Submitted by Bill Rawlings, REALTOR®
Atlanta’s eclectic mix of high-end real estate, business opportunities, climate and a sizzling nightlife continues to be a magnet that attracts professional athletes.
“I was attracted to Atlanta, even when I was in college,” said Tyrone Hill, a former NBA player who lived here before joining the Atlanta Hawks staff as an assistant coach. “We [Xavier] played Michigan in the NCAA tournament [in 1989]. We lost and went out to dinner, and we got a chance to hang out a little bit. I fell in love with the city then.”
“You can buy a good $800,000 house, compared to living in California or L.A., and get a nice piece of property,” said Hill, a native of Cincinnati and a former All-Star who played 14 years in the NBA. “Instead of paying $3 [million] or $4 million, you can pay $800,000 and get a real nice house here. That’s the most important thing that guys look at, the real estate, the weather, and we’ve got some great restaurants.”
The Atlanta chapter of the NFL Players Association currently has about 425 dues-paying members, said chapter President Dewey McClain, who played for the Falcons from 1976-80 and never left.
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Many athletes have called the Atlanta area home including:
- Former Falcons star Travis Hall (pictured here)
- Former Braves slugger Andruw Jones
- Former Falcons player Ed Hartwell
- Former Atlanta Braves catcher Javy Lopez’s
- NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson
- Former UGA and Falcons football player Steve Herndon
- PGA golfer Heath Slocum
- Boxing great Evander Holyfield
- UGA coaching legend Vince Dooley
- Former Braves star Jeff Francoeur
- Jerome “The Bus” Bettis
- Julius “Dr. J” Erving
- Tyrone Hill, a former NBA player
- Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall
- Former NBA star Ralph Sampson
- Buffalo’s Terrell Owens
- Dewey McClain (Falcons 1976- 1980)
- Tim Ecclestone (Atlanta Flames)
- Dorsey Levens (Green Bay Packers)
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