I’m a college basketball legend and NCAA title winner – now I sell Christmas trees for a living in very different job
Tommy Burleson, the NCAA champion, is now making a job by selling Christmas trees and giving back to his community.
Before playing in the NBA, the North Carolina native and NC State won the NCAAC championship in 1974.
Before leaving the NBA to become the Director of the Planning and Inspections/Building and Code Department in Avery County, he played for seven seasons.
After 26 years in that position, Burleson now works at a completely different profession selling Christmas trees.
Being seven feet two, he has no trouble moving around trees as high as seven feet, and he owns a lot.
Along with a few buddies, Burleson is selling trees while residing in the Lake Norman region of North Carolina.
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Additionally, he intends to use his earnings to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts, including giving to a few nearby churches and a number of people in Avery County with whom he has personal ties.
“I’m trying to help as many people as I can,” Burleson stated.
I know a lot about this industry and how to manage a tree lot, including drilling, spacing, and pricing them.
“I’m still 300 pounds and 7 feet 2 inches. I can therefore handle a tree that is five, six, or seven feet tall. I get help from someone if it’s an 8-footer.
Burleson, 72, became an All-American and was instrumental in the team’s victory in the NCAA Championship fifty years ago.
He disclosed that he became religious and married his wife, Denise, after quitting basketball and the NBA.
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“I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ on June 23, 1982,” Burleson stated. I married.
“I have three sons with Denise. You know that people are dependent on you when you see that first boy’s face and realize that he is depending on me for everything.
“I returned to my native place. I spent some time working at a small hardware store.
“After that, I was able to secure employment as a building inspector, and I progressed from that position to that of county planner. For 26 years, I worked as a county planner.
“My NBA career didn’t end the way I had hoped, but God had a purpose for me, a job and a life in store for me.
What the new TV deal means for the NBA?
By Damian Burchardt, assistant sports editor for The U.S. Sun.
NBA players stand to gain greatly from the new TV rights agreement.
The league is expected to earn roughly $6.9 billion annually, more than doubling the revenue from its media partners. This will unavoidably result in a significant increase in the wage cap in 2025–2026.
Player contract values will soar as a result of that.
According to projected numbers, the first contract worth $100 million year may soon be inked.
Jayson Tatum, an All-Star with the Boston Celtics, is currently expected to get $71.5 million in 2029–2030, the biggest single-season compensation in NBA history.
Basketball fans would also benefit if TNT Sports is able to match one of the proposals in order to keep its decades-long relationship with the league.
As demonstrated by ESPN’s continuous inability to produce its own version of the show in previous years, the network’s flagship program, Inside the NBA, is a unique sports entertainment program.
Without Kenny and Ernie attempting to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s ceaseless arguing every Tuesday night, the NBA wouldn’t be the same.
“I’ve been running a basketball camp for forty years. We instruct in the essentials. Fundamentals apply to everything you do, including school, basketball, daily living, and how you treat others and desire to be treated.
Burleson responded, “Well, I guess it was perfect, because we won a national championship,” when asked about the prominent figures on the NC State championship-winning squad.
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“David and I wanted to play together in college because we were in the same high school conference. We had a close friendship and are close friends to this day. David is quite composed. He set an example. Like Coach Sloan, Monte was a diminutive military leader.
“Coach Sloan was also in the military.” I needed him. He treated me harshly. The offensive was led by Monte. I was in charge of the defense. Furthermore, David Thompson was the greatest player of our time, according to former UCLA center Bill Walton.
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