 During his NBA career , Bradley used his fame on the court to explore social as well as political issues , meeting with journalists , government officials , academics , businesspeople , and social activists . He also worked as an assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington , D.C. , and as a teacher in the street academies of Harlem . In 1976 , he also became an author by publishing Life on the Run . Using a 20 @-@ day stretch of time during one season as the main focus of the book , he chronicled his experiences in the NBA and the people he met along the way . He noted in the book that he had initially signed only a four @-@ year contract , and that he was uncomfortable using his celebrity status to earn extra money endorsing products as other players did . 
