When Tate George finished his basketball career at the University of Connecticut, stardom seemed on the horizon.

Who could forget his last-second, game-winning shot against Clemson in the Sweet 16 of the 1990 N.C.A.A. Tournament? With one second remaining and the Huskies trailing by a point, 70-69, Scott Burrell heaved a full-court pass to George, who then turned around and buried a jumper to win the game, propelling Connecticut to the "Elite Eight."

And while that moment may have immortalized George forever, thanks to YouTube and ESPN Classic, his biggest lessons didn’t come from that success.

What drives him now as the head of his own real estate development company are the lessons he learned as his sports career was winding down.

In his third year with the New Jersey Nets—who made him a first-round pick in the 1990 N.B.A. Draft--he found himself headed to the bench or out of town instead of the starting role he’d expected. The Nets had drafted another phenom, Kenny Anderson, to play guard and had invested millions in him.

George remembers Nets coach Chuck Daly telling him that life wasn’t fair. Daly, George says “was letting me know that it had nothing to do with talent. It had a lot to do with the business of professional sports. Typically, the guy that makes the most money plays. It's a bigger investment. That stuck with me."

But he also learned that when he came off the bench, he needed to make the most of his opportunities when he was called upon.
 
And while George's N.B.A. career didn’t match his years at UConn, that time in the pros might have been more important to the rest of his life. It was then—during stints with three teams—that he learned life lessons, especially those four words, "Life is not fair," and to seize opportunities when you can.
 
Since he left the hardwood, he has gone on to launch the George Group, establishing the stable and substantial real development portfolio of the company that currently exceeds $500 million. His business education began with a degree from the University of Connecticut and continued with a real-world education in Wall Street banking in New York.
 
Since the founding of the George Group, he has built relationships and raised millions of dollars for an extended variety of clients in the fields of commercial development, real estate development, and international finance, as well as the entertainment and sports industries.

George's company, which has six employees in New Jersey and Florida, has put $51 million into three public/private redevelopment projects.

In New Jersey, the company will be pouring in $24 million into redeveloping 102 lots for affordable and mixed income single-family homes in Newark in Newark ($24 million) and $13 million into East Orange for 140 units for mixed income and senior housing.

In Florida, George's company will be spending $14 million to redevelop 160 units for mixed income use in Orlando. All the projects are joint ventures with the public where George's company will be contributing funds with local municipalities.

His relationships in professional sports endure and he enjoys serving as a financial mentor to young N.B.A. players. More so, the values that stem from his early career have formed the foundation for the values of the George Group: teamwork, efficient strategy, and the execution of excellence.