Dantley’s real-world job these days, though not as glamorous as his old one, has its benefits. Lots and lots of benefits, actually. Montgomery County officials took a lot of heat after a 2010 story in the Washington Examiner, a D.C. newspaper, reported that crossing guards there were taking in about $41.50 an hour. “Once considered the best-kept secret among a workforce of 30,000,” the newspaper reported, “the position has become one of the county’s most popular, particularly among those seeking health care coverage for their families.” Guards are part-time employees, and they normally put in one hour a day, but they receive the same insurance and benefits package as full-timers.
On a recent morning I was sitting in a car at the intersection that Dantley guards, and just minutes before the first period bell was to ring, I saw him lunge in front of a running youngster, who was oblivious to everything but her own fear of tardiness, and keep the kid out of the path of a turning automobile. He went about this lifesaving task with all the effort he’d put into stopping Isaiah Thomas from driving to the basket or David Falk from touching a paycheck. It was as if the gods wanted me to know Dantley’s not on anybody’s dole.
Friends of Dantley are amused that he’s taken a position that pays him less than 1/350th of the average annual income of an NBA player. But they aren’t surprised that he took the job, or that he takes it seriously. “Adrian’s cheap. But he’s not going to take free money,” says an associate. “That’s not Adrian Dantley. No matter what the job is, he’s gonna show up on time, and give other people shit if they show up late.”
After Dantley’s holdout in Utah ended with a big contract, Layden whined that the star player was getting the fans’ sympathy: “Hell, don’t feel sorry for Dantley. Feel sorry for the guy who carries a lunch pail.”
A quarter-century later, Dantley’s carrying the metaphorical lunch pail. But there’s still no reason to feel sorry for him. Hell, he had a snow day last week.
Article Appeared @http://deadspin.com/why-is-one-of-the-nbas-all-time-greatest-scorers-worki-453840265