The 2019-20 season for Washington was a major recovery after a messy 2018-19. The Wizards were capped out and in the luxury tax with a top-heavy roster and little-to-no young players to look forward to. Although they don’t have a young star to look …
The 2019-20 season for Washington was a major recovery after a messy 2018-19. The Wizards were capped out and in the luxury tax with a top-heavy roster and little-to-no young players to look forward to. Although they don’t have a young star to look forward to yet, they now have a competent front office led by Tommy Shepard who got them back on the right path.
WIZARDS 2020-21 PAYROLL
Wizards current 2020-21 payroll. The salary cap, luxury tax, and rookie-scale amount are all subject to change if the $115 million salary cap projection decreases.
The Wizards are entering the 2020-21 offseason with $103 million dedicated to 11 players. Isaac Bonga is non-guaranteed while Anzejs Pasecniks is only $250,000 guaranteed. They are likely to operate over the salary cap and will be around $30 million below the currently projected $139 million luxury tax after signing their first-round pick. They will most likely have access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception projected at $9.8 million.
BRADLEY BEAL’S FUTURE
When Bradley Beal extended with the Wizards in 2019, all it really did was buy them one more year with him. Beal was originally set to enter free agency in 2021 provided he declined his player option. Now he has a player option for the summer of 2022, giving them approximately one more year from now for both sides to make a decision.
Beal solidified himself as one of the league’s top scorers in 2018-19 while making his second consecutive All-Star game. Unfortunately, he did not earn All-NBA honors, which would’ve allowed him to sign a designated veteran extension, or supermax, with the Wizards last summer. It would’ve added four years and $196 million to his current contract, though it is unclear if Beal would’ve signed it or if the Wizards would’ve offered the full maximum amount.
Beal managed to more than outperform his 2018-19 season with 30.5 points, 3 threes, and 6.1 assists per game this season. He is second among shooting guards in value over replacement player (VORP) and kept the Wizards at 9th place by the time the season got suspended, just 5.5 games behind the No. 8 seed in the Eastern conference. Now that the Wizards have regained stability in the front office, a combination of their youth making leaps and a healthy John Wall can be led by Beal to contention in the East.
If the Wizards feel that they will need to move on from Beal, they will be able to get a haul if they trade him this offseason. One team that can probably get a deal done now is the Oklahoma City Thunder. With multiple first-round picks owed to them by the Clippers, Heat, and Rockets over the next six drafts, the Thunder have too many to realistically make selections on. They need to trade a number of those picks, and a large combination of them should be more than enough to secure Beal. Billy Donovan being Beal’s former coach at the University of Florida also helps. The Pelicans can also make a similar offer with multiple first-round picks now that they’re in control of the Lakers draft through 2025.
Many other teams will make offers that are lighter with picks but contain established players and young assets. The Nets, who are reportedly looking to add a third star, can offer a combination of Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and Spencer Dinwiddie. If the Hawks decide to expedite their timeline, they could package some of DeAndre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Kevin Huerter. Depending on how the Wizards project Michael Porter Jr., perhaps a package that includes him, Gary Harris, and multiple first-round picks can get it done. The Warriors could offer Andrew Wiggins with their Top 5 pick this year and the Wolves Top 4 protected 2021 pick. Many other teams such as the Bulls, Kings, Blazers, Wolves, and Pacers might be looking to make an upgrade at shooting guard and could offer theirs as part of a bigger package for Beal.
These are all very strong returns that could set up the Wizards for a strong future without Beal. There is a good possibility that there won’t be a bidding war as competitive for him in 2021 as in 2020, so the Wizards should at the very least listen to all offers for him.
DAVIS BERTANS FREE AGENCY
When the Wizards acquired Davis Bertans from the Spurs, they probably didn’t anticipate having to pay him more than double his current salary to re-sign him. That is the reality they are facing now that he has proved himself to be one of the top shooters in the league. The power forward averaged career-highs with 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game. His 3.7 threes per game are tied for fourth in the league and he is seventh in the league in made threes with 200. His elite shooting ability allows him to fit onto any team seamlessly.
Every team with the mid-level exception will offer it to Bertans, but he is looking at receiving offers in the $15-20 million range annually. Teams who can make such offers include the Hawks, Hornets, Pistons, Heat, Knicks, and Suns, all of whom can generate at least $24 million in cap space. The Wizards have Bertans’ full Bird rights, allowing them to re-sign him to up to the maximum if needed. All indications are that the Wizards see him as a part of their future and intend to re-sign him, especially after declining trade offers for him that include first-round picks.
HEAD COACH
Head coach Scott Brooks will be in the final year of his contract next season. Brooks was hired under former general manager Ernie Grunfeld, so it is unclear if views him as his coach long-term. If Brooks is the guy going forward, it would make sense to give him an extension before getting too deep into next season.
Draft
The Wizards were 24-40 by March 11 when the season got suspended. Unless they jump in the lottery, they are looking at the ninth pick in this year’s draft. With no clear starting small forward, the Wizards could look to add the best one available. The 2020 draft has several small forwards at the top of the draft the Wizards could potentially choose from. The Wizards also have the 37th overall pick they received from the Chicago Bulls for Tomas Satoransky.
BYU Cougars star forward Yoeli Childs is one of the most accomplished prospects who will be available in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.
BYU Cougars star forward Yoeli Childs is one of the most accomplished prospects who will be available in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.
Childs became the first player in BYU history to score 2,000 points and record 1,000 rebounds during their time at the program. He earned 1st Team All-West Coast Conference honors and was a Top 5 Finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year in 2019-20.
The 6-foot-8 forward caught up with HoopsHype about his four years at BYU and what his next plans are moving forward.
Note: This transcription has been minorly edited for clarity. Full video of Childs is included below.
How have you been preparing for the NBA draft?
Yoeli Childs: We’re definitely living through some unique times. It’s very different from anything we’ve ever seen before. I’m trying to do everything I can to stay prepared. I’m lucky enough to be a person that has access to a gym. I practice shooting drills in the morning. By the afternoon, I head back home to eat, hit the weights, and then I head back to the gym at night time to practice more shots. I’m done with school, so I’m doing all I can to stay focused. I’ve been doing everything I can to work on my body and my game everyday.
You were able to get your degree going back to BYU during your final season, how important was that for you, and how has it helped shaped your character?
YC: It’s an amazing feeling being able to get a degree. It’s very important to me and my family. Going back to school was something that I was really excited about. I was very happy about going back to a great school like BYU.
What drew you to playing basketball for BYU in the beginning? What was your experience like playing there for four years?
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
YC: It’s the greatest university in the world, in my opinion, and I didn’t always know that. Growing up, I wasn’t a member of the church and I never really thought that I would go to BYU. It was the people at BYU that drew me in. I remember being a senior in high school when I met Coach Rose. We had a conversation about where I could be, and I’ll never forget that moment we shared. I was asking him what he could see my role being, what his vision was, and where he saw me playing as a freshman. I’ll never forget what he said: ‘I’m not going to promise you anything but a fair chance. Because if I promise you something, I’m promising 13 other guys something, and I’m not going to do that. I think you’re someone who could make the most out of a fair chance.’ I loved that integrity. I loved that honesty. Those are the types of people you meet at BYU. They’re hard-working people who put their heads down, grind, and love each other. The whole community is a family. My experience here has been incredible. BYU turned me from a boy to a man and now I’m ready for the next step because of them.
BYU had a Top 10 offense this season and were a delight to watch. What was your role on that offense and how did you guys become such a dynamic winning program?
YC: I think my role was to space the floor and to be someone who could throw the ball into the post and force the defense to make decisions. We had so many different options offensively and so many different guys who were willing to make plays who could score on all three levels. We’re one of the few offenses on the college level that, almost at all times, had five guys on the floor who could shoot, dribble, and pass. I think our versatility on the offensive end helped us out a ton. I’m just glad I was able to contribute to that. It was such a fun year with a special group of guys.
BYU finished as the top-ranked team in three-point percentage within all of college basketball. I think a lot of people were surprised by your three-point percentage. Your jump shot improved so much during your four years in college. You were shooting nearly 50 percent as a senior. Tell me about where it’s at right now?
Yoeli Childs short chart in 2019-20 (via Synergy Sports)
YC: I feel very confident in my three-point shooting ability. I’ll give a lot of credit to head coach Mark Pope and the staff here. My first three years, I was able to get better at shooting the ball because I would constantly be repping out shots. That was the way that I knew how to get better at the game of basketball. I would take something that was a weakness, and I would constantly rep it out until I was good at it. I was able to progress that way. Going into my senior year, staff taught me to constantly deliver at practice. They taught me, not just to go out and shoot a bunch of shots, but to be very deliberate about what you’re working on. We really prioritized three things. The first thing we worked on was getting the ball to come off of the right fingers. My ball would come off of my pinky and ring finger a lot. We worked on being mindful of having the ball come off of my pointer and middle finger. Secondly, we worked on being consistent in the shot. If you look back at my film, most of my 3-point attempts come off of me stepping into my shot with my left foot, then my right foot. I think that consistency helped me a lot. Thirdly, we talked about owning my finish. I used to pull out of my shot, but we talked a lot about coming off the shot with a strong finish. I think the combination of those three things elevated my shot to the next level.
You are an incredibly efficient finisher on pick-and-pop possessions. How much did you work on your role in that playstyle during your time at BYU?
BYU senior Yoeli Childs will be represented by Keith Kreiter + Sam Cipriano of @Edge_Sports. The big averaged 22.2 PPG and 9.0 RPG per game. He shot 22-for-45 (48.9 percent) on 3-pointers. Among all D1 players who had as many pick-and-pop possessions, only one was more efficient. pic.twitter.com/rQOeL3BM5j
YC: A ton. Coach Pope is unbelievable at teaching the pick-and-roll, straight-line drives and concepts of catching the ball first. He’s done it all throughout his career at Utah Valley University. He had some amazing guys in the pick-and-roll and in the pick-and-pop. It’s something that we worked on a ton in the offseason and throughout the season.
Where do you see your offensive role being at the next level?
YC: I can be someone that comes in as a high energy, high character and high IQ guy. I’m going to carve out a role for myself as someone who crashes the offensive glass, plays hard, communicates on every possession, and shows up to practice every day and competes like it’s the NBA Finals. Every team needs guys like that. I know that with some of the natural gifts I have, I’m able to finish with touch in different ways around the rim. I’m someone who’s able to stretch the floor and create space for a lot of high level drivers in the NBA. I would love to come in and create a role that way, and continue to expand my game every year.
In what ways will you be able to contribute to a team immediately?
YC: I think I can immediately contribute with my energy and my ability to rebound the basketball. They always say that rebounding translates well from college to the NBA. I think every team needs guys who rebound at a high level. Another thing I think I can do well is space the floor. Most NBA teams are transitioning into a five-out style of play and having at least four shooters out on the court. I think I can stretch the floor, rebound the basketball, play hard, and make high energy plays.
I completely agree. I know your defensive rebounding percentage was Top 10 in the nation. I believe that’ll be a huge part of your identity moving forward as well. Where does that instinct come from? Where did you get an elite level mentality for defensive rebounding?
(AP Photo/Young Kwak)
YC: I’ve always loved rebounding. As a kid, I would go to YouTube and watch NBA greats like Dennis Rodman. I loved watching him. I’d watch his highlights almost every single day. I loved the way that he fought for positioning and the effort he played and competed with. I realized that it doesn’t matter how skilled you are or how tall you are. If you compete and understand rebounding angles, you can be an elite rebounder. I think it really is all about effort.
What are some things you’ve picked up while watching The Last Dance documentary? Obviously, Dennis Rodman is highly featured in that, but I’m curious what you’ve learned from it?
YC: I love the intensity that those guys had. Watching Michael Jordan and the way he competed every single day, I think is the biggest takeaway for me. You can’t have all this success without falling in love with the process and the journey. That’s what I’m doing right now. I’m embracing the day-to-day work and falling in love with getting better every single day.
What NBA players come to mind when you are selecting film to watch?
YC: My No. 1 guy has always been Paul Millsap. I love his game. I think we’re a similar size and build. I love the way he was able to come into the NBA and create that role where he was a hustle guy. He was a cutter. He rebounded the ball well. He played hard. Every single year he was able to expand his game. He was able to shoot the ball better. He improved his handles. He improved his lateral quickness. I think he’s a guy who has a route that I can follow. The other two guys I love are Draymond Green and Kenneth Faried when he was in Denver. A lot of times when we talk about Draymond, we mention his defensive versatility, and I love that, but I also love his playmaking abilities in the open court. I think he’s very good in transition in knowing when to give the ball up, knowing when to push it all the way to the rim, and knowing when to stop and hand the ball off to a guard. I love his decision making in those types of plays. With Faried, I loved the ferocity that he played with. Those are three undersized guys with similar size and builds, and there’s different things that I love to pick from each of their games.
How would you describe yourself as a distributor and someone who can make plays in a bigger position? I think that’s part of your game that gets underrated. Your assist percentage was almost 20%, which as among the best of guys that are 6-foot-8 or taller in the NCAA.
(AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
YC: I love playing basketball the right way. It’s as simple as that. I’ve always had a feel for finding open guys, passing up good shots for great shots. That’s what made our team special. That’s something I can bring to the next level. I can be a guy that can make the right decision. It’s really important for teams to have guys that can shoot, dribble, and pass. I know that the passing part is underrated at times and I think it’s very important for any elite offense.
Where do you see your role in the NBA on defense? I think at 6’8, you’ll be playing a lot of the four, but you just as easily could play as a three or as a five. Who do you see yourself guarding at the next level?
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
YC: Right now, I see myself as a four in a small-ball lineup. I think I’m more laterally quick than I am able to show. I’m really excited for the opportunity to not worry about foul trouble and be able to give my all on that end of the floor. I’m in that four or five spot. But I love to work and I love to get better. I’m going to continue expanding my game, get quicker, become more athletic, and eventually be someone who can switch onto any player on the court.
Realistically, we’re probably not going to have an NBA combine. If we did though, what exercises do you think you’d thrive in?
YC: We did some tests with our team using BAM Athletics. They do a lot of stuff with the combine. If you compared the numbers that I tested to last year’s combine then I’d be Top 3 in every category for forwards. I think I’m a lot more athletic than I get credit for. I have about a 37-inch vertical, 7-foot wingspan and an 8-foot-10 standing reach. I can’t remember exactly what my lane agility numbers were but I think I would have been number two for forwards last year.
I also think seniors are going to have a bit of an advantage in this draft process than previous years because you have more of a body of work to pull from. What do you think teams are going to see from you and be impressed by with your film?
YC: I think the biggest thing they’ll recognize is that I’m someone who continually gets better. All four years at BYU, I got better. I take pride in my work ethic and my ability to get better every single day. I always think in the long scheme of things. I feel that if I can get a little bit better every day, then I’ll be able to accomplish where I want to be. I think they’ll see that I get better every year, that I rebound the ball and that I’m a great teammate who communicates with the other players. They’ll see my progress in being able to stretch the floor, my transition defense and my ball-screen defense.
You played mostly on the ball as a senior but how do you think that you’d do in an off-ball situation, especially in the beginning of your career?
YC: I feel like, the last couple of years especially, I’ve been the focal point of the offense. Defenses are really tuned in on me. I think I can be even more efficient as a player when I’m playing in a different role that has me stretching the floor, getting dump-offs, cutting hard and all of those different areas. I think that I can take the things that I am good at with my touch, my ability to finish around the basket, stretching the floor. I can use that to become an even more efficient player.
I know that you guarded the jump-shot really well, maybe a lot better than people realized. Players shot only 24% off the catch and 22% off the dribble when you were guarding them. What are some of the ways that you prioritized guarding the jumper and how did you become such an elite perimeter defender in that sense?
YC: That was a huge emphasis for our whole team and a huge emphasis for me personally. I give so much credit to Coach Pope and the staff over at BYU. They were honest every single day. We would do drills from warm-ups, all the way to the end of practice that focused on not giving up catch-and-shoot 3’s, guarding the middle, and working on different angles. I believe it was a combination of great coaching and a great work ethic. Not just by me, but by the entire team.
What advice would you give to Matt Haarms, or to another player heading into the BYU program next year about playing for Coach Pope?
YC: Trust him. Trust Coach Pope. He says all the time that there will be days where we’re going to be pissed at each other. They’re days where you will be wanting to punch me in the face, but he always said that that’s part of the game. That’s how you’re going to become great. No matter what, trust him. Going into this last season, we went over to Italy. He talked to us about the concept of playing for each other and not worrying about yourself. Not worrying about individual stats or accolades. Understanding that if you play the right way, everything else takes care of itself. I’ve never been around anyone else who was so good at inspiring confidence in his guys and teaching them to play the right way. I love that dude and I love that program. Anyone who plays for the program I would say, trust in that staff and trust in your teammates, because if you do those things you will not only have a great season, but you’ll also have the most fun playing basketball that you’ve ever had.
What are some of your favorite memories playing for BYU? What are some things that you’ll look back on and appreciate?
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
YC: It’s funny, I have a ton of great memories. There are big ones like when we beat Gonzaga when they were number 1 my freshman year. My senior night this year. First time being ranked in however many years, playing the number two team in the country on our senior night, being able to knock them off, and playing such a great game. The greatest memories are the brotherhoods that I made. The little things in the locker room or training rooms after practice. The inside jokes you get back and forth with the guys. I talk to someone on my team every day. The relationships I’ve built from those small moments and the moments off the court have been amazing. We’re a brotherhood and we’ll be brothers forever.
Have you had a chance to talk with some of the BYU guys from the NBA, and if so, what advice have they given you?
There it is! Yoeli Childs becomes BYU’s all-time leading rebounder, passing Kyle Collinsworth! 😤 #1048 pic.twitter.com/PltY57h1KP
YC: These guys are unreal. The guys who have helped me throughout my career are guys like Brandon Davies. He played a couple years in the NBA and now he’s in the Euroleague. Also, Kyle Collingsworth, who played with the Mavericks a couple years ago and now he’s in the G League. Those two, since my freshman year, would come play pick-up with us. Afterward, I’d ask them questions and pick their brains. They’d give me advice on how to get better and ways to improve my game for thirty minutes every time after pickup. Those guys have been helping me out for four years, and I’ll always be grateful for them. I’m really excited for the opportunity to be that guy for this next generation of BYU basketball players.
I think you’ll be a great advocate and player to have in their corners. What are some goals that you have for yourself moving forward? What are some things that you’d like to accomplish on the court?
YC: My biggest goal is to get better every single day. I would love to have an amazing rookie season and take the world by storm. I understand that there’s a process that’s bigger than me. I understand that God’s in control. As long as I try to live right and do everything I can to get better every single day, then everything else will take care of itself. That’s my number one goal. I’m trying to shoot the ball better every day. I’m working on my body, my handle, and my lateral quickness every day. Those are some of the more detailed goals, but I know that if I get better every single day, everything will work out.
What about some of your goals off the court? I know that you have a family and a lot of other things beyond basketball that you’re thinking about.
YC: I’ve been married for about a year and a half. I think the most important thing that you can do is to be an amazing husband. I try to take care of my wife every day and make sure that she feels special. It’s important to be a good person, especially to the people closest to you. I love spending time with my family and my in-laws. It’s important for me to treat everybody the same way, be kind to people, and not be thinking about myself so much. I think service is very important to me as well. I want to be a good example for the next generation of people coming out. I want to do everything I can to make them proud, and show them that you can accomplish your dreams while being a good person. You can accomplish your dreams by doing things the right way, building yourself up, building the people around you up, and doing all of that without tearing others down.
What are some of the things you like to do when you aren’t playing basketball?
YC: I’m super laid back off the court. I love spending time with family, either watching a series with my wife or reading a book with her. It’s kinda weird, but I’ve been getting into baking lately. We’ll see if it sticks, but it’s been pretty fun and relaxing during this quarantine. That’s my weird hobby.
What are some of the things you like to bake?
YC: I’ve been baking banana bread chocolate chip cookies. They’re a little healthier than chocolate chip cooking, but I’m not going to say that they’re healthy. They absolutely slap. They’re moist and they’re bomb. I try to eat one of them and give the rest away.
In terms of movies, television, and music, what are some of the things that you’ve been watching and listening to?
YC: The show my wife and I have been watching lately is called Person of Interest. It’s a crime thriller type of show. I like to listen to chill music. I’ve always liked rap, hip-hop, RnB, that type of stuff, but the guys I’ve been listening to lately are Frank Ocean, Sam Smith and Troye Sivan. More chill and laid back artists.
Who do you listen to before a game?
YC: I’ve gotta be chill before a game and try to relax as much as I can. I’m super competitive and get amped up before a game. Some people try to get really hype, but for me, I gotta calm myself and bring my emotions down.
How would you describe your competitive nature in comparison to other athletes that you’ve met?
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
YC: I’m insanely competitive. You can ask any of my teammates or coaches. I’ve always been that way. My family makes fun of me because I was the kid who would flip the board game if I lost. I almost hate to lose more than I love to win. We have a leader board at practice that keeps track of every single win you have in drills and every win your team gets. I’m always at the top of that list. Every single drill means the world to me. I treat it like it’s the biggest game of my career. I love to win, I love to compete, and I’m definitely a fighter. No matter what the situation is, no matter what the score is, or what the outcome is, I’m always coming to compete and play every game like it’s my last.
What kind of player and person do you want NBA teams to know they’re getting out of you?
YC: I think they’re going to get a person who likes to compete every day. Someone that’s going to fight and treat every single day at practice like it’s the biggest practice of their life. I’m going to do things the right way. I’m someone who’s going to be honest and has integrity. I’m going to be someone that coaches don’t have to worry about. Coach Pope has talked to me before about what it takes to succeed in the NBA. Ther are so many personalities and different guys to worry about. I’m one of the guys you don’t have to worry about. I’ll bring it every day. I’m going to get better every day. I’m going to do what’s asked of me and become elite at whatever I need to become elite at.
Given the productivity that you had and the efficiency at which you did it with, why do you think that people have been sleeping on you? Does that fuel you at all?
YC: I try not to think about it too much because it’s out of my control. In college, I posted so much. In the NBA, you don’t post up very much. Most posts are taking advantage of switches and things like that. I think there would be something that goes into that. I’m not too worried about what other people think because I can’t control that. I’m going to focus on what I can control and that’s working on my game, getting better every day and treating people right. I feel as long as I do that, everything will work out like it’s supposed to. I think whoever gets me is going to get a steal, because I’m someone who’s going to get better every single day and every single year.
I think that you are definitely a NBA player, but what are your thoughts on the G League and potentially starting out there? How do you think that you would do in that kind of environment?
YC: I think that I’ll thrive in that environment. It’s been my dream to play in the NBA, but I just want to get better. If a team feels that playing in the G League and developing there is what’s going to get me better then that’s what I want to do. I try not to get too focused on what’s directly in front of me. I want to look at myself and my career when I’m 27, 28, or 29 years old. Where am I going to be then? I try not to focus on what’s right now and what’s directly in front of me. I try to look at the bigger picture. I want to be in whatever situation is going to help me get better.
I think that’s the right approach and that’ll pay off in the long run. Anything else do you think would be interesting to add? Whether it’s about your background, your family, or anything else that you think people would be interested to hear about you?
YC: We could talk about my family a little bit. I give all the credit and everything that I am to my mom. I grew up with a single mother. She did everything for me and my younger brother. She sacrificed for both of us. The relationship that we have is deep. I’ll always be grateful for her and the things she’s done for me and continues to do for me. When you have someone in your life like that, when you have someone that literally sacrifices everything in their life for you, you get perspective. You understand what it means to be a leader. What it means to sacrifice. What it means to be a part of something bigger than yourself. My mom’s my hero. Everything that I am is because of her. I always say, if I could be half the person that she is, then I’ll be a really successful person. My mom’s amazing, my family’s amazing, and I’m blessed to have the amazing people in my life that I have. For people watching and listening, it’s important to know that regardless of your circumstance, the best life for you is your life. I’ve thought that now going into this great opportunity, and I’ve thought that while things weren’t so great. It’s important to love the people around you. I’m grateful for all the relationships I’ve built, starting with my mom, all the way to my wife, and all the coaches and friends in between. I’m a grateful and happy person. I think we all need a little more joy and positivity in our lives.
After the game is all over, could you see yourself coaching, becoming a front office executive, or other basketball-related jobs?
YC: I love basketball so much, I can’t imagine my life without it. I think the most important things to me are basketball and helping people. I would love to coach some day and be able to impact young men in the ways that coaches have impacted me. I would also love to give back and start a foundation for single parents all across the country. That’s the situation that I lived through, and I thought it would be amazing for people to help others in situations like that. After my career, who knows what’s going to happen, but I’d love to do those two things.
On this episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, Alex Kennedy is joined by NBA agent Erik Kabe, who works for BDA Sports Management representing players such as Philadelphia 76ers guard Josh Richardson and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams. Erik discusses his career, the trend of agents transitioning to NBA front-office jobs, how COVID-19 may impact the 2020 NBA Draft and more. Time-stamps are below!
:35: Erik discusses when he realized he wanted to become an agent and how he got his start as an intern at BDA Sports Management.
2:30: Erik talks about how the agent business is very competitive and shares advice for aspiring agents.
4:40: Some agents say that the hardest thing to do is sign your first client. Erik discusses whether this is true and how he goes about recruiting clients.
7:05: An agent can spend years getting to know a player and his family, but then the player signs with another agent. Erik talks about dealing with that rejection and how tough it can be.
9:00: Agents can be fired in an instant and while they still get the commission from any deals they negotiated, there’s not much long-term security. Erik discusses this and how rival agents try to poach players.
11:40: Erik shares his favorite and least favorite aspects of his job.
14:55: Erik discusses how he identifies under-the-radar prospects and how he goes about recruiting them and showcasing them to NBA teams.
18:58: How much does a player’s character or personality affect whether Erik wants to represent them or how he pitches them to NBA teams?
21:30: With more and more agents transitioning to NBA front-office jobs, Erik discusses how an agent’s skill-set and expertise translate to an executive role with a team.
23:10: Does Erik have any interest in transitioning to an NBA front-office job in the future?
28:10: Does Erik think the NBA will finish the 2019-20 season?
29:35: The 2020 NBA Draft could be very different this year. Alex and Erik discuss how the pre-draft process will be affected and which prospects could be impacted the most.
If you’re interested in advertising on The HoopsHype Podcast, email hoopshype@hoopshype.com for more information.
When discussing GOAT candidates, one of the most common accolades that get brought up is the all-important number of MVP awards players won during their careers.
Magic Johnson won three during his time in the NBA. Larry Bird did, too. LeBron has four (and potentially counting). Jordan and Bill Russell have five apiece.
Abdul-Jabbar?
He’s got six, the most won by a single player ever.
Abdul-Jabbar’s first MVP award came in 1970-71, his age-23 season, just the second campaign of his career, and one in which he led the league in scoring with 31.7 points per game (57.7 FG%) while also averaging 16.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists nightly. He led the Bucks to a championship that season, too.
Abdul-Jabbar’s last MVP came in 1979-80 as a 32-year-old when he averaged 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game. He won the second title of his career that season, helping lead the Lakers to the top of that mountain that year.
He has an overwhelming amount of accolades, aside from MVPs…
Abdul-Jabbar owns the record for most All-Star appearances with 19 (he was an All-Star in all but one of his 20 career seasons), plus he made 10 1st Team All-NBAs (third-most ever) and five 2nd Team All-NBAs. That places Abdul-Jabbar tied for the most All-NBA selections all-time with James and Bryant. It should be noted, though, that Abdul-Jabbar had the unfavorable luck of playing in an era without the existence of a 3rd Team All-NBA, which didn’t come into effect until 1988, meaning instead of being tied for the most All-NBA selections, he could own the record outright right now.
On top of all that, Abdul-Jabbar was a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time scoring champion, a four-time blocks leader and a one-time rebounding champion. He’s also one of just two players, along with David Robinson, to have led the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks throughout their careers.
He might have done most of that in an era not considered the most talent-laden in league history, but either way, Abdul-Jabbar’s list of accolades is absurdly impressive. And for someone who arrived in the NBA with a ton of fanfare and hype after his illustrious college career, he more than lived up to expectations.
His peak and longevity are unmatched…
Abdul-Jabbar’s statistical peak – a seven-year stretch from when he was 22 until he was 29 – was insane. Over that run, the big man averaged 30 points, 15.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, winning one title in those seven years, taking home a Finals MVP, while also being named MVP four times and making 1st Team All-NBA five times.
Even if Abdul-Jabbar’s production had fallen off a cliff after that point, he would have been a Hall-of-Famer. The fact that the UCLA legend would go on to have another ten extremely high-level campaigns after that just goes to show why he is often mentioned as a GOAT candidate.
Abdul-Jabbar won four more titles after his statistical seven-year peak, even being named Finals MVP in 1985, putting an unheard-of 14-year gap between his two Finals MVP awards, a record for the longest stretch between a player’s first and last such trophy.
Considering the average NBA career lasts just under five seasons, that Abdul-Jabbar was performing at an elite level for such a long time is quite noteworthy when discussing his case to be considered the GOAT.
He won an awful lot…
Perhaps because he was sometimes the sidekick of those teams, maybe it’s because it happened a long time ago, but for whatever reason, when discussing GOATs, the fact that Abdul-Jabbar won six titles in his playing career doesn’t get brought up a lot.
Those six championships put him tied for the second-most since he reached the NBA along with Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Only career role player Robert Horry has more rings since Abdul-Jabbar’s debut.
His first title came in 1970-71 and he was unquestionably the top player for the Milwaukee Bucks that year, averaging 27 points and 18.5 rebounds over a four-game championship victory those Finals. And his last one came in 1987-88 when he had fallen down the Los Angeles Lakers’ pecking order third-most important player on that team behind Magic Johnson and James Worthy.
Even so, for Abdul-Jabbar to contribute to that many championships – more than all but 13 players ever – says a lot about Abdul Jabbar’s historically elite career.
Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar owns the record for most wins by a player with 1,074, which also definitely doesn’t get discussed nearly enough anymore.
Mike Powell/Getty Images
He’s the NBA’s all-time leader in scoring…
Throughout his 20-year career, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points per contest, posting 17 seasons where he averaged at least 20 points, which is tied with LeBron James and Karl Malone for the most all-time.
In total, he finished his time in the NBA with 38,387 total points scored, making him the Association’s all-time leading scorer, a record that has stood for over 30 seasons at this point. He did that without looking for foul calls or shooting a bunch of three-pointers, too.
In a sport where getting buckets is the most important endgame, the fact that Abdul-Jabbar has scored more points than anyone else, as well as cashed in more field goals than anyone else (with 15,837), goes a long way in his GOAT candidacy.
He had the most unstoppable go-to move ever…
When asked to determine the most iconic, dominant singular moves in NBA history, there’s almost always one common answer: Kareem’s skyhook shot.
He’d back down opponents no matter how long it took, sometimes fake like he was turning right before going to his left shoulder, extending his right arm to an impossible-to-block spot in the air, and toss in buckets from anywhere in the short midrange area of the floor.
And although he made it look easy at times, no player since Abdul-Jabbar has been anywhere near as effective trying to score off of hook shots, and in today’s NBA the move is basically extinct.
How frustrating must it have been for the big men of the 1970s and ’80s who knew what Abdul-Jabbar wanted to do, and yet were so rarely able to stop him? What made it even harder to stop was the fact that Abdul-Jabbar had a turnaround fadeaway jumper he could go to as a counter to the skyhook, so in all, the Bucks and Lakers legend made things impossible for foes who wanted to slow him down.
He also absolutely dominated at the college level…
Along with LeBron James, Abdul-Jabbar was one of the most hyped-up players ever, who had a ton of buzz surrounding him prior to reaching the NBA.
The reason for that is Abdul-Jabbar had arguably the greatest college basketball career in the sport’s long history, one that saw him spend three seasons at UCLA, win a national title all three seasons, be named a 1st Team All-American all three seasons, win National College Player of the Year all three seasons and be named Final Four Most Outstanding Player all three seasons.
That’s complete and utter dominance at the NCAA level, and if were to factor it into this discussion, then Abdul-Jabbar easily becomes the strongest GOAT candidate we have.
Had his prime occurred later, there might not be a GOAT debate…
Abdul-Jabbar’s GOAT candidacy gets hurt by the fact that his peak occurred in a down era historically for the NBA, one where the 7-footer didn’t have a true rival and where the sport wasn’t anywhere near as popular as it would go on to become. As you’ve probably heard countless times, the Finals were even on tape delay back then, which is hard to fathom considering the millions of people who enjoy the NBA live these days.
By the time the league saw an uptick in talent and popularity in the 1980s, Abdul-Jabbar, though still an excellent player, wasn’t the same guy who was dropping 30 points nightly over the first seven years of his career.
Let’s say Abdul-Jabbar comes along 10 years later, starting his career in 1979-80 and finishing it up in 1999-00, and it goes the exact same way: He becomes the league’s all-time leading scorer, he wins MVP a record six times, he makes 19 All-Star appearances and all that other stuff we just talked about.
Would there even be a debate about who the GOAT is right now?
Probably, just because people love to argue about sports that much, but way more people might side with Abdul-Jabbar in the discussion than those who do so now.
In all, Abdul-Jabbar didn’t have the ultra-charismatic personality of a Jordan, or a LeBron or even of a Kobe, which cost him some fans, nor did he do the bulk of his damage in a super popular, talent-laden era of the NBA, but even so, when you consider everything the sky-hooking legend accomplished in the sport, it’s hard to not give him at least some consideration when discussing who the greatest NBA player of all time is.
And Abdul-Jabbar is definitely up there.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
Having conducted a vast amount of interviews, the crew behind “The Last Dance” gave voice to many people to tell the story of Michael Jordan’s career with the Chicago Bulls. But how exactly was interview time distributed in the final cut? We watched …
Having conducted a vast amount of interviews, the crew behind “The Last Dance” gave voice to many people to tell the story of Michael Jordan‘s career with the Chicago Bulls.
But how exactly was interview time distributed in the final cut? We watched the 10 episodes of the documentary clock in hand to find out.
Of course Michael Jordan was going to be No. 1, but you may be surprised to know Steve Kerr was second in the minute count and Scottie Pippen only No. 4. (Although that’s way better than Toni Kukoc, arguably the third-best player on the 1998 championship squad).
Among the notable omissions were MJ teammates Luc Longley and Craig Hodges.
The late, great Kobe Bryant talking about his friendship with Michael Jordan. Episodes 1 to 6 of The Last Dance are now on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/lHL8WA5vzi
What happened after The Last Dance? This oral history looks back at the 1998-99 Chicago Bulls team that ushered in a new post-Jordan era.
After winning six championships in eight seasons, the Chicago Bulls’ dynastic run came to an end in the summer of 1998. Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler and Luc Longley left. Only seven players from the previous season returned in 1998-99. After totaling 62 wins (the most in the NBA) and getting their third-straight championship, the Bulls won just 13 games (the third-lowest in the NBA), joining the 1969-70 Boston Celtics as the only defending champions to miss the playoffs.
HoopsHype talked to several players from that 1998-99 Bulls squad and three writers who covered the team to discuss that difficult season, what it was like trying to fill such big shoes, the end of the dynasty and more. This story begins right where “The Last Dance” ends.
Dickey Simpkins, Bulls forward from 1994-2000: “That offseason, we saw that the transformation was starting. For us returning veterans, we kind of had to embrace it. We had a new coach coming in from college basketball and we knew we’d have a lot of young guys. We knew the rebuild was starting. It was hard to fully process the sudden change from a championship-caliber team to a rebuilding team.”
John Jackson, Bulls beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1994-1999: “[General manager] Jerry Krause was ready to break up the team at that point and [owner] Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t want to bring back the team because the Bulls’ payroll in 1997-98 was around $61.3 million and to bring the team back, it would’ve been at least $80 million. Winning championships was great for Reinsdorf, but considering the revenue they brought in in 1997-98, that wasn’t one of their more profitable years. The 1998-99 season was probably their most profitable year ever because the payroll was around $28.6 million and their revenue was roughly the same. So, Reinsdorf wasn’t opposed to breaking up the team either.”
Jud Buechler, Bulls forward from 1994-1998: “If you’re a champion, you kind of feel like you’ve earned the right to come back and try to win another one. Until someone knocks you off the top, you try to keep going and win more. Looking back, it’s kind of disappointing that we didn’t get to keep going until someone knocked us off the top.”
Scott Burrell, Bulls forward from 1997-1998: “We all wanted new contracts. I mean, I’m sure people would’ve loved to stay in Chicago. Mr. Reinsdorf had a lot to do with the team breaking up as well. Everybody blames Jerry Krause, but the owner [played a big role]. Like, you would never see [George] Steinbrenner break up the Yankees if they won five of seven World Series. They would just find a couple guys to help reload; they’d never break it up.”
Sam Smith, columnist for the Chicago Tribune from 1987-2008: “This was actually the end; unlike last time. Last time, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were still around with Phil Jackson. In 1998-99, we were sure this was going to be a losing season.”
Rusty LaRue, Bulls guard from 1997-2000: “There were so many unknowns. We get into camp and there’s a whole new system, new players, a shortened camp, a coach who never coached in the NBA coming from the college setting. It was just a totally different feel altogether in regards to the day-to-day, what was expected and the competitiveness of the team.”
Corey Benjamin, Bulls guard from 1998-2001: “They called us the Baby Bulls. We lost Michael, Scottie, Dennis, Phil, but we were still ‘the defending champions.’ I had always wanted to be a Bull and to be like Michael Jordan, so it was a dream come true when they drafted me.”
Kent McDill, Bulls beat writer for the Daily Herald from 1988-1999 (the only beat writer who covered all six titles): “Entering the year, there were no expectations. There was no reason to think the Bulls would be anything. Some people may have held out hope for a playoff bid. But, other than that, there were no expectations for that team at all.”
Kornel David, Bulls forward from 1998-2000: “Everybody knew that the big-name players had left, so the expectations were lower. It was more like people were wondering, ‘What is this team capable of doing?’”
There was a lockout during the summer of 1998, pushing the start of the 1998-99 season back to February and shortening the campaign to just 50 games.
Kent McDill: “The ingredients that went into the 1998-99 season were: decimating a championship team, getting rid of the head coach, losing the star players, starting four months late, playing 50 games, getting used to a new coach with absolutely no NBA experience and playing a majority of players who are extremely young. That’s the worst collection of ingredients I can imagine if you want anything resembling success.”
John Jackson: “For the players, it was tough – particularly since they were a young team. Once the season started, there was almost no time to practice. In a normal NBA season, there are very few days where you can have hard practices; in that 50-game season, there was almost no practice time.”
Corey Benjamin: “It made it hard. Training camp was really fast. We were running the triangle offense; I’m coming from college and they throw a 200-page book at us and tell us to learn it. We had to learn 200 pages in so little time. It was hard for us. We had back-to-backs every week and we were the defending champs, so we played on Christmas Day and were still on national television a lot.”
Due to the condensed schedule, the Bulls played 14 back-to-backs that season as well as two back-to-back-to-backs (three games in three days).
Kornel David: “There was a short preseason, a lot of back-to-backs and a new coach in Tim Floyd. Even though the system was similar (since we still played the triangle), a lot of guys were being asked to play a new role in that system and step up since MJ, Scottie and Dennis weren’t there to carry the load anymore. There was a lot of pressure. There were so many things that made that season very difficult.”
Sam Smith: “Tim Floyd was badly overmatched. He’d clearly set a goal to get an NBA head coaching job and had obviously worked Jerry Krause for years with that in mind, inviting him to practices, calling him. Krause didn’t have a lot of friends in basketball due to his nature and he tended to, understandably, gravitate to those who embraced him. Tim was like the Robert Redford character in the old movie ‘The Candidate’ where they scheme to get the job and the last scene is Redford asking, ‘What do we do now?’ Tim sought the glamor, fame and money of an NBA coach, but he really hated the NBA. It seemed obvious he’d never watched NBA games and even when he became coach, he was still talking about college games all the time. Krause’s theory was right in preparing for teenagers with the direct-to-pros era, so you want to get a college coach. He just got the wrong one.”
Dickey Simpkins: “Tim had one of the hardest jobs that a rookie NBA coach could ever have. He was coming in after a championship and taking over the best team in NBA history after they lost the best player in NBA history and the best coach in NBA history! It wasn’t fair for him to have to come in after that. That’s like someone trying to perform after Michael Jackson. But you’re an up-and-coming artist, so you do it because you want people to embrace you and recognize that you’re on the rise. But I felt for him having to follow a superstar act. I thought he did a very good job. Coach Floyd came in very humble; he didn’t come in with an ego.”
Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd
John Jackson: “That was an impossible situation. I like Tim Floyd a lot. I got to talk to him away from the [basketball] setting a lot. He was a good coach, a sharp guy, and a really nice guy. But he was in an impossible spot, having to follow Phil Jackson. It would be bad enough to follow Phil if you had a roster of All-Stars. But following Phil when you have a young, talent-challenged team? Nobody would look good in that situation.”
Kent McDill: “Phil was such a strategist and I didn’t get the sense that Tim was. I’m still not entirely sure what Jerry saw in Tim that caused him to make that move – other than the fact that Tim was nice to Jerry and went fishing with him and that sort of thing (which mattered to Jerry a lot). Taking a college coach who had never coached in the NBA and giving him a team that represented a franchise that had one six titles in the previous eight years and decimating the roster the way it was, it was as close as you can get to a no-win situation. And it was made worse by the fact that Tim wasn’t prepared for the job. But it was a bad situation and I don’t know anybody who could’ve made it better. I don’t know that Phil could’ve even manufactured anything out of that team.”
Kornel David: “He had so much weight on his shoulders to produce somehow. He would always have a bunch of papers in his hand and he’d roll them up and bounce them against his head; he seemed nervous.”
Rusty LaRue: “I’m sure there were days when he wished he would’ve stayed where he was because it probably would’ve been easier.”
Kornel David: “I think it would’ve been better if he had just started with a team that had more young guys, less vets and less pressure – maybe in a different place. There were such big shoes to fill in Chicago; that put a lot of pressure on him.”
Corey Benjamin: “The only thing Tim could do is teach the young kids because he can’t tell Ron [Harper] what to do. Ron had been in the NBA for 13 years, so Ron is going to tell Tim what to do and how to do this or that. None of the veterans disrespected Tim or anything, but Tim was a rookie like us.”
Kent McDill: “Tim Floyd was very much involved in the nightlife in Chicago. There was a place in Chicago called The Lodge and it was very popular. If you were the sort to be out at night, you would run into Tim there all the time. One time early in the season, Tim got kicked out of a home game for yelling at the refs and someone told me that before the game was over, Tim was at The Lodge. I thought, ‘That’s interesting.’ Well, beat writers meet with the coach before every game. Maybe a month later, during our pregame meeting, he was sitting in his office, his feet were up and he said something that [made me think], ‘He’s going to get thrown out tonight.’ After the meeting, I turned to another beat writer and predicted it. And he got thrown out that night! I don’t usually predict things like that, I just had a weird sense. It turned out he had party plans and he was, again, seen having a very good time at The Lodge that evening. Then, it happened a third time. Each time he was ejected, it was at home. The third time he got kicked out, we all just looked at each other like, ‘They must be having a drink special or something.’”
John Jackson: “I’ve been to The Lodge with Tim a few times. (laughs)”
Corey Benjamin: “I don’t think Tim had full control over our team. Phil had full control of his team. It was kind of like Tim was being dictated and told what to do. I don’t think Tim had full control of that team. He’s a great person, but I don’t think Tim was able to be Tim.”
Kent McDill: “It was so weird because Tim Floyd was Jerry Krause’s guy, and it was really hard to understand who was in charge of things… Jerry was around more [that season] and he had a smile on his face the whole time.”
John Jackson: “Krause was looking forward to the rebuild after the championship run just to prove how valuable he was… Krause was a hands-on guy; he went on a lot of road trips, he always made sure he was on the team bus and the team plane. He was around all the time that year. To be honest, Krause was around more that year because he didn’t have Jordan and Pippen needling him every time he came around.”
Corey Benjamin: “I believe Jerry wanted control. He didn’t have control during those dynasty years. Without Michael and the other stars, Jerry had control. He had Tim Floyd, who was his fishing partner, and Tim would do as he asked. He had young players who would do as he asked. I think teams should be teams and management should be management, and you should separate the two. Jerry always wanted to come to practices and be around the team and talk to the players. A lot of GMs don’t do that, they keep their distance. But Jerry just wanted control, and he was able to get it during those years. With the dynasty teams, he was basically told to stay upstairs. But once those guys were gone, Jerry would show up all the time.”
Dickey Simpkins: “Jerry was definitely around the team more. I could see that being challenging for the young guys who had just gotten drafted, feeling like they were under constant evaluation, but that’s part of the business. I don’t think it affected our performance.”
Corey Benjamin: “When your GM or owner is around all the time, the team isn’t comfortable. You’re always looking over your shoulder. At the end of the day, you report to the coaches, but now you’re thinking, ‘Okay, well, I have the coaches’ boss here too.’ For us, we were very uncomfortable having Jerry around all the time – riding on the bus with us, riding on the plane with us, walking around at practice. Tim was supposed to be our leader. But, to me, it looked like Jerry wanted control, and he got it. But you have to choose: do you want to win or do you want control?”
Kornel David: “I remember our first game of that season; it was in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz. As were standing in line and listening to the national anthem, I looked across the court at Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton – almost the same team that had just played the Bulls in the Finals. I looked at them and said, “Oh my God, I have to play against these guys who I just watched in the Finals?!” That was my first game, so that moment stands out for me.”
Corey Benjamin: “For the first half of the season, it was great! We got chaperoned around by police escorts because we were still that team. As a 20-year-old kid, it was unbelievable. We were getting police escorts and security was ushering us around everywhere, but then that stopped because we weren’t winning. (laughs) We didn’t win much…”
Rusty LaRue: “Losing sucks. Fifty games feels like a long time when you aren’t winning. And not only were there back-to-backs and back-to-back-to-backs, everyone was excited to give it back to the Bulls since they had been giving it out to teams for years. We got beat by 47 points or something when we played Orlando! Teams felt like, ‘Hey, those guys aren’t here anymore, so it’s time for you guys to take a hit.’”
Corey Benjamin: “There were times when we were playing against veteran teams and they’d be beating us and they’d say, ‘You guys beat us for so many years, so we’re gonna step on your necks.’ We were kids, a bunch of 20-year-olds, but they were getting revenge for what the champions had done for the past seven or eight years. They were taking their anger out on us.”
Chicago Bulls forward Toni Kukoc
Kornel David: “Obviously, the team wasn’t really good; actually, it was bad. Toni Kukoc was the best player, by far, on that team. Toni was absolutely fantastic. He was already my favorite player before I went to the Bulls and then he was incredible that year. Ron Harper was still on the team, but he was going downhill [toward the end] of his career and he was hurt, so he wasn’t the same as before.”
Dickey Simpkins: “Toni was the most underrated complementary star in the NBA, and then he transitioned into being ‘the man’ for us in the latter part of his career. Toni was an unbelievable player and talent, and he was an unbelievable teammate off the court.”
John Jackson: “Kukoc was the leading scorer and he’s a good, solid guy in the locker room, but he’s not someone who would step up and take the reins to the team. Brent Barry, who was a free-agent signing, was probably the closest thing they had to a leader at that point. But there wasn’t really a lot of strong leadership.”
Sam Smith: “The Bulls did make one significant free-agent acquisition that summer with Brent Barry. Jerry Krause had this thing where he always fell in love with certain players, like Dan Majerle, and talk about them all the time, which didn’t help them playing against Michael Jordan. Brent was one, but he was so turned off by the amateurish mess that this Bulls team was that he sort of checked out.”
Rusty LaRue: “We had a bunch of guys who were fighting for their NBA future; we didn’t have a ton of established guys. A bunch of us – me, Corey Benjamin, Corey Carr – were just fledgling NBA guys who were trying to figure it out. And with a new coach, it was difficult.
Dickey Simpkins: “It was tough losing so much, but the fans understood and were still great.”
Kornel David: “We played in front of a full house – a sold-out arena – for the next two and a half years. The United Center was sold out every night.”
Sam Smith: “The reaction from fans was mostly acceptance and appreciation of what the team had accomplished. You could never get tickets to Bulls games in the championship years, so people were thrilled just to come to the United Center to get a look at where it all happened.”
John Jackson: “The fans were as positive as could be that year because for the previous eight seasons – even in the year and a half that Jordan didn’t play – it was tough to get into the Chicago Stadium and then it was tough to get into the United Center when they moved there. That season, they still sold out every game and every crowd was enthusiastic. A lot of people who didn’t have a chance to see a Bulls game in person during the championship run were finally able to get into the building, so the atmosphere was just as electric as it was during the previous eight years. Everyone was surprisingly positive, considering how much they struggled.”
Corey Benjamin: “The fans weren’t used to us losing, so we did get booed at times. I mean, we were getting beat by teams that hadn’t beat the Bulls in, what, seven years?”
Kent McDill: “If you showed that team to a bunch of NBA experts and there was no reference whatsoever to the team they were replacing, it still would’ve been embarrassing. Who was supposed to score on that team? There was nothing that they could point to [as a bright spot]; it was ridiculous. I don’t have another word to describe it other than ‘embarrassment.’ There were so many factors that made the 1998-99 season a train-wreck.”
On April 10, 1999, the Miami Heat defeated the Bulls, 82-49. To this day, Chicago’s 49 points is an NBA record for the fewest points scored by an NBA team in the shot-clock era.
Corey Benjamin: “I remember it was very cold in that gym. It seemed like we couldn’t get anything going. Pat Riley didn’t stop it; he just let them manhandle us. I didn’t get hot; nobody got hot. I don’t know if they had ice under that court or what, but it was so cold. We got a whoopin’. It was very embarrassing. It was like they were toying with us. They put it on us. The veterans were there to pick us back up, but it was hard for them too. And it was their last season or close to it. They’d already put their retirement papers in, probably, so they were on vacation.”
Sam Smith: “It was such a mismatched and overmatched team. It was like a G League team against an NBA team by then. Miami was good, with tough interior guys like Alonzo Mourning and PJ Brown. The Bulls had zero inside presence. Brent Barry had checked out by then. I was surprised there weren’t more games like that. It was such an unusual season, with 50 games rushed, that it was difficult to take it seriously.”
Kornel David: “That was terrible. Terrible. (sighs) That was maybe our lowest point of the season. But it wasn’t just that game. There were a lot of games like that – obviously not 49-point games, but we had a lot of bad games and bad losses. It was tough. When the team is falling apart, everyone tries to put themselves in front. A lot of players in that situation think, ‘At least I can show what I’m able to do.’ We had a number of players who felt that way, especially the rookies and some of the vets. We didn’t have a team that played together. It was bad.”
Kent McDill: “The wheels came off way before that game. But what kind of coach is going to see their team go through something like that and not make some kind of changes at halftime? The whole season was an embarrassment. We were only saved by the fact that the season was half as long as it should’ve been thanks to the lockout.”
Dickey Simpkins: “I hope somebody breaks that record, so we don’t have to be known as that team. (laughs)”
Rusty LaRue: “I don’t remember much from that game, probably because I’ve blocked it from my memory. I’ve tried to forget it.”
Kent McDill: “So many people would ask me, ‘What’s it like having covered all the championship teams and now having to cover this crap?’ There were a lot of questions like that. Honestly, it almost felt like the Bulls should have folded after ‘98 because of the product they were putting on the floor.”
Dicky Simpkins: “When the season was over, it was a relief. It was almost like when you change schools and you get through that first year at the new school. You get through the ups and downs – you get through the adjustments that come with a new school, new students, new teachers – and you’re like, ‘Whew! Glad that’s over!’”
Chicago Bulls guard Corey Benjamin
Over the next few summers, Krause and the Bulls tried to attract star free agents to Chicago, but they didn’t have much luck. Instead, Krause continued to build through the draft (selecting players such as Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Marcus Fizer and Eddy Curry in the years to come).
Dickey Simpkins: “During that 50-game season, Jerry had opened up a lot of cap space and the plan was to sign two big free agents. Based on what I heard in the media and the talk around the Berto Center throughout that offseason, he was trying to get two big free agents.”
Corey Benjamin: “I had Arn Tellem as an agent and Arn represented a lot of star players. The Bulls were trying to sign free agents. I hosted Tracy McGrady, Tim Thomas and Jermaine O’Neal when we brought them in. I was there personally for those [meetings] because we were all represented by the same agent (Arn). I remember Jerry Krause told me, ‘If you can get them to sign, I’ll renew your contract.’ I don’t remember Tim Duncan coming in, but I know we wanted Duncan. But we weren’t offering them the money that other teams were offering. I remember Tracy and Jermaine telling me, ‘They’re offering me peanuts.’ They weren’t trying to max these guys out; they were trying to give these guys smaller contracts.”
Kent McDill: “That sounds right. The Bulls organization – whether it be Krause or Reinsdorf – thought that you would take a pay cut in order to be a member of the Chicago Bulls, that being associated with a franchise this successful is worth more than the money you can make elsewhere. Nobody, nobody, was buying that argument.”
John Jackson: “Those were the main guys that they were talking to; that’s who they wanted. But their free-agency plans never produced anyone and they didn’t land a superstar through the draft, so they couldn’t rebuild or even become a serious playoff contender at that time.”
Kent McDill: “I remember them going after Grant Hill, which made all sorts of sense because they needed a really good citizen and Hill was maybe the best citizen in the NBA at that time. The one thing that we heard at that time – and, amazingly, we still hear it more than 20 years later – is that nobody wanted to come in and try to follow a six-time championship team. Not only are you trying to follow in Michael Jordan’s footsteps, you’re having to follow [a dynasty]. The invitation to join the Bulls was not an attractive one, which is why nobody ever came.”
Dickey Simpkins: “I know Jerry talked to one of my former college teammates, Austin Croshere. He was trying to sign Austin, but Austin ultimately ended up signing back with Indiana on a big deal. I had direct contact with Austin [about it] since we had a relationship after playing together at Providence.”
Kent McDill: “They could’ve gotten some guys – and eventually they did – but if there’s such a thing as ‘A players’ and ‘B players,’ they were getting a lot of B- players. There was no attempt to build a cohesive unit; it was just gap filling. The pressure that Krause put on himself to create a new championship-level team caused him to make decisions that weren’t viable.”
Since the premiere of “The Last Dance,” there’s been a lot of discussion about whether the Bulls would’ve won their seventh championship in nine years had the team stayed intact for the 1998-99 season. The players believe the team would’ve won it all, while the writers believe Chicago’s run was over.
Sam Smith: “Would they have won again? No. Because that’s like saying, ‘If he hadn’t fallen off that building, he would be alive!’ Pippen was estranged for a year; heck, he had a half season sit-down strike. Rodman was melting down and did so in Los Angeles. Phil was one step into a sabbatical for a year. Michael clearly was burned out, as he was seen telling Ahmad Rashad in the documentary. Pippen had back surgery after the 1997-98 season and was never again close to the player he’d been. Also, Jordan sustained a severe cut on his shooting hand that offseason from a cigar cutter and could no longer grip the ball and would have trouble shooting. How would his legacy have looked trying to come back without any preseason or camp under those circumstances? Plus, all those Bulls reserve guys like Luc Longley, Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler got long-term contracts from new teams that I am certain all their teams regretted and made no sense for the Bulls to match. This another-year thing is so pathetic. It’s like a teenager dreaming for years about the girlfriend who dumped him. If only… Move on!”
Kent McDill: “The only thing that would’ve stopped them would’ve been Michael’s motivation. But part of Michael’s motivation (that hasn’t been mentioned in the documentary) was that number: 6. Six titles is a lot of titles. The idea of having back-to-back three-peats was the motivation that got everybody through 1997-98.”
John Jackson: “One thing that people don’t realize is that Jordan didn’t wait until the summer to make his decision about whether he was coming back; that happened pretty soon after the championship series ended. I think he was just mentally and physically exhausted and he knew that he needed a break at that point.”
Dickey Simpkins: “During the 1997-98 season, we knew that was going to be the last time that we ever played together. Phil’s approach was for us to be mentally calm, embrace the moment and cherish that last season, so we had time to process it. I don’t want to compare it to losing somebody close to you, but it’s kind of like when they’re going through something and you know at some point soon, they’re going to be gone; it wasn’t sudden. We had time to process it. Do I wish everybody could have come back again? Yeah, I wish. Do I feel like we could’ve won another championship? Yes. I believe we could’ve, especially in a 50-game season. I would’ve loved to have one more year together as a group.”
Corey Benjamin: “Yes, we would’ve won it all if those guys returned! It would’ve been a breeze, especially in a shortened season. Even in a regular season, it would’ve been a breeze! They were at the point where nobody could touch them. There was nothing missing from that team. I’m 100 percent sure we would’ve won it all that year, and Vegas will tell you that too.”
The closest that Jordan came to donning a Bulls jersey again was the time he returned to the Berto Center in November of 1999 to teach Corey Benjamin a lesson.
Corey Benjamin: “Randy Brown, Ron Harper and Dickey Simpkins were Michael’s close friends. Those guys would always talk to Jordan on the phone and Jordan would always have stuff to say. I remember there was one particular moment when MJ said something to me and I told him, ‘I can get that.’ I was saying I could beat him one-on-one. We went back and forth, talking trash with each other for a month or two. Ron gassed it up a lot like, ‘He said he can get you, Mike! He thinks he can beat you!’ One day, Mike told Ron that he was going to come to our game [in Atlanta] and he told me, ‘I’m about to come see you.’ We’re at the game and they showed Mike walking into the game [on TV] and I knew right where he was headed. I’m in the training room with Ron and Randy, and MJ walks in there. He comes right over to me and says, ‘What did you say?!’ Remember, this is my childhood hero. I man up and I say, ‘I think I can get that.’ He told me, ‘I’ll be at your practice in a few days and we’ll see if you can get that.’”
Rusty LaRue: “I was just shaking my head. Everybody thinks they can beat the man until they get a chance to beat the man. Corey was a good guy and a good player. I don’t know if he really thought he could beat Michael or if he just wanted a chance to play against him.”
Corey Benjamin: “We fly back to Chicago and at our next practice, I’m looking over my shoulder but I’m also thinking, ‘Yeah right, he’s not going to fly to Chicago just to play me.’ After practice, I’m walking off the court when MJ walks into the gym. He said, ‘I’m about to give you your chance.’ As a basketball player, it was the best feeling in the world to play one-on-one against Michael Jordan in front of everybody. The score was 11-9, just to let you know. Everybody says it was 11-0 or 11-1 or 11-2. He did get up to 7-0 pretty fast and I was amazed; I had never seen anything like that in my life. But the final score was 11-9 and it was the best one-on-one game I’ve ever played. It was like a dream come true.”
Kornel David: “MJ showed up and he just schooled him. Corey was a high-flying athlete who could jump out of the gym; he had incredible athletic abilities. But it’s MJ! There’s a video of it on YouTube! You have to watch it. The next day, the Chicago Tribune ran a double-page [spread] showing all of MJ’s buckets. It was incredible. (laughs)”
Rusty LaRue: “I remember them playing one-on-one; of course, Mike put it on him. (laughs)”
Jordan trash-talked throughout the game.
“Look around you,” Jordan said at one point, looking at the six championship banners hanging in the gym. “What do you see all around you? You didn’t have anything to do with those!”
After scoring the winning basket, Jordan spanked Benjamin and yelled, “Sit down!” With a smile, Jordan added, “Don’t call me out of retirement again.”
Craig Hodges on playing with Michael Jordan, “The Last Dance,” his belief that the NBA blackballed him, LeBron James’ activism and more.
Craig Hodges had an impressive10-year NBA career in which he won two championships with the Chicago Bulls and averaged 8.5 points per game (while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range). He was a three-time winner of the NBA’s Three-Point Contest, and he led the NBA in three-point percentage in three seasons.
However, Hodges’ NBA career came to a controversial end after the 1991-92 season. Coming off back-to-back championships, he was waived by the Bulls and he never played in the NBA again (despite being only 32 years old and one of the league’s best shooters).
Hodges is an activist who wore a dashiki during the Bulls’ visit to the White House and gave an eight-page letter to George H.W. Bush containing his thoughts on social issues. He was also critical of Michael Jordan and other players for not using their platform to affect change. He believes he was blackballed due to his activism and he filed a federal lawsuit against the NBA, but it was dismissed since the statute of limitations had passed.
HoopsHype caught up with Hodges to discuss his NBA career, his experience playing with Jordan, his thoughts on “The Last Dance,” his belief that he was blackballed and more.
Thanks for taking time to do this. How are you?
Craig Hodges: I’m doing fine, man. I want to tell all your readers: I hope everybody is doing well during this crazy time and being careful.
Absolutely. Let’s start with “The Last Dance.” I was surprised that you weren’t interviewed in the documentary. They interviewed 106 people and…
CH: Wow! (laughs)
Yeah, 106 people! Did it bother you that you weren’t interviewed?
CH: Woowww… (laughs) That’s interesting, man. I thank God for waking up this morning and being in a peaceful state of being, knowing where we are historically. When I watch “The Last Dance,” I do it from a critical standpoint as far as having somewhat of an intimate understanding of the locker room and the travel and the workouts and all of the above. But it’s interesting, and you can hear it in my voice that it’s funny to me that I wasn’t interviewed… But, at the same time, it’s not so funny because I understand the impact of the things that I felt we could be doing with our stardom. And a lot of people took that to mean that I was dissing MJ, but that ain’t it at all. I just say, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Have you gotten an explanation from the filmmakers about why you weren’t interviewed?
CH: Nah, man. Not at all; they don’t got to talk to little ‘ol me! (laughs) And this is the cold part: When you look at America, when you become a billionaire, you become insulated to a degree. So, hey man, I don’t expect them [to explain anything]. If they didn’t want me to be a part of it, they didn’t want to be a part of it. Me not being a part of it, there has to be some reasoning behind it. I would love to know what their reasoning is. But I kind of know what it is from a standpoint that I’ve never not spoken on behalf of people. I’ve never not spoken up about human rights. And it’s not just about black people; it’s about a human-rights condition that we can have an impact on because we were champions at that time in a city like Chicago. During the time that we were winning championships, there were 900 murders [annually], man. Somebody has to speak to that. … In this city, you had two of the brightest stars in the history of African people on the planet Earth – Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey – and look at our condition in Chicago. And where are they at now?
You were upset about a few comments that Jordan has made in this documentary. You criticized his “cocaine circus” quote since those men now have children and grandchildren who are watching this and it puts those guys in a tough position. What have you thought of the documentary and Jordan’s comments?
CH: Well, when I look at MJ, he’s a product of his success. Sometimes, that success can be a prison for you. I look at it in a couple lights, man. I feel somewhat empathy for him, to some degree, because of the fact that you are in a prison – in two prisons actually. America was a prison for black people, and now you’ve been incarcerated through capitalism on a whole different level. So it’s cool for the entertainment value of it, but I think it’s been somewhat divisive as far as in line with what we need right now as both the people and the world.
Two people from Jordan’s camp (Curtis Polk and Estee Portnoy) are executive producers on “The Last Dance,” which may be why it paints a positive portrait of Jordan. Even the part about how hard he was on his teammates made it seem like it was just great, necessary leadership. Do you think this documentary is going very easy on Jordan?
CH: When you’re in a cooperative situation at work, it’s like a pyramid, brother; he who has the most is on top. A lot of people don’t want to say anything. Nobody would stand up to him, but for me, I always felt a balance where I didn’t have to try to kowtow to MJ or try to hang out (or have to hang out) because I was on my studies, man. I’m looking at solutions for downtrodden people. So, a lot of things as far as partying and going out and hanging and gambling and all that, I didn’t do that. I was cordial, I’m respectful. Still, to this day, I’m respectful. I just want to know why some of the things are going on and why you feel like, at this point in your life, you have to throw your teammates under the bus? You know what I’m saying? I understand how you feel like you have to motivate people, but is that your responsibility? I was in those circles at the time. When you have athletes who want to be overbearing, oftentimes that overbearing is because they have some insecurities of their own.
In a different interview, you said it bothered you that MJ called Scottie Pippen “selfish” and blamed Horace Grant for “The Jordan Rules” leaks. What do you make of Jordan taking some shots at his teammates?
CH: Well, once again, I feel like we’ve sacrificed. All the people who played with MJ have sacrificed shots. If you look at the year that he wasn’t there, everybody played and they got to a certain level. They didn’t get over the hump, but they were able to play together and with chemistry that was a lot mellower. When I was young in the league, you would look over your shoulder because you would think the superstar wasn’t pleased with your performance and stuff. And then, as you get older in the league, you look at it and you realize that you have your own personal sovereignty within this thing and you just come and play. When I look at it, a lot of times we can highlight superstars because they have a certain drive that none of us – no other humans – have. But come on, man; it gets to be overbearing and just to a point where you just harp on people because that’s the weak link that you find that you can harp on.
Craig Hodges at the 2012 NBA Three-Point Contest
What was Jordan like as a teammate? What were your interactions like on a daily basis?
CH: Well, you come to practice, do your thing people and go home. I had two young sons at the time and a wife, so I have family issues to take care of after games and after practices. A lot of times, because we spend so much concentrated time together, people on the outside looking in at teams think people hang out all the time together. But we’re together all the time within our work space – whether it be on the road, whether it be traveling – [so] you want to get away from people. From that standpoint, everybody was cool. We had great chemistry as a team. Everybody understood the pecking order on the public side of things, but everybody understood the pecking order within the context of our privacy within the team and within practice sessions and within the locker room. So there was a big difference in what went on privately when we were in sessions as opposed to what people saw publicly.
You spoke with MJ and Magic Johnson about boycotting Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals. In your book “Longshot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter,” you wrote that you wanted to “stand in solidarity with the black community while calling out racism and economic inequality in the NBA, where there were no black owners and almost no black coaches.” How did MJ and Magic react to your idea?
CH: They gave it a very cursory look, to say the least. (laughs) Where I was, in the pecking order of the NBA, I didn’t carry that type of weight. We were considered “Michael and the Jordanaires.” When I brought it to Michael, he was like, “Man, that’s kind of extreme, Hodge…” And that was basically it. Same thing with Magic. For me, I’m looking back at 1963 and the history of the NBA and what Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were able to do during that All-Star Weekend; they said they weren’t going to play and our Players’ Union was formed out of that. So, there was precedent of us sitting down and being able to make some type of progress… But they felt that it was a bit too extreme to the point where it was just a cursory look over, not even really a conversation on the critical standpoints. And I understand where they were coming from because they were the two icons in the game at the time and neither one of them, at that point, was really politically active. Well, I’m not going to say “politically active,” I think oftentimes we get that term involved and the politics of it. But I think it’s just the human spirit of it and the human rights spirit of it.
You were one of the only players speaking out about social issues, but you couldn’t have been the only one who was passionate about these topics or thinking about this stuff. Was it frustrating that others weren’t willing to speak out and join you?
CH: When I’m on the bus, when I’m on the plane, everybody is in on the conversation. It ain’t just me talking in the wind by myself. There were responses and positions taken, but none of the positions would be taken publicly. They kept them behind closed doors.
You say that you were blackballed in the NBA after being waived by the Bulls following the 1991-92 season.
CH: For all of those who don’t know, go and look at the history of it, man. If you’re a three-point shooter and you win the Three-Point Contest, you are considered the best shooter on the planet. Not one of the best, you are the best. So I was the best three years running. Then, go back and look at the statistics. Ain’t nobody ever led the NBA in three-point percentage three times! I did that also. So when you look at just flat-out shooting the ball, nobody did it better. But I was a role player, so I let MJ shoot 30 times. You feel me? … The head of the Players’ Union, Charles Grantham told me, and I quote, “Craig, we have to find you an agent that a team owes a favor, so they will know that you’re not a bad guy.” I was “a bad guy” because I spoke to issues that I wasn’t supposed to speak about.
My mother, who was the secretary of the Civil Rights Organization coming up, put it on my mind early: not self-service, community service. You’re only as strong as your community; I was taught that at a young age. I was taught “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That’s the golden rule, right? No, the real golden rule is “he who has the gold rules,” so thus we fall under this Michael Jordan hypnotic trance that was made in the laboratory.
Even today, there’s only one majority owner who’s African American (Jordan) and only eight head coaches who are African American. What do you think the league should do to address that?
CH: Man, the league will do what the league wants to do. Because the league is what it is, man. The league is not about human rights, okay? If the league was about human rights, then why is it allowed for the shoe companies to have sweatshops? Why isn’t the NBA on the forefront of human rights and being able to manufacture products in America that can hire American? So, don’t give me this “woke” garbage. I’m done with them talking about how they’re “woke.” All they’ve been doing is putting people in a trance state in order to make money. They want to talk all that garbage about being “woke,” but it’s ridiculous. The NBA is gonna do what the NBA wants to do. Consider this: At the time when I was being blackballed and Mahmoud [Abdul-Rauf] was getting blackballed, Donald Sterling was a racist owner dominated by a racist group of Board of Governors. I’m calling it for what it is. Because if you’re gonna sit there with a racist for over 20 years, you are a racist. Closeted or public, you are racist.
And that’s the problem with all of the major league sports. All of them are racist to the core, because they are built on racism. The foundation of this country is racism. And don’t nobody want to go to the foundation that we have never received what we were supposed to see reparation wise, so the structure can not go up and be strong because it’s built on weakness. When the Founding Fathers said, “We are all created equal,” my people were getting them tea and crumpets, being slaves. And we never rectified that. So, now we have a slave on TV, represented as an African American. We go from “slave” to “negro” to “nigga” to “African American.” What are ya’ll going to call it? This is ridiculous, man, where we are today. I was taught that you care about people. It’s about people, it ain’t about money.
Given the similarities between you and Colin Kaepernick, have you ever gotten a chance to talk with Colin or his camp?
CH: I’ve talked to his camp, but I’ve never had a chance to talk to the brother personally. Every time, I send out kudos to him because I know the struggle of knowing that you’re capable of doing something and having the God-given talent, but you have an organization that won’t allow you to be at your highest level [and] demonstrate and perform, but also [not allow you] to inspire the next generation of student athletes. That’s the part of this that’s so sad. It’s evilness. Why? It’s all messed up, man. And, like I said, sports is just another thread of civilization, so why should I expect any difference for my brothers?
Today’s NBA players seem to be more outspoken. LeBron James comes to mind as someone who uses his platform to discuss social issues and affect change. How do you feel about the way today’s players use their platforms?
CH: I love it, man. Everything is evolving, man. You look at the evolution of technology and, now, we have the social-media age. And through social media, you can build an immediate support base even before you go out and make yourself public on what your position may be, so you have a groundswell of support. These young brothers and sisters, I give them kudos. They’ve been standing [up for] human rights issues. And it needs to be spoken about that you don’t live in a vacuum; just because you’re a soccer player, baseball player or basketball player, that doesn’t mean that you don’t feel these issues that hit home to you. And not being able to speak about them because I’m under contract, that’s not human, man.
Breakfast, trash-talking and guys being guys. That’s how BJ Armstrong recalls his now-famous breakfast with Michael Jordan in 1995 that ultimately helped accelerate his return to the NBA.
Breakfast, trash-talking and guys being guys. That’s how BJ Armstrong recalls his now-famous breakfast with Michael Jordan in 1995 that ultimately helped accelerate his return to the NBA.
Penn State Nittany Lions forward Lamar Stevens was a four-year starter in the NCAA who is a versatile prospect on both offense and defense.
Penn State Nittany Lions forward Lamar Stevens was a four-year starter in the NCAA who is a versatile prospect on both offense and defense.
Stevens was one of the more accomplished frontcourt players in the Big Ten Conference. The 22-year-old college star spoke to HoopsHype about how he has been preparing for the upcoming draft while reflecting on his experience in the NCAA.
Note: This transcription has been minorly edited for clarity.
What were some of your favorite memories and experiences playing in college?
Lamar Stevens: First of all, writing a book was the highlight of my college career. I loved being able to give back to the fans that were so good to me. Winning the NIT was also a highlight. Honestly, all of this season was an amazing experience. We sold out the Bryce Jordan Center which hadn’t been done in 10 years. We have reached rankings that have never been reached. We were breaking all types of records this year.
Writing a book will definitely help you stand out among other players. Could you tell me more about it?
LS: Our director of marketing PJ Mullen and I came up with the idea to write a children’s book. We wanted the book to teach kids about the different places in Pennsylvania. It was really cool. I’ve never done anything like that. To have my name on a book, I never imagined that happening. It definitely was something that was special for me. It was illustrated by six of my friends who have Down syndrome. One of the illustrators was my coach’s daughter. They drew and colored in all of the pictures. We were able to release the book when we played Minnesota and it was a really cool day. The kids that were involved with the book loved it. I loved seeing the joy come out of them from their excitement of having a book released to so many people and for them to be in the spotlight.
Wow. That is a beautiful story. How did you meet the kids?
LS: Being at Penn State, we always got involved with community service. Ever since my freshman year, we worked with the Special Olympics. They have a thing called the “buddy walk” and I developed a good relationship with our associate head coach Keith Urgo, whose daughter helped illustrate the book. Throughout my years at Penn State, I developed a relationship with those kids and the book really helped express those friendships.
I know you got your degree in sociology. But is writing something you have been interested in for a while?
LS: I’ve always enjoyed writing papers. My favorite subject in school was English because of my ability to write. I had never written a book before but I really always enjoyed the process.
You were a four-year starter at Penn State who started every single game that you played in college. How did you improve as a basketball player during your time in the NCAA?
LS: Coming out of high school, I felt like I was physically ready to make an impact on the game mainly in both defense and rebounding. Over time, I continuously got better at scoring, getting to my spots and becoming a more versatile player. Throughout my years, my averages were consistent. I’ve learned so much about the game and what it takes to be a high-level player. My game grew each year in almost every aspect.
Every year of college, you increased your attempts at the three-point line. I think that will be a huge part of the evolution of your game. Where do you see that going at the next level?
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
LS: My last two years, I was the No. 1 option for the team on offense. I always had the ball in my hands and got to take a lot of late shot clock opportunities. During my first few years, I was the second or third scoring option on offense playing alongside Tony Carr. I shot the ball much better during those years. I feel like that will be my role in the NBA. I’ll be able to take easier shots because I won’t have to face double teams. I think being ready and able to shoot the proper shots that are created for me by the other guys, I’ll definitely thrive in that role.
You were recruited as a small forward but you played a lot of the power forward and center in college. What role do you see yourself playing at the next level?
LS: I see myself playing a small forward and power forward role. I’m a guy who can guard all positions. If you put me in as a center in a small-ball lineup, I feel like I could excel as well.
You finished more possessions as the ball-handler in a pick-and-roll than as the roll man. What are some ways you are able to create opportunities playing as the ball-handler in those sets?
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
LS: Playing at Penn State, I was able to showcase more of my offensive game. I think I can make plays, especially when there are bigger guys on me. I’m too quick, too athletic, and a lot of time, too strong for a bigger man to stay in front of me. If there’s a small guy, I usually bring them into the post. In pick-and-roll situations, usually against a bigger person, head coach Pat Chambers trusted me to make those plays. We had plays designed to have me come off of the pick-and-roll and they were pretty successful.
You have multiple years being the ball-handler in this type of play. How do you think your experience will translate into the NBA, being a bigger guy who can make plays as well?
LS: I’m a guy who can play and make an impact right away. It shows my versatility, it shows that I can play different positions, and it shows that I can do different things on the basketball court. I feel like I’m going to keep getting better.
One part of your game that I enjoy is your ability to draw a lot of contact from defenders. What are some of your strategies for drawing fouls and how do you think it’ll help round out your game?
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
LS: I’m a physical player. I like to use my strength to my advantage. I like to attack the rim while seeking contact. I look for ways to make and-one plays. I think that physicality is what allows me to play the five at times and helps me guard bigger positional four guys. It’s something I take pride in.
Your style of play reminds me of guys like Juwan Morgan from last season. He modeled his game after NBA players like PJ Tucker. What are some ways that you fit inside the lineage of guys who are about your size who shoot three-pointers but can also play the five while spreading the floor?
LS: With my size and athleticism, it puts me at an opportunity where I can play and guard many different positions. I definitely see myself as players like PJ Tucker and Jae Crowder.
Penn State had a Top-25 defense in the NCAA. What was your role in that mentality and how far do you think your team could have gone in the NCAA tournament?
LS: The practices that we had leading up to the Big Ten Tournament, we couldn’t wait to play. I feel like we were all excited to continue playing with one another. We didn’t want it to end. I think the sky was the limit for our team going into March Madness, especially our abilities on both ends of the floor. I was the voice of the team on defense. I had a lot of experience and knowledge. I understood how important communication is, too. I was always making sure that everyone was talking and on the same page. I wanted us to be a force on defense.
This year ended in a really frustrating way. How were you able to reconcile with the way that the season ended?
LS: The first couple of days I was definitely upset and hurt, but seeing how serious the virus is, us having everything canceled was 100% the right decision. People are dying from the Coronavirus. Not being able to play basketball is big in our world, but small if you think about it as a whole. I try to put life into perspective and I’m grateful for the year that we had. We still had a historic run without playing in the Big-10 Tournament or the NCAA Tournament. I’m still proud of the successes that we had as a team and the opportunity that I had at Penn State.
In terms of your ability to contribute right away, what advantages do you think that gives you over some of the other prospects in your draft class?
Lamar Stevens has a DeMar DeRozan type mid range game. It’s absolutely beautiful. pic.twitter.com/b8IBUUnIKx
LS: For younger players, sometimes they evolve right away but sometimes they don’t. I think with seniors in college, they have a much larger body of work. I think they have more maturity in their game and I can use that to my advantage. It’s hard for younger players to come into the league, in terms of making sure that their bodies are ready for the game. I feel like I won’t have to worry because I’ll be ready by day one.
You came into your college experience playing alongside Josh Reaves. What advice did he give you about his experience transitioning into the NBA?
LS: Josh told me to stay in the best shape possible and to take advantage of every opportunity. Josh made the most out of his situation and that’s the light he tried to shed on me.
How would you describe what your role will consist of in the next NBA?
LS: I will be a guy who can play and guard multiple positions. I’ll be a player with a lot of energy that is a huge communicator on defense and can score. I scored at a high percentage in the Big-10 conference, which I believe is the best league in the country. My main focus will be becoming the best defender that I can possibly be, and hopefully have the chance to guard the best players.
Can you see yourself eventually leading a team in the NBA?
LS: I think for me, becoming a leader at Penn State during my junior year and senior year, I always try to lead by example. During offseason workouts, I’m always trying to lead the sprints and be super competitive in everything that I do. That’s what I’m going to do in the NBA. I’ll be competing on every possession and showing my leadership in those ways. Hopefully, it’ll lead me to become a vocal leader later in my career. But first, I want to come in and do everything I can to put the team in the best possible position to win.
If there were an NBA combine, what drills do you think that you would stand out in?
LS: I would definitely stand out in the vertical and speed tests. I tested last summer and I had a 42-inch vertical. I would also shoot the ball better than most people would expect.
What are some goals that you have for yourself as a professional athlete?
LS: My goal is to be the best player that I can be. I’d love to one day win an NBA championship.
How would you describe yourself as a person to front offices and NBA executives?
LS: Off the court, I’m a very laid back and easy-going guy. I love to spend time with family and friends. I’m a guy who puts his family first and values giving back to the community. That’s who I am. The community has always been good to me, so I’ve always wanted to give back to the community.
How has your character been motivated by your community and family? What are some of the moments that helped mold you into the player that you are today?
LS: My family has never missed any of my games. That’s just who we are. We go out and support one another every step of the way. That’s how I grew up and it became a part of me.
What are other activities that you like to do off the court?
LS: I love being in the house watching movies. Quarantine is not hard at all for me, other than missing basketball.
How have you been keeping busy during quarantine?
LS: I’ve been staying in shape, spending time with family, and catching up on old games and shows that I’ve missed. I’ve been watching Ozark and All American. I just started the second season. I like it but I can’t get into it like everyone else. I know how it is out there and a lot of the situations that he’s been in aren’t really like that.
Is there anything that people may not know about you and would be intrigued to learn?
LS: I used to skateboard. I was very basic and was never good on a ramp.
