JULY 24, 2006 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 17 Corliss: Retirement it’s not always easy to block out the neg- ative impacts of newfound riches and the Nears for Veteran fast-paced NBA lifestyle. But it doesn’t take long to realize a basketball career (Continued From Page 1) can’t last forever. “The younger guys still think basket- managed to scoop up the prospective ball is going to be around for a long real estate investor with the promise to time,” Williamson said. “I catch myself help guide Williamson at his own pace nagging some guys, telling them, ‘pick up through the murky waters often pre- a book and try to learn something,’ sented by the real estate investment and because it’s not guaranteed they’ll play development business. 11 years with injuries and the level of “For high-profile guys like Corliss competition.” with money and a big name, there’s a The NBA and the NBA Players constant barrage of deals and offers from Association have also encouraged play- both friends and complete strangers,” ers as of late to plan financially for the said Ron Tabor, a partner with the firm. future. Williamson said he is attending “It’s in the best interest of guys like that next month a week-long seminar at to be able to fend for themselves and be Stanford University in California sanc- able to sort through them on their own.” tioned by the NBA that will be an inten- Williamson readily admits he has Big Nasty’s Notepad sive workshop on business opportunities naively entered some sketchy deals, after basketball. which, after processing what he’s Corliss Williamson’s Career Highlights: over the Denver Nuggets on 4/17/99 learned this summer he never would’ve • Member of the 2003-04 NBA Championship • Established career-highs in 1997-98 with 17.7 Bell Tolls? signed off on to begin with. And though Detroit Pistons squad ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.9 apg and 0.96 spg Williamson’s career came full circle he has inconsequentially been burned • In 645 career games (283 starts), Williamson • Posted a career-high 40 points (16-23 FG, 8-9 FT), following a 2005 trade that sent him financially on at least one of those deals, averaged 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 24.1 5 rebounds and 5 assists against the Detroit back to the team that originally drafted he says it was learning the hard way that minutes per game Pistons on 3/4/98 him, the Sacramento Kings. has him battening down the hatches. • Named 2001-02 NBA Sixth Man of the Year after • Posted 23 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, 5 During his 11 NBA seasons, the soft- “Now I realize how impulsive I was. averaging 13.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game assists and 3 steals against the Philadelphia talking power forward has been shuffled Basically, I was jumping straight into the while shooting 51.0 percent with Detroit. 76ers on 12/28/97 through three other teams, including the pool without first learning how to swim • Ranked 15th in the NBA, 2nd on the Kings in • Led the Kings' bench in scoring 28 times in 1996-97, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and or even to tread water, and now I’ve real- field-goal percentage (.500) in 1999-2000 in rebounding 20 times and in assists 11 times Philadelphia 76ers. ized it’s important to take those prelimi- • Ranked 2nd on the 1998-99 Kings in field-goal • A member of the 1994 NCAA champion Arkansas It was his four seasons in Detroit that percentage (.485, 16th in the NBA) and 3rd in Razorbacks and was named the Most Outstanding nary steps rather than trusting someone MICHAEL PIRNIQUE Williamson calls the peak of his career, no else to do it,” Williamson said. “You scoring (13.2 ppg) Player of the tournament doubt topped off by becoming a member have to have the time and knowledge • Posted a career-high 29 points (12-18 FG, 5-6 of an elite club of players who have won and energy to put into a project and I FT), 7 rebounds and 3 assists in a 119-97 victory Source: NBA.com player profile both an NCAA National Championship definitely have learned that here.” and an NBA Championship. “I have one year left in Sacramento on Good Pickup little, Irwin said, Williamson shows a teammate Scotty Thurman heroically my contract and I want to play probably Williamson’s summer internship natu- great desire for gaining knowledge and banging through a 3-pointer to seal the three to four more years after that,” rally traces back to the setting where he’s has quickly learned the ropes. deal in the title game’s waning moments. Williamson said. “I’m beginning to see the one used to being in charge of the Williamson says the pair remain best the light at the end of my NBA tunnel. I’d schooling — on a basketball court. Fashion Police friends, and the former teammates cur- like to finish it off in Sacramento, which David Lewis, another partner at Irwin Opening a business that offered a rently are among a trio of investors that I consider my NBA hometown, but we’ll Partners, is given credit for planting the complete line of hip-hop and athletic locked up a 32.7-acre, $370,000 land just have to see what happens.” seed with Williamson three years ago gear previously unavailable in this mar- buy at the northwest corner of 28th over small talk during lunch-hour hoops ket seemed like a sure-fire plan for Street and Barrow Road. Home Sweet Home at the Little Rock Athletic Club. Williamson and a partner in late 2003. WTH Development LLC, which There’s never been any question that “We thought it’d be great to bring him Legends Retail Co. opened its doors includes Williamson, Thurman and returning to Arkansas after retirement in the office, if he agreed, just to see what in a Broadmoor shopping center on Kevin Howard, finished the deal in late was firmly planted in the Russellville we do since we were aware of his desire south University Avenue in December 2004 with plans to build a 100-unit native’s mind. to get into the business,” Lewis said. “I 2003, but it never reached the status its apartment complex at the site. With the real estate development busi- was hoping we could be, in a very objec- name suggests. “There’s currently been no develop- ness bustling in both central and north- tive way, able to advise him a little about “I quickly learned that it’s really more ment on the apartment thing so far, and west Arkansas, along with plenty of ripe what to be careful about and teach him valuable to own a strip mall and lease it we’re not even sure it’s still going to be charitable opportunities for his nonprofit some things to look out for. And when he to other people rather than to lease that apartments,” said Williamson, who calls foundation close at hand, Williamson says gets out of the NBA, he will have some space from someone else and try to have the acquisition his first legitimate buy. Little Rock will be a good place for him tools to get into the business if he choos- a clothing store there,” Williamson said. “There are lots of options and we hope and his wife and three sons to settle down. es and become an expert himself.” Though he was elusive about the to maybe have something locked up by “There’s a lot of things I would like to In return, Irwin Partners gets a chance details, the business sparred with the the end of the summer.” do back in Russellville. My hometown is to chauffeur the man who helped bring strip mall’s owners and the store eventu- growing and I want to get in and be a home Arkansas’ last NCAA National ally moved to another location on The Afterlife part of it,” Williamson said. Championship to meetings and lunches Rodney Parham Road briefly before A good role model in the form of an With a handful of NBA seasons left in where Williamson often owns the room shutting its doors for good in April. NBA veteran is all it took for Williamson him, Williamson plans to return to Irwin from the get-go. “That kind of pushed me to the other to realize the importance of planning for Partners next off-season to pick up “We look at investments all the time, side about needing to own buildings and a future after basketball. where he left off. and what Corliss is doing is going with then lease them out,” Williamson said. “I “When I first came into the league I As for the firm’s five partners — us and seeing what we’re seeing and get- hate having had to learn that lesson like played with a veteran player, Tyrone Tabor, Lewis, Irwin, Jeff Yates and Ruth ting that insight firsthand,” said Jim that, but I did, and now I’m better for it.” Corbin, and he was kind of a mentor to Presley — that’ll be fine with them. Irwin, founding partner at the firm. “It’s me,” Williamson said. “I’d noticed that “It’s been a fun summer, but you can’t been fun because we take him into a Hogs in Harmony when we were on a bus or a plane that learn it all in a couple months,” Irwin meeting and the first 15 minutes he dom- Just as the picture of Williamson he’d always be reading something or try- said.