The Slanch Report

While Greg Ostertag left the NBA three years ago he didn’t leave behind his competitive spirit and athletic nature. Now living in Scottsdale, Arizona the 7′ 2″ 300 pounder is keeping busy baking cakes, playing golf and participating in a no-checking men’s hockey league. //

“I had a hat trick,” he said of a recent game. “I go out and play hard. We try to win.”

Before a big time growth spurt, Ostertag grew up playing hockey in Duncanville, Texas, but once you get to the 7′ range it’s hard to ignore the draw of basketball. To be fair, basketball worked out pretty well for Ostertag, he earned over $48 million over his career and went to two Final Fours and NBA Finals, although never won a championship.

The NBA may have moved beyond Osterga, but he still feels the old tug. “I know I can still play,” said Ostertag, “It’s just a matter of getting back into shape. I can still play. I can put in 10 or 15 minutes a game, get some rebounds and block some shots.”

Now though, he spends most of his time playing golf (he’s a 3-handicap), playing hockey, watching his son Cody, a 6-5 sophomore play basketball and of course, there are the cakes.

“Just learning how to make the icing, color the icing, the shapes, how to draw, that’s the hard part,” Ostertag said. “I just get an idea in my head and go from there. My handwriting isn’t that great.” He’s made a number of different cakes, from a wedding cake, to a Superbowl cake, to one for his daughter’s swim team. His knowledge and love of baking came from his mother Ostertag said, “I learned from watching her, I learned how to do it,” Ostertag said. “I’ve made some for my kids for their birthdays. I made a couple for my mom for her birthdays.”

[AZ Central]