Shawn Bradley Will Guide Our Youth
It’s a big man’s job.
The only NBA player personally responsible for more bedroom posters than any boy band, Shawn Bradley, is now a guidance counselor at a school in Utah. It is a non-profit school with 140 students, which claims that “parents find us because their sons and daughters are unable to be successful in their current situation.”
The 7-foot-6 Bradley is a faculty member at West Ridge Academy, but his role at the school is hard to define: He has worked as the vice-principal, counselor, coach and friend.
(Sidenote: I would love to get paid to be a “friend”.)
“Shawn has a great presence - due to his size - and has immediate credibility with the kids,” said Ken Allen, the executive director at West Ridge. “His instant credibility when he’s talking to kids make him an incredible mentor.
“He is a great example of someone who has worked hard and been very successful. Being so tall wasn’t always easy for him. He knows about being the ‘odd kid’ and dealing with that.”
As Basketbawful astutely points out, there’s something deliciously ironic in the fact that “someone who has been schooled as often as Shawn Bradley is now teaching school.” Regardless, my respect goes out to Shawn for stepping up and doing something like this.
“It’s a chance to put kids on the path to be productive, not destructive,” Bradley said. “Some of these kids come here with a lot of hate and a lot of anger.”
Upon retirement, most NBA cats will fall back into a leisurely life of cigar smoking, bad golf, car washing, gambling, and homophobic rants on the radio. It’s always good to hear of someone lending their time to a worthy cause.
7 Responses to “Shawn Bradley Will Guide Our Youth”
Mar.1 at 2:29 pm
Cub Buenning says:
As someone who spend nine years in teaching, a little height (while i’m 10 inches shorter than Bradley) goes along way with kids.
“Can you dunk?” count was around 13,000 by the time i finished….
Mar.1 at 2:46 pm
mdshuai says:
I’ve still got a pillowcase with Bradley on it…well, the animated alien version of him in Space Jam…and I got it in ‘93 when I was 10…and it was ’cause of Jordan…but hey, he’s still on there. Kind of.
Mar.1 at 2:59 pm
Cub Buenning says:
Another 7-footer, Marcus Camby, is likely to make a similar career move following his playing days. Could you imagine the misbehaving youths, TRYING to get sent to the principal’s office? “Can you sign another referral slip for me, Mr. Camby?” Camby’s current work with youth in Denver and around the country is amazing and goes largely unnoticed.
Mar.1 at 3:26 pm
Tom says:
“Some of these kids come here with a lot of hate and a lot of anger”
It’d be funny if his way of treating these kids anger was to put a trampoline in front of a hoop while Shawn stand in front of it, and the kids just dunk on him until they’re not angry any more. seriously though, it’s nice to see him do something positive.
Mar.1 at 3:40 pm
Reggie Evans says:
I heard Tim Hardaway was doing this for kids in Miami.
Mar.1 at 4:58 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
Did anybody say he’d revolutionize counseling?
Mar.1 at 6:16 pm
whooo! says:
i saw coverage of camby take part in basketball w/out borders in africa. dunno if that’s a regular thing too, cuz i feel deke is doing a termendous job and could/should be inspiring others to help out there.