Kendrick Perkins has become incredibly popular following his NBA career as an analyst on ESPN. As an ex-player, Perkins isn’t shy to speak his mind. His takes on a lot of the NBA’s current stars have landed him in some hot water, notably his beef with Draymond Green. However, basketball analysis is not the only thing the former NBA champion does to occupy his time since he retired from the league.
As is the case for many former NBA players, Perkins is a businessman. And one particular venture of his has garnered a lot of attention recently, the big man is involved in running a dog breeding company called Big League Exotics. The New York Post did an in-depth report on what exactly they do, and Perk explained to them that the dogs they currently have are worth up to more than $4 million.
“BLE is a four-person company: Perkins, Alpough, Dung Nguyen — a serial entrepreneur who works with Alpough on other ventures including real estate — and John Shenkir, another businessman who struck up a friendship with Alpough after the two met at the vet.
“Now, BLE has 42 dogs and Perkins estimates their sale value to cumulatively be about $4 million-$5 million. The dogs are spread between their own compound, and other families and kennels who could be eventual partners in the business. There is a significant emphasis placed on the dogs’ welfare and quality of life.
Perkins spoke about how he got into the venture with his brother-in-law Thomas Alpough as well, explaining how he realized there was a lot of money to be made in the business.
“I was like ‘OK, you really getting money right now,’” Perkins said. “Now he had my attention and I’m all the way in.”
“Originally, Frenchies started, and there were black and white Frenchies. Then, all of a sudden, they started coming out with lilac Frenchies, that were bluish-white, with polka dots and things of that nature,” Perkins said. “Then you have the Merles [which resemble Dalmations’ patterns]. But now you have fluffy Frenchies, which are high-dollar. Fluffy Frenchies have fur, different colors, it’s the new wave. Those dogs start out at $100K-$150K.
“We started developing relationships. I started learning more about the DNA, the color, the structure — the things that people want. And now we’re to the point where we actually have dogs that are in our kennel that are worth $250K, $500K — and we even have one that’s worth $1 million.”
A lot of NBA players get involved in businesses after their retirement as a way to grow their capital. While athletes in the past could often end up falling into poverty and other issues after their careers, it’s good to see that some like Perkins have found different ways to retain their wealth. While dog breeding is a peculiar choice, it just goes to show how much money there is to be made doing work that may not be considered conventional.
