Bill Laimbeer traded basketball for a normal job after leaving the game.
The Detroit Pistons legend, 66, joined his father in opening a box factory in the Motor City.
Laimbeer enjoyed a prolific basketball career and won two NBA championships during his time in Detroit.
Standing 6ft 11in, the towering center is a threat at both ends of the court with his superior rebounding ability.
After retiring in 1993, he tried to go into business with his father William Snr.
The pair opened Laimbeer Packaging Corp, which provides boxes for everything from auto parts to food storage.
William Snr. said in 1993: “If my son had worked as hard to be a winner in the box business as he was at his old job, Laimbeer Packaging would have been a huge success.”
Unfortunately for the pair, the company struggled to make ends meet and filed for bankruptcy in 2002.
Laimbeer was selected as the 65th overall pick in the 1979 Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He became a middle player in college for Notre Dame, primarily used off the bench in his senior year.
The Cavaliers sent him to play in the Italian league for Brescia for a year before returning to Cleveland in 1980.
Laimbeer never established himself as a starter for the Cavaliers, who eventually traded him to the Pistons in 1982.
The Boston native who would become a legend in Detroit with his No. 40 jerseys retired by the organization.
He won two rings with the Pistons and became the NBA’s rebounding leader in 1986.
Laimbeer is estimated to have earned more than $8 million in his career, per Spotrac.
The center is also known for his aggressive play on the court, with former teammate Dennis Rodman saying: “He [Laimbeer] more than a thief, but that’s what he’ll remember.”
After closing his packaging business, the former Piston turned his attention to basketball.
He led the Detroit Shock of the WNBA to three titles as their head coach from 2002 to 2009.
Laimbeer most recently managed the Las Vegas Aces, retiring from coaching and basketball in 2021.