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, he became the trusted voice who spoke to the frightened populace of what was and wasn’t safe on the local NBC affiliate television station. As a former New Orleans City Council President helping to rebuild the city following Katrina’s devastation, NBRPA President and CEO Arnie D. Fielkow had heard Dr. Hebert on television and knew the doctor’s ability to help others.

Dr. Hebert, Chief Medical Expert for NBC News (WDSU-TV) is on-air daily. He also has a weekly radio program on the Cumulus Broadcasting Network entitled “Doctor for the People” where he answers people’s medical questions throughout New Orleans as well as those who hear his simulcast show on the Internet.

As a result of experiences with people he launched a local cable television show in the Nashville area, “Urban Pediatrics,” to help parents learn good information on children’s needs in such areas as first aid and nutrition.

New Yorker Cary Wheelous was a budding entrepreneur. Using the knowledge from his banking and finance he created a profitable business that could give back to his community. Doing research he came across startling statistics that African-Americans led incidence rates in most health categories and also led in mortality rates. But they also

didn’t like to see a doctor, a fact that was particularly true for Black athletes. They realized that the wives and girlfriends are more likely to go looking for health information than the men.

Wheelous also discovered that as a community, AfricanAmericans are larger media consumers than other groups; they spend more time with online videos and social networking.

Joining forces Dr. Hebert and Wheelous moved to New Orleans using their operations experience to create the technical platform for the BHTV videos. Engineering it to work with iPads and all mobile devices. With multiple videos covering general health, kids’ health, fitness, cooking, lifestyle, exercise, nutrition and vitamins, there are also videos specific to cancer, diabetes and heart health.

Partnering with other organizations like NBRPA to increase the reach of this important healthcare information, the AfricanAmerican community is the first group to be served, there are other cultures, such as the Latino, Asian, and Indian, for example, facing the same health challenges. You can be sure that Dr. Corey Hebert and Cary Wheelous will be working to create videos of the most important health care information for each additional culture.

Their partnership has produced a unique approach to the dissemination of health care information based on people’s cultures.

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SUCCESSINSIDER I CONTINUED WHEELS OF FORTUNE An expert reveals his secrets on buying and selling exotic and classic cars

BY JIM MCILVAINE CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN OF SPORTS and reaching the summit as a pro athlete is an achievement few ever accomplish, far fewer than those who climb actual mountains. With that success comes the resources to enjoy life at a different level than real mountain climbers. You are entitled to enjoy your success and for many professional athletes, that translates into buying a nice car (or several).

In an effort to help you avoid pitfalls, we sat down with one of the most highly-regarded car collectors in the world, Ken Lingenfelter (www.lingenfeltercollection.com) to get his advice. Ken has been buying and selling cars for more than 20 years and his personal collection currently has about 225 examples, with a ratio of 40% Corvettes, 30% musclecars and 30% exotics.

Last year alone, Lingenfelter sold 40 cars out of his collection, but added 35 more. For a serious collector like Ken, it's about finding the best example possible, which is why there's so much turnover in his collection. For a more casual enthusiast, it should be about enjoying the ownership experience of that vehicle.

So if you want an older musclecar or newer exotic, where should you look? When Lingenfelter started buying, some of the auction houses were around, but certainly not on the scale like they are today and the Internet wasn't even on Al Gore's radar. “Auto Trader, Hemmings, ads in newspapers and the back of magazines were how I bought cars back then,” admits Lingenfelter. “In fact, one of the best cars I ever bought was a an Olds Toronado I found through one of those ads out of Colorado. To buy something like that back then, send the money and have someone ship the car to you, that was really ground-breaking and very risky. Now we do it all the time.”

If he is looking for a very specific car, he can't limit himself to one website or even the Internet itself. If you are in the market for an exotic car, Lingenfelter feels there are some very reputable dealerships that specialize in those types of cars.

“If you go to an auction have someone with you who is an expert in the cars you are interested in ... you can get caught up in the hype of an auction and end up paying more than you should.”

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Even if they don't stock a specific model, they have a significant database of customers and could be able to locate exactly what you are looking for in someone else's collection.

Knowing they can get a fair price for their current car may be all the convincing that an owner needs to pull the trigger on a new vehicle purchase.

Ken likes the DuPont Auto Registry as a resource for finding these dealers. Look for a dealer in your area who handles the kinds of cars you are looking for and contact them directly,”.

Ken is very leery of buying exotics at auction, because of the inability to thoroughly inspect the car before purchase. “If you go to an auction have someone with you who is an expert in the cars you are interested in,” warns Ken. “The other part of it is that you can get caught up in the hype of an auction and end up paying more than you should. As an entertainment facility, Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale is a blast and very addicting.” Lingenfelter has also had a great deal of success on eBay, although he has also had a few purchases go bad. “I try really hard to communicate with the seller and ask very specific questions.” Never buying a car thats been smoked-in. “If I get the opportunity to inspect the car, I'm looking at the cigarette lighter and ash tray, to see if they've ever been used.”

Ken says older cars tend to rust along the rocker panels, around the wheel wells, near the weatherstripping and inside the trunk. If he can't inspect the car in person, he is sure to ask for photos of those specific areas. “Having the seller take additional pictures or carefully examining the pictures provided is really important if you're buying cars from a distance,” says Lingenfelter.

There are also a variety of professionals available nationwide, who can inspect a car for you and deliver a pre-sale inspection report identifying potential issues. For exotics, Ken feels anyone selling such a car will understand a prepurchase inspection is simply part of the process and will be willing to make accommodations to make that happen at a reputable dealer.

Every Ferrari Ken has purchased has been pre-inspected at a Ferrari dealership. It doesn't matter if you are purchasing a car from a teammate or friend or you think you know the car's history, getting it inspected should be mandatory If you are concerned about resale value, Ken has some specific favorites. “You can buy a used 2005 Bentley Arnage for $50-60,000,” says Lingenfelter. “They're great cars, a lot of fun and when they're in that price range, they're fairly easy to turn around when you want to move onto something else. If you buy a German car, it's going to be pretty strong in resale

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and there's a good chance it will be sound mechanically,” says Lingenfelter. For classics, Ken sees Corvettes holding value better over time and tries to find cars in the South or West, that haven't been damaged by salt and rust.

The choices some athletes have in buying cars is limited, due to their physical size, however Ken has actually sold a few such cars from his colletion to NBA players. “The new RollsRoyce Phantom Drophead is one of the few cars most NBA players can fit in easily and are very enjoyable. However, Ken avoids buying Rolls-Royces prior to 1999, when they were acquired by BMW or Bentley prior to 1998, when they were acquired by Volkswagen.

“When those two companies were acquired, the standards of the build quality went through the roof and the cars were so much better,” says Lingenfelter. “Those older, beautiful Corniches are a disaster waiting to happen. You can easily put as much back into the car as you paid for it and you're always fixing it.” Ken feels the same way about Jaguars built prior to Ford's acquisition of the company in 1990. “They're pretty cars and very cool, but they're not a good used car to buy,” says Lingenfelter.

It's always a good idea to find the best example you can.

That way, someone else has spent their time and money to make the car right for you to enjoy. “I try to hold out and find the best one I could, even if it meant paying a little bit more,” says Lingenfelter Some cars, like Ferraris, should come with books (maintenance records) and specific tools that travel with the car from one owner to the next. If any of these items are missing, their absence can negatively-impact the price of the car and should be kept with the car or in a safe location.

Likewise, Ken is a big fan of only modifying his cars in a manner that can be undone when it comes time to sell. “There's a lot of things you can do that you can change back,” says Ken. “One of the first things I do whenever I buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini is change the exhaust, because I like it louder.

However, I keep the original exhaust, so I can change it back.”

Wheels and tires are very popular modifications made by many pro athletes and Ken feels as long as this can be put back to stock when it comes time to sell, it won't hurt the value of a car “Paint is also a really big deal, because a re-paint is hugely expensive and it really de-values the car,” says Lingenfelter. “In an exotic, that can be a $25,000 deal, so unless someone really likes a wild paint job, it's really going to be a detriment.”

Ken also owns Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE, www.lingenfelter.com), which is one of the most wellknown tuner shops in the country, specializing in late-model GM cars and trucks. As a result, he knows how permanent modifications can impact the value of a vehicle. “What we do enhances the value, but also voids the warranty in almost every case,” says Lingenfelter. However, LPE and other reputable shops will warranty their own work, providing peace of mind and helping differeniate their work from that of a local shadetree mechanic.

When it comes time to sell a car, using the same resources that led you to it in the first place makes a lot of sense. If you bought from a Ferrari or Lamborghini dealer, they are most familiar with the customer base and most likey to sell it quickly for the best price. Also, be reasonable with your expectations for what the car will bring in resale and don't expect your ownership or name to add any value to the car.

Lingenfelter takes a very level-headed approach to the entire endeavor. “My number one rule is I don't buy a car to make money,” says Ken. “People should buy cars that they like, drive them and enjoy them. If they happen to use them for a while and get their money back when they sell it or make a profit, that's just pure gravy. The market is changing all the time.

To think you'll be able to buy something and make a killing later on is just wishful thinking.”

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WEALTH

Retirement Insurance Needs

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inding more time for family, travel, charity causes and hobbies are just a few of the things professional athletes hope to enjoy in retirement. The transition to retirement, as exciting as it may seem, requires complex decisions about insurance.

While an active professional athlete may require more complex and comprehensive insurance planning, the retired athlete may not; however decisions about health and long term care insurance usually top the list of concerns. But it’s critical that the other areas of insurance also deserve a thorough review, such as personal property and casualty insurance as well as homeowners, automobile and liability coverage.

For the retired athlete, personal insurance plays a key role in two overriding issues during his retirement years: wealth preservation or asset protection and expense management.

Personal insurance is a critical piece in estate planning and retirement planning simply because it acts as an asset protection tool for those in their retirement years where they have less time to recover from a financial loss usually stemming from an uninsured or underinsured event. Poor

Personal insurance is a critical piece in estate planning and retirement planning simply because it acts as an asset protection tool for those in their retirement years asset protection against multi-million dollar liability lawsuits or underestimating the cost of rebuilding a damaged home could put retirement plans on hold while forcing drastic lifestyle changes.

From an expense management perspective, many individuals overlook the premium savings opportunities in their personal insurance portfolio. They don’t take advantage of dollar-cost leveraging that comes from the raising policy deductibles, consolidating their portfolio, or working with an independent insurance and risk management professional. Tailoring and customizing a personal insurance portfolio is based on two main factors: the lifestyle of the individual and his family and his retirement portfolio. To help retired pro athletes thrive in their retirement years, below are some key factors in strategically addressing risk:

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1. Purchase enough umbrella liability insurance to match the assets (personal and business) at risk 2. Seek full replacement cost coverage for your dwelling 3. Ensure that the homeowner policy(s) includes sufficient coverage for building code upgrades 4. Conduct an inventory of the personal property within the home and apply the proper coverage limits 5. If any residence is part of an association, make sure the policy offers loss assessment coverage 6. Name any trust or LLCs on insurance policies 7. Increase home and auto deductibles 8. Consolidate your personal insurance portfolio with the same insurance company 9. Obtain credits and discounts for loss prevention systems 10. Insure classic cars with a special contract, not on a standard auto policy By partnering with one full-service personal insurance firm, the retired athlete is less susceptible to redundancies in coverage or, even worse, gaps in coverage. An independent broker who has solid relationships with multiple insurance companies has the ability to negotiate pricing and provide coverage solutions that are in the client’s best interest.

SFAA - www.sportsfinancial.org Jonathan Miller, 602-820-2220

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WEALTH

Wealth Management for Pro Athletes: What’s Your Game Plan?

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e’ve all heard the stories. An NBA AllStar earns multi-millions in salary and bonuses during his seven-year playing career. After years of living the high life and a bunch of unwise financial decisions, he retires. Two years later, he’s broke. Sadly, tales of athletes whose financial lives are in chaos are hardly uncommon. In fact, more than 60 percent of NBA players will be broke five years after retiring, 78 percent of NFL players after two-to-four years. How do you beat odds like that?

The key is to manage your finances while you are playing and create a strategy for the future when you are no longer competing. In short, long-term financial well-being, like success in sports, requires a smart game plan.

• Is there a second career in your future?

• What family obligations extend beyond your playing years?

• Do you have an updated, tax-advantaged estate plan in place?

• Are there charities or causes you would like to support?

The first step is to clarify your financial priorities for what you want to accomplish for you and your family. To do that successfully, you need a financial advisor who understands the unique needs of professional athletes and has the knowledge and experience to help you achieve your life goals.

Getting the Point After: One Player’s Experience After signing a large free-agent contract with his new team, Adam realized he had a limited window of opportunity to preserve and grow his lucrative earnings. He owned multiple homes, had little investment experience and wanted to be certain of a continued income stream once his playing career ended. His estate plan was simple — he had only a will with no trusts or powers of attorney.

Adam’s goal was to have enough money saved from this contract to sustain a comfortable lifestyle once his career ended.

• His Northern Trust advisor helped him establish multiple accounts: one designated for in-season expenses, one for off-season expenses and another for retirement savings.

Prior to determining the amount necessary to fund each account, the advisor ran a detailed cash flow analysis.

• Adam’s signing bonus was invested in a portfolio focused on his long-term goal of relying upon the income generation after the deferred payments ceased. His Northern

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Trust advisor and his attorney worked together to create a tax-advantaged estate plan.

• Adam had to relocate to another city for his new team. His Northern Trust advisor introduced him to a real estate agent accustomed to working with professional athletes, helped Adam secure financing for the new home, and made sure his new assets were properly titled.

Through thoughtful planning and professional investment advice, Adam felt confident that his financial needs would be well met, not just for the length of his playing career but throughout his life. It gave him the peace of mind he needed to focus on what matters most – playing his best.

This article was contributed by Norm Greenidge, Managing Director, Professional Athlete Group, at Northern Trust, one of the world’s premier wealth management firms. You can contact him at 310-443-5122 or ng6@ntrs.com.

IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE: To the extent that this communication or any attachment concerns tax matters, it is not intended to be used, and cannot be used by a taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed by law. For more information about this notice, see http://www.northerntrust.com/circular230.

LEGAL, INVESTMENT AND TAX NOTICE: This information is not intended to be and should not be treated as legal advice, investment advice or tax advice. Readers, including professionals, should under no circumstances rely upon this information as a substitute for their own research or for obtaining specific legal or tax advice from their own counsel.

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Disability Insurance Makes Sense

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ost people think they are insulated from a life changing disability — “It won’t happen to me.”

Many professional athletes protect their contracts from a career-ending injury with a disability insurance policy. As athletes complete their careers, those disability insurance policies are cancelled. Some athletes will transition into new business ventures, such as starting their own business or hiring on with a company.

Some athletes are fortunate enough to have saved a great deal of their wealth while others are not. Regardless of a retired athlete’s situation, the facts are unsettling.

• 7 in 10 workers1: That’s how many workers could not cover their normal living expenses for more than six months.

• 1,825 days2: More than one in five workers will be disabled for five years or more during their working careers.

• Five years of income reserves2: That’s how much savings may be needed for the 20 percent who become disabled long-term during their working careers.

More than one-third of long-term disability claims in 2008 and 2009 were from people age 50-59, by far the highest percentage of any age group.

Most people associate disability with accident injuries but approximately 90 percent of disabilities are caused by illness rather than accidents3. The biggest single cause is musculoskeletal problems, such as chronic back trouble. The same survey found that disability claims increase with age. More than one-third of long-term disability claims in 2008 and 2009 were from people age 50-59, by far the highest percentage of any age group.

How many people do you know who have had some form of cancer? I am confident that everyone would raise his or her hand. My best friend battled colorectal cancer for four years prior to passing away at the age of 45. A prominent attorney in Scottsdale, Arizona, he exhausted all of his savings fighting for his life. But he had purchased a disability policy several years prior to his battle which allowed him to cover his basic monthly expenses. Are you prepared if something like this were to happen to you?

What I tell my clients is that you should review any disability insurance policy you have or are considering purchasing to look for any shortfalls. There are taxation issues if you deduct premiums. Be sure that the benefit amount is enough to cover your basic monthly expenses. What is the definition of total disability in the policy? Does it protect you in your occupation? Do you have to be totally and continuously disabled in order to collect benefits? Do you have inflation protection? Answers to these questions, among many others, are things to ascertain.

Let’s say you make $100,000 a year. Wouldn’t it make better financial sense to make $97,000 a year and applying the remaining $3,000 towards a disability policy? Now you are protecting 40-60 percent of your gross income in the event of a disability. Life doesn’t stop when you become disabled. Your basic needs continue and with the rising costs of healthcare, your estate value will decrease significantly.

It is always a good idea to seek the help of a financial advisor when purchasing a disability insurance policy to review the language and what is covered and what is not. Never assume that “It will never happen to me.” Protect your present and future financial situation. To learn more please visit www.premierswplanning.com or call 602-705-4555.

Bruce Weinstein is a financial advisor and managing member of Premier Southwest Planning Group LLC. He is also a member of The Sports Financial Advisor Association (SFAA), a non-profit association of CPAs, attorneys and financial advisors.

1

Council for Disability Awareness, Worker Disability Planning and Preparedness Study, 2008.

2 Commisioner’s Disability Insurance Tables A and C, assuming equal weights by gender and occupation class.

3 Council for Disability Awareness, Long-Term Disability Claims Review, 2012.

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WEALTH

Building Your Own Personal Lifetime Team

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e all know that that some players are legendary for being able to play multiple positions. But we also know that the truly great championship teams have deep benches where every man/woman plays a key role in contributing to the whole.

That’s called synergy.

In building your own personal team for life, it is critical that your team members play only one position. That is the key to keeping you from ever losing money.

1. For example, your starters should be: 2. Your CPA (Note I didn’t say accountant. CPAs are required to maintain annual continuing education.)

3. Your Financial Advisor 4. Your Attorney 5. Your Agent 6. And YOU, of course.

Your bench would also include your banker, your realtor, and your spouse, among others.

How do you choose your team? Well, how do you choose your doctor? You want doctors with degrees and experience, the best in their fields. When you choose your financial “team for life,” shouldn’t you want the same?

Pick a CPA who has not only degrees but also experience in the sports field, experience with multi-state income and is with a reputable firm with deep pockets; the same holds true for your financial advisor, attorney, even your realtor.

Here’s the key to never losing money — never, ever combine these roles.

Everyone is best at what he or she does for a living, and if you’re good at your profession, it’s more than a full-time

job. Another key — each one of your team members should be protecting you, watching your back and also watching and helping your other team members.

In working with players, I find that the players with the greatest financial success are those who have assembled teams that work cohesively to make sure you never lose money — also that every investment makes sense from an investment, tax and risk standpoints from a long-term prospective. I’ll often meet with my client and his/her CPA, tax team and attorney.

As we discuss all manner of things, we work as a team. The CPA and attorney monitor me. I monitor the CPA with regard to tax issues; I’ll consult with the attorney and converse with the realtor and banker, and I always include the spouse.

Think of the athletes you‘ve heard about and the ESPN special about what went wrong with players’ finances.

Invariably, their entire net worth was lost from dealing with questionable advisors who were doing multiple jobs and investing (or sometimes outright stealing) all the players’ money in shaky, risky ventures. And the money wasn’t recoverable because these advisors were one-man operations.

Now think about the players who have been super successful beyond retirement. They always have a strong, reputable team of advisors working for strong, reputable firms.

I’ve been told (although I’ve not verified this personally)that Magic Johnson would sit on the bench in his early playing years and ask advice from the smartest men in LA who just happened to have center court seats because they were already highly successful.

To summarize, build a financial team of strong reputable advisors. Never combine their roles. Have them monitor each other’s advice. And the reward? You’ll make a lot of money, not lose it, and have a strong, successful financial future and life.

Susan G. Inwood, CIMA, MBA is a Managing Director of Investments with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. You may contact her at: Susan.G.Inwood@wellsfargoadvisors.com; or by phone at 310.843.3408.

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NBRPAHQ NEW LEGAL COLUMN FOR NBRPA MEMBERS TOM KAUFMANN, partner in the Chicago-based law firm of Querrey & Harrow, is writing a legal column for NBRPA members called “Beyond the Baseline.” Members with legal questions for Tom may email the questions to memberalert@legendsofbasketball.com.

SASID, INC. AND BWD GROUP, LLC PROVIDE ONLINE HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE A NEW PARTNERSHIP between NBRPA and SASid, Inc. and BWD Group, LLC to provide an online Health Insurance Marketplace for members at NBAalumniinsurance.com.

SASid’s member benefit marketplace is a web-based software solution that enables individuals to quote, compare and apply for a variety of health insurance products online. Exclusive to NBRPA members, the marketplace also provides access to other products, such as dental, vision, hearing and more. “Healthcare has been a long-time focus area for our committee and we believe the new partnership with BWD and SASid will help provide real answers, guidance and options to save money in what can be a very confusing space,” according to Steve Hayes, NBRPA board member and chairman of the member services & benefits committee.

NBRPA MEMBERS GIVE BACK TO TORNADO VICTIMS NBRPA CHAIRMAN of the Board Otis Birdsong, along with members Ron Brewer, Marques Haynes, Danny Manning, Micheal Ray Richardson and Sam Sibert, led a youth basketball clinic for tornado victims at Moore High School in tornado-ravaged Oklahoma.

Manning, head men’s basketball coach at nearby University of Tulsa, brought his staff and players in to assist with the event. The NBRPA also made a $5000 contribution to tornado relief in the area.

“Our event in Moore was rewarding and fun – hopefully our basketball clinic helped ease the minds of young people who have been through so much,” Birdsong said. “Thank you to all the NBRPA Members that participated and thanks to our Board of Directors for a unanimous vote to make a financial contribution toward tornado relief in Oklahoma.”

The youth basketball clinic was held in conjunction with the National and Oklahoma City Police Athletic Leagues (PAL) that are working with many children that were impacted by the recent tornado strikes in Oklahoma.

The event was covered both nationally and locally in the media, with Birdsong, Richardson and Manning all appearing on national FOX Sports Radio programs to discuss the event.

FOR NEW ORLEANS’ LOWER NINTH WARD, NBRPA RETURNS ON APRIL 6, the NBRPA kept its promise to return to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Joined by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the three groups gave the City of New Orleans a $25,000 contribution to finish a full reconstruction of the basketball courts at Oliver Bush Playground in the Lower Ninth Ward. The contribution was made to the city during the Annual Legends World Sports Conference held there in 2012. At that time the NBRPA Board of Directors made a pledge to return in 2013 and host an event on the new courts that carry the logos of the NBRPA, NBA and NBPA.

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YOUTH BASKETBALL & MENTORING PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP with the National Police Athletic League (PAL) and the National Urban League (NUL), the NBRPA announced plans for a new 12-city national youth basketball and mentoring program, “Full Court Press: Prep for Success.” The program was announced at a press conference during the All-Star Weekend prior to the Houston Chapter’s “Kids Get Fit” basketball clinic.

Slated for 12 different markets — Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia and Seattle — it incorporates a day-long youth basketball and life skills clinic conducted by NBRPA members in each market. It also includes a year-round mentorship program for each youngster who participates in the full day session.

At least four NBRPA members will serve as coaches for each clinic, emphasizing an underlying message that encourages positive lifestyle choices. In a move to encourage longterm character development, program partners PAL and NUL are developing a life skills and mentoring program that provides each clinic participant with a lasting role model.

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HONORING AN NBPRA FOUNDER NBRPA PRESIDENT and CEO Arnie D. Fielkow was joined by several members in a visit to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. A founding member of the NBRPA, they presented Bing with an official NBRPA ring and discussed the state of the organization with him. Included in the meeting was another organization founder, Archie Clark. Bing and Clark, along with Dave Cowens, Dave DeBusschere and Oscar Robertson founded the NBRPA in 1992.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OFFERS TRANSITION SERVICES PLAYER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES are now available for NBRPA members looking for assistance in finding a career beyond the court.

There is something for every member, such as resume development, career assessment, career development or help with some continuing education. For more information about the NBRPA Career Development Program, contact Tom Kowalski at tkowalski@ameritech.net or call 847.712.0949.

WILLIE BURTON: A Q&A ABOUT THE NBRPA AND LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL WILLIE BURTON was drafted 9th overall by the Miami Heat in the 1990 NBA Draft and went on to play eight seasons in the NBA, where he averaged 10.3 points per game throughout his career.

Burton is one of the players credited with transforming the Miami Heat from an expansion team into a mainstay NBA franchise.

Off-the-court, Burton is actively involved in public speaking and mentoring youth. He recently returned to the University of Minnesota, where he played collegiately, to earn his college degree. The Detroit native is working to start a local NBRPA Chapter in Motown and recently sat down with Kevin Jachim to talk about his career and life after the game.

Q: Congratulations on receiving your degree at the University of Minnesota. What kind of process did you go through and what do you plan on doing with your degree now?

It has always been a passion of mine to go back to school and get my degree. I found out about the Goal for Grad program and I also found out that the NCAA has a program for former athletes who have not yet finished their degrees. I think that all former athletes, not just NBRPA members, should explore this option because it was a huge help for me in completing my degree. Right now I am exploring what I want to do with my degree.

I have a multidisciplinary degree in communications, history and social science, and business so I have a number of options where I want to continue my career path on. I am looking to work in schools or even be a youth initiative coordinator for young student athletes. Currently, I work with adults and mental health and I also am a curriculum developer for kids. All in all I work with people to help them through their life path.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about what you do for the National Speakers Association?

I speak on a number of different topics but mainly I give out my story. Some of the things that I have gone through covers areas that include what it was like playing basketball and what my life has been like after basketball. Depending on where I am speaking or what kind of message that place wants to get across to their students or their employees ultimately pinpoints what I am going to speak about.

Q: What kind of steps have you been taking toward starting an NBRPA chapter in Detroit?

Right now we are in the final process of getting our documentation in to start the Detroit chapter. We want to make sure that we are doing everything properly and do not want to miss any of the little things. Tentatively we have elected a board of directors. Currently I am acting as the president, Derrick Coleman and Willie Norwood are the active vice presidents, Earle Higgins is the secretary, and Jimmy King is acting as treasurer. We want to make sure that everything is right and set in place because the last thing we want to do is rush this process.

We have put a lot of time and effort into starting this chapter and we want to make the Detroit chapter a thriving one.

Q: What else are you up to today?

On top of the program that I am working on with the Miami Heat and with the National Speakers Association I am helping put together a curriculum piece for student athletes to market across the United States at www.educatedstarsoftomorrow.com. It will be the only evidence based nationally recognized curriculum specifically geared towards student athletes and the goal is to use the NBRPA network to help get it started because there is nobody else who knows the game of basketball better than the legends of the NBA. Hopefully this program will be launching this September.

Q: What has the NBRPA done for you?

The NBRPA is a place for retired guys that have finished playing the game to find their way in life after basketball. For years, all we did was play sports. Everything was taken care of for us. Now, being retired, we have to adjust to everyday life and the NBRPA has helped us do exactly that. The NBRPA is a place that makes us feel like we are at home and a part of one big family. The NBRPA is doing a tremendous job of expanding what they are doing and growing as an organization and I am proud and happy to see some of the things take shape the way they are.

The NBRPA gives us a place to go, opportunities, and also gives us a way to reconnect with guys that we haven’t been in contact with since retiring from the NBA

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BY CEDRIC CEBALLOS

“42” – the Movie

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n April the movie “42” was released, telling the life story of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers recently honored Mr. Robinson by wearing jerseys with only his number 42 on them — their names weren’t even included.

The league is also honoring him.

I have read books and articles, watched documentaries, listened to commentators and seen other movies depicting the life of Jackie Robinson. But this latest movie opened my eyes to what it was like in sports when he was living and the personal sacrifices he made for all of us who play professional sports today.

What resonates most strongly with me is the difference between what we do on and off the court today versus the sacrifices he made both on and off the field. What he experienced makes our difficulties seem insignificant in comparison.

First and foremost, I feel I need to apologize for any and everything I have done to hurt or compromise the integrity of the game, myself or others, including family, teammates and fans. When you watch this true account of Mr. Robinson’s experience, you begin to fully understand what he gave up, what he sacrificed to play the game he loved.

But you also get to realize that not everybody is foul, not everybody hates. Those who do hate initially have the ability to change for the better. Jackie Robinson was the first in many ways to bring about an understanding of positive change in the world.

The movie “42” reflects the fact that his life was about so much more than just sports. His life was a reflection of how the world should be.

No matter where we are in life, it is important to take the time to better understand each other and realize that what we do affects the lives of others. That helps us to define a clear purpose for our lives going forward, both within our immediate circle of influence as well as the world at large.

So thank you for your life’s legacy, for the sacrifices you made, Jackie Robinson. Thank you for showing us that we can stand up for what is right, that we can turn the other cheek and still be confident in who and what we are. We all have the potential to be #42.

Cedric Ceballos is a former professional basketball player and NBA AllStar. He is the host of the weekly program, Rebound Radio Featuring Cedric Ceballos.

Legends Forever TOM BOERWINKLE: The first round draft pick (fourth overall) in 1968 from Tennessee, Boerwinkle played his entire career with the Bulls. A familiar presence at Bulls games even after his playing days, he also served as a Bulls radio analyst from 1991-1994.

RAY WILLIAMS: Selected as the 10th overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, Williams played for both the Knicks and the Nets. He passed away following a battle with colon cancer. The former Maryland Terrapin also played for the Kansas City Kings. He was just 58 years old.

HAROLD HUNTER: Hunter was not only the first African-American player to sign an NBA contract, he was also the first AfricanAmerican to coach the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1968. As head coach at Tennessee State University, he sent 17 players to the NBA. Hunter was inducted into the NCCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.

PHIL HENDERSON: A Duke Blue Devil who was a 1986 McDonald’s All-American, he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round in the 1990 NBA Draft. He played professionally in the CBA and overseas. He died of cardiac arrest in the Philippines where he was the director of the Filipino Basketball Academy.

BUD PALMER: Listed as one of the eight men who developed the jump shot, in 1946 Palmer asked Ned Irish, Madison Square Garden president and founder of the Knicks, for a tryout. Playing with the Knicks from 1946-1949, he started an advice column during that time.

After retiring from play, he began as a sportscaster for WMGM covering the Knicks; he then moved to television, eventually covering sports for all three major networks.

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