I met Mike Bradley at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas in 2004. I was with my good friend Elton Tyler. They both remember it fondly because they hadn’t seen each other in a few years. However, Mike didn’t remember me. Well I remember Mike dominating high school basketball in Massachusetts when I was in high school and Mike was at Burncoat High in Worcester. But I didn’t remember he averaged 40 points per game in high school. That would explain why every college in the country wanted him. He committed early to Boston College along with Elton, Jonathan Depina, and Sean Connolly. Long story short, BC is/was racist and none of them ended up there.
Then Rick Pitino lied to him and convinced him to go to Kentucky, where he was part of a national championship team. But he never played for Rick. He had already started running/ruining the Celtics, but that’s another story. Ultimately, Mike transferred to Villanova and became an All American and a first round pick in the NBA Draft. He spent 6 seasons in the NBA and a few more in Europe.
As impressive as his basketball resume is, I find his post career endeavors even more impressive. He and his wife Ellen have been traveling the world with their 3 children (Taylor, Kya, and Shae) and immersing them in cultures and places that will have a profound effect on them. They call it “world school”. So far the kids have been to 36 countries and they’re all under the age of 16. When they’re not traveling they are surfing and being homeschooled in Nosara, Costa Rica, where the Bradley family has lived for a few years. I love talking basketball and I love talking travel so Mike was a perfect guest for Keepin’ It A Hundo. Hopefully, he remembers me now.