B-BALLER'S POKER PASSION

Los Angeles Clippers player Dan Dickau makes money on the side selling poker chips. Not exactly the most common side project for an NBA player. While other players are hawking colognes, clothing lines and shoes, Dickau knows that marketability can only last so long. Not to mention it’s a bit hard to market yourself when you’ve worn various jersey numbers and been on multiple teams.

Dickau, who was drafted 28th overall in the first round of the 2002 draft to the Sacramento Kings, has been on nine different team’s rosters in his six-year NBA career. Not the most consistent situation. With a wife (former Trail Blazers dancer Heather Dickau) and two kids, a little extra cash couldn’t hurt, so he partnered up with some pals and created Thechiplab.com, a custom poker chip design company.

Not a bad investment considering that poker is one of the fastest growing industries. Dickau’s been a fan of poker for a while now, although lately it’s been a little harder to play as much as he used to. “Before kids we used to always have people over at the house and we’d play all the time,” Dickau says. “But with two kids it kind of takes away the evening time.”

Thechiplab.com lets people design their own poker chips from scratch or by using one of over a 100 custom designed templates.


Dickau’s hosted two Dan Dickau Celebrity Poker Tournaments of his own, so with the World Series just around the corner, I had to ask the poker playing b-baller if he plans to give the tourney a shot.

“You know I have some friends who’ve been talking about doing that for the last couple years but I just haven’t done it,” Dickau says. “I would do it this year but we’re expecting out third child this summer so I can’t really head down to Vegas for a week of playing poker.”

When he does get around to playing poker, don’t expect to see Dickau sportin’ any disguises or red-tinted glasses.

“I’m just pretty low-key,” he says. “Maybe (I’ll wear) a hat. I don’t do the i-pod deal or anything like that.”