These days, 53-year-old Tommy LaGarde prefers the quieter lifestyle.

LaGarde, who made second-team All-America at North Carolina in 1977 and played six years in the NBA, lives with his wife, Heather, their 3-year-old son and a 7-year old daughter on a one-time dairy farm in Alamance County.

"I'm looking out at about 40 cows; it's quite a change," said LaGarde, who moved in 2004 from New York City. LaGarde stays busy operating a farmers market and musical festival in Saxaphaw each week from May until October, plus other cultural events. He also has an architectural salvage firm, selling antique products to help restore old homes.

While at UNC, LaGarde led the ACC in field-goal percentage (61.2) in 1976. That year he also played on the U.S. gold-medal winning Olympic basketball team guided by his college coach, Dean Smith. LaGarde later earned an NBA championship ring with the 1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics, but knee problems -- which led to several surgeries -- prematurely ended his pro career.

After retiring from pro basketball in '86, LaGarde worked in New York, including four years with Morgan Stanley, a financial services company. He also played in and started a roller skating basketball league for kids and adults, a low-impact sport easier on the knees.

"It was nonprofit, very little money ... [but] it helped a lot of kids," LaGarde said.