WHEN Mark Blount retired from the NBA in 2009, he wanted to make sure his financial fortunes did not take an unwanted twist.

So the seven-foot-tall center sold pretzels as an Auntie Anne’s franchisee as a starting point to enter the business world.

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Mark Blount in action for the Miami Heat in 2008Credit: Getty

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Blount has since gone on to have a successful career as a businessmanCredit: Website/https://www.markblount30.com/business/index.html
Blount, 47, had a creditable 10-year career in the NBA after being drafted 54th overall by the Seattle Sonics in 1997.

The big man initially played three seasons in minor leagues, including the International Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association, and North American Premier Basketball.

Blount finally got his big break in 2000 when he signed with the Boston Celtics.

He also played with the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miami Heat in his career in which he gained a reputation as a dependable backup center.

When he retired, Blount was introduced to Auntie Anne’s at a Professional Basketball Alumni Association event in 2013.

He soon opened two stores in West Palm Beach as well as a Cinnabon franchise in Jensen Beach, Florida.

“I was actively looking to break into the franchise industry, but I wanted to find a company that was a good fit for me,” Blount told QSR Magazine.

“I really felt that the Auntie Anne’s brand provided what I was looking for.”

After building and operating the franchises for four years, he sold the stores for about $2million, having purchased them for around $700,000.

“I was able to make connections with them and went through the process of learning their business and going through training and learning their sites and seeing if I was going to be a silent investor and have somebody run it for me, which wasn’t going to happen, or run it myself,” Blount told Andscape.

“I ended up running it myself and was able to be pretty successful.”

Blount then moved into real estate and purchased 14 properties in West Palm Beach, renovating them and selling the units for a profit.

He remains involved in real estate in South Florida.

“The restaurant business was a learning curve for me, but real estate is a passion for me,” Blount added.

Blount is not the only NBA star to have become an Auntie Anne’s franchisee.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal owned 17 stores but recently sold them as he did not think they were a good investment.

“I sold my Auntie Anne’s. Because Black people don’t like pretzels that much. So I had to switch it up,” O’Neal said during an appearance on Earn Your Leisure.