National Basketball Association

Gooden signs franchise deal with Wingstop

Published Oct. 15, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The NBA lockout has forced players to do a lot of things, from considering overseas options to playing in charity games to ... selling chicken wings?

According to a report from Business Insider, Milwaukee Bucks forward Drew Gooden has signed a multi-unit franchise agreement with national hot wings chain Wingstop. The plan is to open four restaurants in Orlando over the next few years.

"With the lockout, a lot of us are thinking about our future and looking for new business and investment opportunities," Gooden said in a statement. "I've been a big fan of Wingstop for years, so this is a perfect fit for me."

Of course, the NBA lockout became real when David Stern announced the cancellation of the first two weeks worth of NBA games. The lockout figures to drag on much longer than that.

For Gooden, though, his chain of chicken wing restaurants may be a good long-term option. Four seasons removed from a prominent starting role with the Cavaliers in their run to the NBA Finals, Gooden played in just 35 games with 18 starts in 2010-11, posting career-lows in nearly every statistical category along the way.