Former University of Kentucky Wildcat and pro basketball player Tony Delk has no time to rest on his laurels. Since 2014 he has been involved in sports broadcasting for ESPN and NBA TV, and with his own entrepreneurial ventures under TL Delk Enterprises.
There’s the Tony Delk Basketball Academy, his book “Shooter: The Story Behind the Double Zeros,” a private wine label called Lorenz00’s Reserve through Wildside Winery in Woodford County—featuring a cabernet sauvignon aged for a year in Blanton’s bourbon barrels—and, most recently, the Tony Delk IMAC Regeneration Center.
“I’m really doing things I enjoy doing. The wine being the one thing out of my comfort zone,” Delk said.
Brittney Jones
Dr. Matt Wallis and Tony Delk at the opening of The Tony Delk IMAC Regeneration Center in Lexington.
The Tony Delk IMAC Regeneration Center opened in Lexington in July 2018. IMAC stands for Innovative Medical Advancements and Care. Regenerative rehabilitation relies on noninvasive treatment options, including platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapies, for pain relief and for restoring joint health to damaged shoulders, hips, knees and other joints. The treatments are designed to help patients avoid prescription medicine, opioids and surgery.
“The process allows you to heal faster through the regeneration,” Delk said. “I like IMAC because it does everything under one roof. With my first [knee] surgery, rehab was at another location from the doctor.”
Delk also appreciates the center’s efforts in helping patients avoid prescription medications and surgery to alleviate pain. “I sustained injuries throughout my playing career and had no other options,” he said.
The center also specializes in treating degenerative health conditions including arthritis, herniated and bulging discs and knee pain, as well as acute sports injuries such as a torn meniscus, tendonitis and rotator cuff injuries. Treatments are customized by a team of medical doctors, nurse practitioners, chiropractors and physical therapists.
The IMAC Regeneration Centers were founded in Paducah in 2000 by Dr. Matt Wallis, a doctor of chiropractic. The company partners with professional athletes as brand ambassadors in geographic regions. Nashville’s brand ambassador is Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price; the Missouri locations are partnered with retired St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith; and three centers in Illinois are in the process of being rebranded as IMAC centers with Mike Ditka, former Chicago Bears football coach.
IMAC Regeneration Centers was named one of the “50 Smartest Companies of 2017” by The Silicon Review magazine, and one of the “Fastest Growing Companies in America” by INC. magazine.
“When I met Matt in Paducah and went to St. Louis and Nashville, I felt like it was family,” Delk said. “Faith, family and friends are my foundation. Those are the three things you need to have if you want to work with people.”
Courtesy UK Athletics
Delk grew up in Brownsville, Tennessee. By his junior year in high school he was being recruited for college ball and he narrowed down his choices to three universities: Memphis, Arkansas and Kentucky. “There was a connection there,” he said of Billy Donovan, then an assistant coach at UK, “with him playing my position [guard] and getting to know my family.” Delk’s mom wanted him to be a college graduate, which he accomplished with a degree in communications when he graduated in 1996. That’s also the year Delk led a team known as the “Untouchables” to the school’s sixth national title and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament.
Delk was a first-round draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets and went on to play 10 years in the NBA with eight different organizations. He then played professional basketball in Europe and returned to his alma mater in 2009 for two years on Coach John Calipari’s staff before being hired as an assistant coach at New Mexico State, where he served for two years.
“Lexington is a beautiful city. It’s my second home,” Delk said. “It’s one big family when I think about Lexington. People want to see others succeed. When you have community support, it’s the best support you can have.”