It’s been awhile since you’ve heard Larry Sanders’ name, but his impact on the sports landscape is still felt six years later.

For those who have forgotten, the former NBA big man was a rising player just six short years ago.

The former Milwaukee Bucks forward was a defensive menace at the hoop. In fact, Sanders was such an intimidating presence down low that he ranked No. 1 in block percentage and No. 2 in blocks per game during the 2012-13 season.

That performance landed Sanders Defensive Player of the Year consideration and netted him a four-year, $44 million contract during the 2013 offseason.

However, multiple violations of the NBA’s drug policy due to marijuana, a night club altercation that resulted in a torn ligament in his right thumb, and a stint on the Bucks’ inactive list due to personal reasons all halted the young star’s rise.

The former Bucks forward feels like he was often targeted by the league to be made an example out of for his use of marijuana.

“A lot of guys who were in the drug program didn't get fined, didn't get suspended,” reveals Sanders. “They didn’t have to go to rehab. Some of the guys never went through the things I went through with the drug program. I was micro-dosed. I used such a small amount. I’m not even sure it was showing up in my drug tests. I was just turning myself in. I was telling on myself out of fear.”

Sanders would play in just 50 games combined during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

And then out of nowhere, Sanders shook the sports world when he announced his retirement in February of 2015 at the age of 26. At the time, Sanders hadn’t appeared in a game for two consecutive months.

Sanders — in the midst of his prime and a rich new contract — was walking away from the game of basketball due to anxiety and depression.

“My agent at the time, Dan Fegan, calls me and says, ‘There's nothing we can do. You have to come back. You have to at least show up to practice. If you don't, they're going to sue you, they're going to come after your contract, they're going to take everything you've got,’” reveals Sanders.

“I hung up the phone. I called them an hour later and said, ‘I'm retired from the NBA. But I’m doing it for free. I don’t want any money. Schedule a press conference so that when I get back after All-Star break in Milwaukee, I can let everyone know why I retired for free,’” says Sanders.

“They call me back within 15 minutes and we have a deal. $15 million to just not come back type of thing. It was a rough way out,” Sanders says.

At the time, it was unheard of for an athlete to retire from the game for such a reason. Sanders would pave the way for other athletes to be able to open up about their mental health.

Although Sanders may have never been a big star, he ended up becoming a pioneer.

DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love and swimmer Michael Phelps would eventually come out with their own stories of anxiety and depression in the ensuing years.

Fast forward to present day in 2021, and Sanders is happier than he’s ever been. The 32-year-old is a father and a husband and now leads his own business — where he designs jeans and works with famous celebrities in the entertainment world.

“I started a company called ‘Citizens Of Matter,’” says Sanders. “It was an artist incubator at first. But then we started to move into the fashion and I started to meet all of these people in this world with a company called ‘Hunt's City.’ We initially developed jeans for men with a taller build. Then it sort of molded into an everybody brand. Now we're making stuff for everybody and every size.”

Sanders also works with a company called “Click,” which produces a marijuana spray.

“It’s really the first of its kind,” explains Sanders. “We’re a fast-acting nano spray — which just isn’t on the market. The guys that are behind that are myself, Omri Casspi, the Morris brothers (Markieff and Marcus) and Rudy Gay.”

“I do basic development, handle ‘Click’s’ social media and all of their content development. I’m just creative. I thrive off of creation,” continued Sanders.

While Sanders is doing well as an entrepreneur and businessman, he very much has the desire to return to the NBA — but the league’s policies on marijuana have to change in order for that to happen.

“I feel like the stage is kind of being set,” Sanders believes. “The NBA is becoming more open-minded with their marijuana policy. Whether they're going to test or not. Whether they'll have guys in the drug program or not. I don’t know if people know how much of a factor that is for me.”

Sanders explains why it’s an absolute must for the NBA to change its policies relating to marijuana when it pertains to a possible return.

“It’s important because I left the NBA in the drug program,” says Sanders. “If I were to return clean, I will still have to be in the drug program for two years. That means being drug tested twice a week, always letting them know what my schedule is, where I’m traveling over the summer. They have the ability to put me in rehab and send me anywhere they want at any time. That is the part I don’t want to be involved in.”

Despite being away from the league for several years, Sanders feels he can still immediately step in and contribute to a team.

He cites his niche as a defensive anchor, his presence as a vocal leader and his history of avoiding major injury as major assets that he can bring to a contending team. Sanders likens himself to the role that Draymond Green fills for the Warriors.

“I know athletic-wise, I can play in the league considering my build and what I can do on the court. I feel like I was one of the first bigs to do what they're looking for now in bigger players,” Sanders explains.

Sanders previously made a short return to the NBA in the midst of the 2016-17 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was after two years of not touching a basketball since his initial retirement — literally.

The signing was in the midst of the Cavaliers’ rivalry with the Golden State Warriors — the two teams faced off for four consecutive years in the NBA Finals — and Cleveland was in an arm’s race with Golden State when it came to signing key players to gain an advantage.

The arm’s race reached a peak after Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors following the Cavaliers’ epic 2016 NBA Finals win over Golden State. What then ensued that season was Cleveland’s acquisition of veterans such as Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut and eventually Sanders.

After workout sessions with the Warriors and the Miami Heat, Sanders then worked out for the Cavaliers. Cleveland offered him a deal shortly after the workout — something the Warriors and the Heat did not do immediately — and Sanders accepted the offer.

In hindsight, the 6-foot-11 big would have done things differently.

“I was excited,” says Sanders. “I wanted to play with LeBron James. Looking back, I maybe would have waited. I wanted to go to Golden State. It was a dream of mine to play in Golden State that year.”

What then ensued was a rather forgettable stint with the Cavaliers. After a month with the team and just five appearances, Sanders was released after missing the team bus from the hotel to the airport while the Cavs were in Miami following a game.

“The team had so many issues,” Sanders goes on to explain. “There were a lot of internal issues. We didn't know if LeBron and Kyrie Irving were leaving. They had the scuffle on the bench between LeBron and Tristan Thompson. There was a lot of stuff going on internally.”

“I remember being in the midst of it and I’m like the seventh, eighth or ninth project they have. I don't think they knew what to do with anybody,” Sanders continued.

While Sanders hasn’t played in the NBA since, it doesn’t mean that his basketball career ended after his Cavaliers stint.

He played the 2019 season for Ice Cube’s BIG3 League, appearing for the 3 Headed Monsters. Sanders displayed his usual abilities at the rim, ranking second in the league in blocks.

Although the 2020 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BIG3 League is set to return for the 2021 season — and so will Sanders.

Sanders is hoping to lead a team as a captain during his sophomore campaign in the 3-on-3 league. He also is well aware that a strong performance in the league may lead to a potential return to the NBA — maybe as soon as the 2021-22 season.

While Sanders still loves the game of basketball, he doesn’t need a return to the NBA.

“I want to be a part of a situation that accepts me,” says Sanders. “Right now what I do in life, I can live my life. I can smoke, I can go to work, and I get paid a lot and I do what I love to do. What I’m doing now could last for 70 years.”

Even if a return to the league is out of the cards, there’s no doubt that Sanders made his mark during his short time in the NBA.

To top it all off, he’s carved out his own path by utilizing his creativity to become a successful entrepreneur.

“People value my brain and not just my body,” says Sanders. “I think for a human, it's great. I’m valued now more as a person than when I played.”

The 6-foot-11 big man stresses that he doesn’t want to necessarily be remembered as a basketball player.

Instead, he wants to serve as an inspiration to others that they can achieve their dreams — even if that path doesn’t appear to be the easiest.