Occasionally I get the question about what mascot performers do after they retire from dressing up in fur costumes. As many of you know many of these poor souls have no marketable skills and are forced to do whatever they can to get by.

I thought this week I would share two stories of former NBA mascots, who I found on YouTube videos finding new ways to use their unique talents.

The first is comedian Sadiki Fuller. Sadiki was formerly the mascot for the Golden State Warriors and famous for his prodigious acrobatic and dunking skills. About six years ago Sadiki followed his heart and left the life of a costumed superhero and started to chase his dream of being a stand-up comic.

One of my favorite memories of Sadiki are from a week when he slept on my couch for a week in Portland while he did a week-long stint at a local comedy club. I am actually not sure he ever slept that week. He would get back in from the club after I went to sleep and was up writing new jokes before I rolled out of bed (which may speak as much about Sadiki’s passion for comedy as mine passion for sleeping). It was a great week talking with Sadiki and watching someone chasing a dream and working impossibly hard to learn their craft.

Sadiki continues to chase that dream and knowing Sadiki he is probably working as hard this week on it as he did back six years ago in Portland.

Here’s some video of the comic stylings of Sadiki Fuller from YouTube, complete with a little taste of the acrobatic skills that made him a star in the NBA.

Thursday I will share a story about another former NBA mascot, who is now working the mean streets of New York City. In the mean time you can see hundreds of current mascots videos in the Gameops.com indexed YouTube Mascots Pages.

-Cudo