Louisville basketball: 5 players you probably forgot were Cards

Chris Brickley – Guard (2009-10)

Louisville basketball stats: 8 games played, 12 total points 

Before there was ever a Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, there was Chris Brickley. Aside from the late Marvin Stone in the early 2000s, Brickley was the first player I remember to transfer and play immediately  – although “play” may be a rather loose word.

At the time of his arrival, Brickley was an unknown commodity having spent time playing at Northeastern before ultimately moving on to play at Southern New Hampshire University. He transferred into the program as a preferred walk-on

It’d be an understatement to say that anyone ever thought Chris Brickley would develop into the professional he is today. While his playing career ended at Louisville, Brickley moved on to work in the NBA ranks as a trainer before starting his own gym and becoming the NBA’s most well-known trainer. Wait, what?

On any given day you may see players like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Trae Young, Carmelo Anthony and even Louisville’s own Donovan Mitchell playing pick up ball at his New York gym and if you’re lucky, you may even see world-renowned recording artists J. Cole, Drake, and Justin Bieber participating.

In addition, to become a trainer for the stars, Brickley has also become well known for his involvement in the fashion industry with his clothing line as well as becoming an influencer. He’s been profiled by nearly every major pop culture magazine, signed his own shoe deal with Puma, and has even been in 2K.

Brickley credited his work ethic to his time spent at Louisville playing for Rick Pitino, and described his time as a Card in the most fitting way- “it was dope as s**t.”