Lessons Learned in the Classroom and on the Court Secure Former Aztec Hoops Star and NBA Forward’s Success in the Corporate World

By Suzanne Finch

Kramer, who played professionally for NBA’s Phoenix Suns for five years and one year for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, parlayed the accounting degree he earned at San Diego State University into a successful business career at the end of his playing days. 

Now the CEO of Associated Asset Management, LLC (AAM) in Tempe, Arizona, Kramer was a star forward for the Aztecs from 1973 – 78. He was also a two-time Aztec MVP, and the old Pacific Coast Athletic Association’s (PCAA) player of the year during his senior year in 1978. All the while, he was working on earning a bachelor’s degree from the school of accountancy in SDSU’s College of Business Administration (now the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy in SDSU’s Fowler College of Business). 

However, Kramer’s accounting degree wouldn’t play a role in his immediate career plans since the Suns had chosen him in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft. “After my senior year, Coach (Tim) Vezie let me know the Suns had expressed some interest in me,” he said. “Back then, the NBA Draft was 10 rounds versus two rounds today. I think I was the 63rd pick overall and the Suns’ second pick since they didn’t have a second-round pick.” 

After five years with the Suns, Kramer left the NBA at the end of 1982 season after playing in 328 games for the team. Following a single year playing in Israel, he left his life as a professional athlete behind for good. 

Shortly thereafter, he and his family settled in Phoenix where he began utilizing the skills learned in SDSU’s classroom in what would become a thriving post-basketball business career with the Phoenix branch of CBIZ, an accounting, insurance and financial advisory firm. Kramer worked at the company nearly 40 years before retiring in January 2023 as managing director, but he continues his role with AAM where he’s worked since 2005. Kramer is also a practicing certified public accountant (CPA). 

The lessons Kramer learned at SDSU, both on the court and in the classroom, still resonate with him today. “Discipline, teamwork, trust in others, and winning and losing as a joint effort were consistent values with both the team and in class,” he said. “Hard work is rewarded in both settings.”

He has some words of advice for today’s student athletes who are considering following his path into a career in professional sports. “Only an elite few enjoy a long career as a professional athlete, and in all honesty, this was not something that I expected and I was lucky. The average length is less than five years in the NBA and it’s an even shorter time in the NFL,” said Kramer. “Even more than talent, there’s a degree of luck — the right coach, injuries, and timing, for example — that you have little control over during your sports career. So, take advantage of your education and have a backup plan to secure your future.”