|  Smits, competing at the AMA Vintage Grand Championships.
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As AMA members (and his Facebook friends) have known for some time, former NBA center Rik Smits, a dominant big man with a nice outside jumper for the Indiana Pacers in the 1990s, loves to ride. Specifically, the Dunking Dutchman (Smits is from The Netherlands), digs off-road and vintage racing. He's competed at the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships and Grand National Cross Country events.
Yahoo! Sports has noticed and published a brief article on the one-time mainstream sports star. It mostly discusses how Smits' 7-foot, 4-inch height hurts and helps (he's referred to as a "mudder") him on the track.
One point that Smits, 45, does make in the Yahoo! Sports article is how open and accessible motorcycle racing is:
Yet, Smits says his body still feels good riding a bike. And as long
as his health holds up, Smits hopes there is plenty more motocross
riding ahead.
"I've seen a guy in Arizona one year and he was 93 years old," Smits said. "So as long as you can go, they let you race."
Plus, we like nice guys. If my introduction to Smits at Mid-Ohio in 2010 is any indication, he will be welcomed in motorcycling for much longer than his decade-long professional basketball career. Perhaps 30 years from now we'll run a piece about an unusually tall 75-year-old motorcyclist from Indiana who enjoyed a brief stint in pro hoops.