Former NBA Star Adrian Dantley Now Works As An Elementary School Crossing Guard

Former NBA star Adrian Dantley has probably made one of the most dramatic career changes among his friends: The Hall-of-Famer is a Maryland crossing guard, earning just $14,000 a year.

Radio station WTOP reports that Dantley, a hall-of-famer and former star for the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons, started working as a crossing guard in September. He works an hour a day at Eastern Middle School and New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md.

It's not because he's broke, either. According to the sports site, Deadspin, Dantley—an Olympic athlete and former NBA guard-forward—wanted the medical benefits. Dantley still lives in the home he purchased for $1.1 million in 1990 and was known for being a penny pincher, according to Deadspin, but the NBA apparently doesn't provide its former athletes with medical benefits. "He's not just going to sit around," a Dantley "associate" tells Deadspin, "and he just doesn't want to pay health insurance."

Ths 6-foot-5 Dantley grew up in the area and has said he also would like to have something to do. Montgomery County civil service records show he gets paid $14,685.50 a year. Dantley says he enjoys giving the young children high fives and encouragement. "It's pretty fun, especially with the little ones," he tells WTOP.com.

AP contributed to this report.