Episode 40

Dean Tolson – NBA Basketball Player and Author of the book Power Forward

In this episode of the Jeff Bradbury Show Podcast, Jeff welcomes former NBA player, author, and motivational speaker Dean Tolson on to the podcast to discuss his journey from an orphanage not ever learning how to read or write to becoming a Magna Cum Laude Master’s Degree student . . . with a stop in the middle playing for the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics.

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In This Episode …


  • Early Life Growing Up


  • Life in an Orphanage


  • The first time picking up a basketball


  • High School Years


  • Graduating High School


  • College - Arkansas Razorbacks


  • Military Life


  • NBA - Seattle SuperSonics - Played for Bill Russell


  • Drafted in 5th Round, 80th overall in 1974 (80 total games


  • Played 11 years internationally


  • Why — Pay it Forward?

About Dean Tolson



Dean Tolson was one of the top prep basketball players in the state of Missouri his junior and senior years at Central High School in Kansas City. So, when the colleges came running, he accepted a full ride to the University of Arkansas. Despite being unable to read or write, he went on to be one of the most prolific players to grace the Razorbacks’ campus. In 1974, Tolson was the first basketball player to be drafted by both the NBA and the ABA, having been selected by the Seattle Supersonics and the New York Nets, respectively, ultimately playing for the legendary Bill Russell in Seattle. Following his basketball career, Tolson made the courageous decision to re-enroll at the University of Arkansas, and repeated all four years, this time legitimately. At the age of fifty-two, he returned to the university for three more years, earning a master’s degree and graduated magna cum laude. Tolson’s gripping story from his childhood in an orphanage to his academic achievements is not only an indictment of a system that would just “pass you along” from grade to grade as a hot basketball prospect without any educational accountability, but also an inspiring story of overcoming great odds to find success.



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The Jeff Bradbury Show
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Jeffrey Bradbury

Jeff Bradbury is a globally-recognized educator, educational broadcaster, public speaker, and entrepreneur whose powerful message has inspired thousands of educators through the TeacherCast Educational Network.