Adrian Dantley working as crossing guard

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SILVER SPRING, Md., March 19 (UPI) -- A former NBA star who played for the 1976 U.S. Olympic basketball team said he has taken a job as a school crossing guard in Maryland.

Adrian Dantley, who played for the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons before spending time as a coach for the Denver Nuggets, said he started working as a crossing guard in September and spends an hour a day helping children cross the road for Eastern Middle School and New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver Spring, WTOP-FM, Washington, reported Tuesday.

"All I do is work out and lift weights all the time. I was in the weight room and a couple guys were talking saying, 'Man, I tell you what's a good job? A couple of my friends' wives they're crossing guards.' So I heard them and I said, 'That's something I want to do,'" Dantley said.

Dantley said he occasionally gets recognized by parents.

"It's pretty fun, especially with the little ones," Dantley said. "I just give them a high-five, talk to them a little bit, encourage them, that's it."

The former star said he doesn't need the $14,685.50 annual salary, but the job affords him healthcare benefits and something to do with his time. He said he plans to keep working as a crossing guard for the next 20 years.