For all his issues this year, Caron Butler's Wizards tenure as a whole was a huge success. He grew as a player and endeared himself to the city, both for his on-court exploits and off-court grace. He was involved in the community and showed that there's more to being a professional athlete than what you do on your playing field.
So it's not exactly a surprise that Butler is already thinking about his life after his career ends. Butler talked about how he wants to study business and invest in many different areas, just like Magic Johnson, with Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal-Times. It's a noble effort, and I wish him luck, but I couldn't help but chuckle at how he's entered this world.
He is the sole proprietor of six Burger King restaurants around the country.
"I once worked at Burger King in Racine,'' Butler said. "I know the business. I know it from the janitorial spot all the way through the management side.
"I know that game inside and out.''
I guess it's fitting that Burger King is the place where Butler's business ambitions begin. You might remember Butler's quirky straw-chewing habit, which requires him to chew 8-10 straws during every game. The NBA banned this practice in February, for some reason, but for years, Butler was known in the Internet world as the straw-chewing guy. He was also pretty picky about the kind of straws he chewed, as Dan Steinberg noted in 2007.
"I don't do 7-11 straws or anything. McDonald's, Burger King, that's it. Not Wendy's. Maybe Subway, because their straw is thick, clear, with a clear wrapping, but that's it, McDonald's, Burger King....Cheesecake Factory's got the black straws, they're kind of thick. That's good quality straws."
In light of this, it makes sense that Butler owns six Burger King joints. Now, he can take as many straws as he likes without people giving him a second look.
(HT: J.E. Skeets).