Dynamic alley-oop passes, buzzer beaters and the amazing dunks highlight NBA careers. But a player's career doesn't last forever. When do players begin to prepare for life after the game and what do they do?

“I always had a passion for flashing before I had it, I’d close my eyes and imagine…” - Rapper, Kanye West

Like West, NBA players possess a “passion for flashing”. Evidence of it is put on display in any game witnessed throughout the NBA season. But after the highlight-reel dunks and needle-threading passes, what is the next step in the career of an NBA player? Kings players and their NBA colleagues agree - preparing for the future is essential.

“I don’t have a definitive answer right now,” said Rockets forward Shane Battier. “But I want to be in a position where I can help kids, help people and give back.”

Every night NBA players hit the hardwood; basketball supremacy is at their fingertips. Having a strong sense of reality -- it won't last forever -- is important to embrace from the beginning of one's career.

“The rule is, the day you sign a contract is the day you start preparing for life after the game,” said Kings Head Coach Reggie Theus. “I think, realistically, it was about five years prior to my retirement when I really started thinking about what was going to happen when I was through.”

Dynamic slasher and three-time NBA Champion, Manu Ginobili concurs.

“The earlier the better,” said the Spurs sixth-man. “Even if you’re 20-years-old and you know what you’re going to do – that’s smart.”

An average NBA career typically lasts four years, which ultimately means retirement from the game in one's 20's.

"What we try to do in the Player’s Association and what we try to do in the League Office is to get everyone thinking about (retirement) early so that if anything happens and their career is cut short, they have a plan in place to continue to be successful in the things that they do," said Pistons Assistant Coach and former President of the NBA Player's Association Michael Curry.

For this reason, rookies are mandated to attend educational training for life after the NBA before their first season even begins. Established in 1986, the Rookie Transition Program sets the foundation for young players on how to deal with their new found success. For example, sessions dealing with professional and life skills as well as personal development and education are attended by rookies.

“The main thing they teach you about is finances because that’s the key issue,” said Kings Rookie Spencer Hawes. “A lack of financial knowledge can cause guys a lot of problems.”

Wisely, Hawes began forecasting his post-playing-career prior to entering the NBA, so the Rookie Transition program was an added bonus.

"I began preparing for that as far in advance as possible," said Hawes. “I’ve been lucky to have family go through it and to know a lot of people go through it. So for me, it was kind of a refresher on a lot of stuff. But for some guys, it’s their first time hearing it."

Ironically, Hawes being just one year removed from high school preludes to a fitting metaphor. Preparing for life after the NBA is similar to preparing for life after high school. A strong education and an understanding of how to manage one’s personal finances are integral to living comfortably and confidently when the league is in the rear-view mirror.

“I may go back to school one day and earn a Master’s in business, depending on what I want to get into,” related Battier. “But I’m very fortunate to have that base of education from Duke.”

“You got to have trust worthy people around you,” said veteran Houston Rockets point guard Mike James. “If you don’t have trustworthy people around you, then (managing your finances is) going to be a lot more stressful.”

Among the vast educational pursuits available to NBA players, perhaps the most interesting is the NBA Players Association Business Opportunities Program at Stanford University. Founded in 2006, the week-long seminar runs during the summer. Players gain valuable information on how to assess and manage business opportunities. Among this year’s attendees was Mike James.

“It was a great experience that taught me a lot about being an entrepreneur and just looking out for snakes in the grass,” said James.

Unfortunately, people trying to take advantage of the player's financial success are prevalent. To help player's minimize this reality, the Business Opportunities Program as well as the NBA Transition program teach players how to gauge the reliability and honesty of those who are so quick to lend advice on what to do with their finances.

“A lot of people come with business proposals,” James continued. “But the hardest thing is (deciphering) how that business proposal (makes) me money as well as the person that’s giving me the proposal.”

Often times, business for players after their playing careers cease is basketball -- in a different medium. As you've likely seen on any sports channel or on college and NBA sidelines, players love for the game transitions into other basketball forms.

“Most of us like this game so much and it’s hard to get away,” said Ginobili. “And for others, it’s the only thing they know. So that still is their life.”

As Kings fans have witnessed in Reggie Theus' first season manning the ARCO Arena sideline, coaching is an area of significant interest among ex-players. Today, 23 out of the 30 NBA teams are coached by former NBA or ABA players.

In fact, the Kings coaching staff has four players boasting NBA experience. Kenny Natt played three seasons in the league. Chuck Person earned the distinction of being a deadly sharpshooter. Randy Brown won three championship rings during the Bulls Dynasty of the Nineties. And, Theus is one of the all-time greats to have ever donned a Kings uniform. He is also one of only seven players in NBA history to score more than 19,000 career points and dish out more than 6,000 career assists.

“It’s just different - what I draw from and what somebody else draws from as a coach,” explained Theus. “Part of the reason is that I have the experience of being a player, former announcer and now a coach. It gives me ultimate credibility.”

Coaching isn’t the only high profile job that allows players to remain close to the game. Like Theus, many players seek careers in the media industry as analysts, color commentators or sideline reporters. Some notable players who have successfully made the transition from the hardwood to the headset are Jalen Rose, Clyde Drexler, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.

“I started studying acting about five years prior to my retirement,” said Theus. “That actually helped me with (my career in broadcasting). Learning how to work the camera, learning how to deal with the camera, learning how to be yourself; all of that really helped me with commentating. Because once I got in front of the camera, I was really comfortable.”

Although no longer working on jump shots and crossover dribbles, post-NBA careers require the same amount of dedication and hard work.

"Players play the game and then they go home and they do whatever they do," said Theus. "Coaches take it home with them. And the game never leaves as a coach. As a player, I could let the game go when I walked out of the gym because my job was about being specific in what I do on the floor and how I interacted with my teammates. As a coach, you have all of that plus everybody else as a whole -- your staff and everything that goes along with that. As a head coach, you have other things that go on around the team too. So the game, again, it never leaves me these days."

When the “passion” remains but the “flashing” no longer can be sustained, players “close their eyes and imagine” envisioning what’s next - their life after the game.