If social media had been around, it would’ve been crazy. The closest thing we’ve seen is probably Zion Williamson (who became a household name in high school) or Andrew Wigggins (who had a viral mixtape at 13 years old). Are you glad that you didn’t have to deal with even more attention online or do you think it would’ve helped you? Schea Cotton: I mean, it would have helped me because you have a ready-made marketing tool with social media. Back then, you couldn’t get any bigger than Sports Illustrated! All these mixtapes and stuff, that’s great man, but you got to remember before all of that, the pinnacle was Sports Illustrated and I think it still has an impressive stature today. The issue that I was in, the cover was when Brazil won the World Cup. The title was “Viva! Brazil” There was a four-page layout, and I was 15 years old when that happened! We’re talking about Zion Williamson, and Zion Williamson is a freak of an athlete today… Zion is probably the closest thing to what I was as far as the explosiveness, but my skill set was much better at this phase in the game. I think if he can develop his guard skills and his mid-range, he’s going to be unstoppable because he’s already a problem around the basket.
Tag: Schea Cotton
You spent one summer at UCLA before …
You spent one summer at UCLA before your SAT score was invalidated and Baron Davis mentioned that you were dominating the UCLA pick-up games against Magic Johnson, Penny Hardaway and Hakeem Olajuwon. In the film, writers also talk about how you outplayed Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett in high school. These are NBA legends! What do you remember about those pick-up games? Schea Cotton: I was having fun! (laughs) It didn’t really matter who was in front of me, I had a killer mentality. These same legends that you talked about? I mean, I came out with guys like Kobe Bryant – rest in peace. Kobe couldn’t do nothing with me either when we played! I was a problem because I had a chip on my shoulder… I played against Kevin Garnett, and Kevin has talked about my legacy and my career and what it was like playing against me. These are guys that I came up with and made my name against. These guys were the best in their area and we all came up together. It was a magnificent experience. I don’t know if they’ll ever see basketball like that again, because we’re living in a different time.
Nobody knows how they’re going to …
Nobody knows how they’re going to handle that kind of situation until they’re in it. In the film, a number of experts and players are asked, “Why didn’t Schea make it to the NBA?” But we didn’t hear your answer to that question. Why didn’t you make it to the NBA? Schea Cotton: It wasn’t meant for me. God had a different plan for my life, I think, and I’m coming into that now. People have to remember that in life, there are four quarters. I’m in my third quarter right now and the goal is to finish strong. It doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish. I put everything I had into it. It didn’t work in my favor long-term as far as making it to the NBA and having a 20-year career like the likes of Kobe (may he rest in peace). But I feel like my lane that I’m taking is going to be more valuable for me than what I did when I played on the basketball court. What I’m doing off the court now – to build up the youth of America and make this a better place one kid at a time – is more important because this is going to impact their lives from here on out.