Pro basketballer leaves the sport behind to open his own car tuning shop

Leo Lyons, a former professional basketball player, has taken a surprising sidestep after leaving the court – opening his own car tuning shop.

While most retired players turn to coaching or business ventures, Lyons chose to follow his passion for cars.

He even started as a mechanic’s apprentice at a Subaru dealership to learn the ropes.

Now that’s dedication.

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Leo Lyons opens his own car tuning shop

Lyon’s love for the wheels didn’t come with age, he had it within him since childhood, just like five-year-old Zayn Sofuoğlu, who drove a Lamborghini Revuelto at 194mph.

His personal garage is not worth overlooking either, featuring gems like a widebody Porsche 997 and a custom BMW E30 Touring.

Lyon’s love for widebody cars only grew when he started playing in Japan, where there’s a huge widebody car culture.

Then came his meeting with the RWB (Rauh-Welt Begriff) and a meeting with its founder, Akira Nakai, which sparked a dream of opening his own shop.

“Seeing him work and being around him, and seeing how people revere him to this day has always motivated me to want to do exactly what he does,” Lyon said.

Leaving the game to follow his passion

Over the years, Lyons built connections with people in the car community and earned enough money through his basketball career to create his ideal setup.

His modified Porsche, with a slantnose kit from Japan, and his turbocharged BMW E30 Touring, his ‘dad car,’ were just the beginning of his collection.

Lyons said he walked away from basketball because he no longer loved the game.

“Sometimes I just don’t want to do things that I don’t love,” he said.

Now the former pro-basketballer says he follows his passion by creating cars that remind him of his childhood.