Aaron Craft Ready for Life Beyond Basketball
Aaron Craft may be retiring from professional basketball, but don’t think for a second that his success only starts and stops when he transitions between the 94-foot hardwood floor.
The former Buckeye point guard (2010-14) announced earlier this summer that he will be officially moving on from organized basketball to begin medical school at Ohio State in the fall. His last game, for the time being, took place last Wednesday afternoon when defending champion Carmen’s Crew was dethroned by House of ‘Paign in The Basketball Tournament’s (TBT) second round.
“This obviously wasn’t a light decision because it’s more than me,” Craft, 29, said last week during a TBT media session. “It’s also about my wife and family. The perfect storm came together for this to be the time. I have a son that’s 17 months old and it makes you think about the future. Going to (medical) school now allows me to set up a career for the rest of my life.”
Craft’s body feels good and knows he can still play, but the former Findlay High School (Ohio) valedictorian has always been about achieving more than just basketball accolades...
He graduated from college with a 3.90 grade-point average while majoring in nutrition sciences. He was a 3x Academic All-American, including consecutive AAA Player of the Year awards, and is one of just three repeat selections for that prestigious honor in Division I men’s basketball. The academic perfectionist is still likely bothered about a lone B that he received during a freshman chemistry class at OSU.
“It’s a humbling thing, a sad day in the Craft household,” he told SI.com way back in August of 2012 regarding the grade.
Craft is Ohio State’s career leader in assists (694) and steals (337), as both of those program records sit more than 100 clear of second place. His steals mark also sits atop the Big Ten all-time record books since the league officially began tracking the stat in the mid 80’s.
He won more than 100 games in college, earned D-League Defensive Player of the Year honors playing with the Golden State Warriors organization in 2015, and then embarked on a successful career overseas that just capped in Italy.
All of those accolades are now in the past, and Craft’s new focus will soon turn to becoming the best doctor he can be. Those who have competed against him before surely aren’t going to even think about betting against him.
“I know this… when he becomes a doctor and I need a brain surgeon, I’m coming to him,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo recently said during a TBT broadcast. “That is a classy kid.”
One thing that will never remain in the past, however, are his continued relationships with friends and former college teammates.
“They are everything and I look forward to coming back and being around them in the summer,” Craft added. “It has brought a little normalcy to this current situation in the world. Getting in the gym, telling jokes and having a lot of fun. We are always going to be in each other’s lives. They are people that I can go to and lean on. I hope they feel the same with me.”
Regardless of what happens next for the hardworking Aaron Craft, odds are that success is on the menu.