Ralph Macchio writes of embracing his ‘Karate Kid’ persona (as opposed to the ‘Ralph Macchio’ persona) as a means to make his new life even more meaningful — and also to make money. “I love being able to do things that I love doing,” Macchio told The Huffington Post in a recent interview about how he’s embracing the “Karate Kid” persona. He said that he loves the “hustle” of it and that it allows him to spend more time with his wife, Laura, and their daughters, Kayla and Kyla. He feels that the new schedule, which includes a nine-hour day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, will be more satisfying than the previous hours he worked. In addition to his new schedule, he took a month-long break from the gym last summer to work out and spend time with friends and family.
Macchio is a five-time All-Star of the Year in New York City and was an NBA All-Star in 2005. He has been a professional basketball player since he was 10 years old, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to debut with the New York Knicks. While playing for the New York Knicks, he became the youngest player to have 50,000 career points (at 22 years old), and was the youngest player to score 50,000 career points in the NBA, in 2008. He also played in the K-1 World Grand Prix and the K-1 All-Star Game. Macchio is a four-time All-Star and was selected to be a member of the All-NBA First Team in the 2004–05 season.
“[This] is such a great opportunity for the Players Association to have our members as ambassadors for the league,” NBA Commissioner David Stern, who sits on the executive committee of the union, said in a statement. “In addition to his hard work in training and practicing with his team, he has shown a lot of respect for the fans. He has been a consummate professional and an exceptional teammate.”
The new contract will begin in October and last 12 months. In