Reaching the NBA is the ultimate goal of any basketball player.
But not many people who are good enough to be selected in the NBA Draft enter the league for two years and then decide to quit to pursue another sport entirely.
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Mitch McGary was named as part of the 2013 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament TeamCredit: Getty
Other athletes have attempted it.
Michael Jordan is the most obvious name that springs to mind, having abandoned the NBA following the tragic death of his father, to pursue a baseball career, before returning to the court just two years later.
Similarly, both Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson played Major League Baseball and in the NFL, with the latter becoming an MLB All-Star in 1989, before getting nominated to the NFL’s Pro Bowl in 1990.
Simultaneously becoming the first — and so far, only — professional athlete to be named an All-Star in two major North American sports.
But only one person has ever forfeited a career in the NBA to pursue a career in ten-pin bowling.
That man is Mitch McGary.
McGary was the nation’s No. 2 basketball recruit in the 2012 class, and opted to play Division I basketball at the University of Michigan, where he did so between 2012-14.
In his two seasons with the Wolverines, McGary suited up 47 times, though only 12 of them would be starts.
The 6-foot-10, 255 lbs forward averaged 7.8 points from a 58.8 percent shooting clip, and 6.6 rebounds per contest.
In his freshman season, he was named as part of the 2013 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, and 2012 NCAA Tournament All-South Regional Team, as Michigan reached the 2013 NCAA Championship game.
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McGary had a promising college career but it was marred by injury.Credit: Getty
Although they were defeated by the Louisville Cardinals, their opponents had to vacate the title due to a scandal, which resulted in nobody being awarded the championship that season.
The Wolverines would win the 2013-14 Big Ten Conference title for the first time in 28 years the following year, though McGary saw his season shut down after just eight games due to a back injury.
Having drawn comparisons to two-time All-Star and NBA champion David Lee after his impressive freshman season, McGary was initially touted to go as high as a late lottery pick.
However, his back injury, and a failed drug test resulted in McGary seeing his draft stock plummet.
Ahead of declaring eligible for the 2014 draft, he was then predicted to go somewhere in the region of the 30th overall pick.
McGary was in a draft that was stacked with All-Stars, including Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, and Zach LaVine, and plenty of solid role players.
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McGary was a first-round draft pick in 2014Credit: Getty
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McGary featured for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 Summer League.Credit: Getty
Two future league MVP award winners were in the draft class in Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic, who was selected with the 41st pick.
Despite this, McGary was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 21st overall pick, exceeding his projections in various mock drafts.
Unfortunately, he failed to live up to the team’s expectations of him being a key part of their rotation.
McGary suited up for the Thunder just 52 times in two seasons, where he averaged a mere 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
His basketball career ended in similar fashion to how it started with a suspension for a failed drug test on two separate occasions, and consequently, he was waived by the Thunder in 2016.
Whilst the NBA bust never ruled out a return to basketball in the future, McGary ultimately went on to pursue a competitive career in bowling — a sport which he played in his youth.
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McGarry’s tenure in the NBA was brief after he was suspended for a failed drug test.Credit: Getty
The bowling alley is where his mother, Valerie, has spent more than 30 years playing.
Upon his exit from the Association, it was reported by Johnny Gorches of the Chicago Tribune that McGary had followed in his mother’s footsteps, taking his athletic talent to the bowling alley.
In 2017, Gorches said: “McGary is bowling in a sanctioned league, and after getting a refresher tutorial on the sport he grew up with in junior high, he rolled his first career 700 series two weeks ago. He scored a 703 in the Thursday Any Mixed League at Inman’s Bowling & Rec Center in Valparaiso.”
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It was further reported that he was then averaging “about 195 per game.” For context, an average score of 170-220 would have a bowler considered as an advanced/league bowler.
On the other hand, those who are professional bowlers would aim to average a score of 220 and above.
McGary unfortunately never made it back to basketball, and now 33-years-old, very little is known about what he is doing in life.
Perhaps he is somewhere in a bowling alley, though, battling against his mother for the family bragging rights.