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A basketball career helped change Thurl Bailey's life, and provided a life of fulfillment with family


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Beyond the Game Stories

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SALT LAKE CITY — In 1983, the Utah Jazz selected Thurl Bailey with the No. 7 pick in the NBA draft.

"Seventh pick in the first round to the Utah Jazz. That was just so surreal to me," Bailey said.

Bailey played eight seasons with the Jazz before being traded to Minnesota, where he played three more. He then played four years overseas, where his life changed forever.

The former Jazzman talks about how he got into basketball and his start at NC State, his love of music, a broadcasting career with his former team, and how he's now working to help his children live their dreams. Check out his story in the video above.

Check out more Beyond The Game videos, including one about how the Savannah Bananas took baseball by storm, or how a Utah rugby player helped the U.S. win a bronze medal at the recent Olympics, among many more.

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