Tell you a story about the end of Jordan's career.
I joined the league in 2001, when Jordan made a comeback to join the Wizards. So, basically, it can be said (since Jordan is at the end of his career) that if you want to "jump" directly into the NBA from high school or college through the draft and then immediately after being able to defend Jordan on the court, those seasons may be your last chance.
Before the game against Jordan, I felt like my brain was cheating on me, as if I was about to play Against Superman. I mean, imagine how incredible it was when the guy you wanted to be in your childhood who was trying to be came straight up in front of you. From then to now, at the flick of a finger.
That was my fifth game in the league, and I was going to defend Jordan??? And I'm going to be the starter, and everything is unknown. In that case, I was completely clueless, and everyone else must have been the same. My mood was like: I'm leaning on, I'm going to play with my idol.
After that, the race begins. In the first three verses, I was in the Lord's defense against him. Once the game starts, everything is back to normal. I don't have any nervousness or excitement anymore. You should know what I mean, right? It's my job, and I have to put myself into it.
But across from me is Jordan after all, do you know how I feel?
If you think about it, I was only 20 or 21 years old. (Defending Jordan) is a surreal thing for me.
But how did Anthony (Walker) feel at the time? How does Paul (Pierce) feel?
Walker is from Chicago, and he and Jordan have known each other for a long time, and they hung out together as children. So Pierce and Walker spent the entire game talking to Jordan. By halftime, they were saying something but I didn't hear it. I don't know if they're saying that Jordan had any street fights in the offseason but Pierce didn't, I just remember Jordan saying,, I came back to the NBA to play with you? ”
The whole game was full of trash talk. But to be honest, I think that game was still Played better by Pierce. Not only because we won, but also because at the end of the game, he gave Jordan a big "hot pot". He also assisted me with a nice two-handed dunk to end the game. Do you know what I said at the time? Hahahaha, I was happy and broken. I scored 16 points, 10 rebounds in that game, and it seemed like I had three assists (2 on the actual number). That's alongside Paul Pierce and Anthony Walker at their peak. For a rookie, it was a brilliant game. I remember watching the video of the game as soon as I got home after the game. Everything is incredible...
That night, Jordan scored 32 points. I think he was 40 years old.
Guess how old I am now?
Oh, what a time flies.
They believe that once people reach the age of confusion, they are "obsolete", and it is time to retire.
There are not many people in their 40s who can still play (in the NBA), which is very few. It's a bit difficult for a 40-year-old to find a place in the NBA.
The Boston Celtics signed me to a short 10-day contract this year, and I played a total of 1 minute and 57 seconds, for which I am deeply grateful.
This short 1 minute and 57 seconds was a very important moment for me: I dribbled through to the mid-range position, and then boom – raised his hand to hit. It's not a big deal for me because it's something I've always been good at since I was a kid. I started doing it when I played at the Thrasher Boys & Girls Club on 33rd Street in Little Rock.
Before I was drafted by the Celtics, before I became famous, before everything happened, (I started practicing mid-range shooting).
It's my instincts, and I'll never lose them.
I'll tell you another thing. I wish I had a 40-year-old guy around me when I was 23 and he could tell me how many more years I could play in the NBA. I wish someone could tell me something unknown.
I hope someone can slowly tell me (these unknown things) and say to me:
Boy, don't worry.
All comebacks will pay off.
I grew up in Little Rock and have been living with my mom for as long as I can remember. My family wasn't wealthy, but he always did what he could to make ends meet. She worked two jobs — she worked the night shift at a state hospital, slept a few hours after she got home from work, and hurried to the Thrasher Boys & Girls club for a second job.
In fact, I used to spend the whole day at the Thrasher Club every Saturday, in a small town called South End. At that time, I was probably 7 years old, and I was already in love with basketball. The gym was often packed with kids who loved to play ball, but when I got lucky, I was the only one there. It was those days that shaped who I am today. It's like my shelter.
As a child, when you see all this, you think: Oh my God, how hard Mom is working. She worked so hard, but I couldn't feel her exhaustion. So it was this thought that made me swear to myself: I must let my mother live a happy life. You know what I mean.
So I started practicing seriously and honing my skills because I knew that playing basketball would help me achieve my dreams. I'll settle our lives and my mom won't have to work anymore – that's my biggest motivation to play. That's what I really think. As an only child, this is what a child should do for his mother. I'm willing to do whatever it takes (to make mom happy).
Did you know that kids today have their own trainers at the age of 10? We didn't have it when we were their age. At that time, we learned what our friends did. All my friends were playing basketball at the time. Hey, I'm not trying to be like everyone else, I'm also from a point guard background (and then I've been in a different position). No, no, no, no, no, no I did play as a point guard when I was a kid because I was good at possession. But not because I have a lot of balls in hand, but because I train hard. It was the first technique I learned as a kid. I didn't even have a basket in my yard, but I could pretend to dribble even if I was holding a rock on the street.
When Iverson became famous, I was probably still a senior in high school.
Iverson got everyone to start learning his signature move, Crossover.
And when I learned this movement, no one could stop me.
At the time, though, the basketball players I admired most played on the arkansas Razorbacks, the most iconic team in the region.
At that time, I could only wear red and white (the main color of the wild boar team) to silently support them.
Corliss Williamson (nicknamed Big Nasty), Scotty Thurman, Alex Dillard, Dwight Stewart, Clint McDaniel, Corey Beck.... These are well-known local figures. It's great to watch them play a 40-minute game full of ups and downs. This is the game that little kids love to watch, and there's nothing better than that. The whole game looked like there was a sense of "chaos": the opponent attacked from the back, was pressed by the whole field, and then was caught in the corner. Once the opponent has dribbled the ball past halfway, strengthen the defense, keep them busy making mistakes, forcing them to make mistakes or force them to take a shot.
Interestingly, when Coach Richardson (then head coach of the University of Arkansas Boars) invited me and my mom to visit Fayetteville on campus, he must not have known that I had assumed that I was already a member of the university. I want to leave my mark here. Coach Richardson must be thanked for creating a rather attractive team. I want to have a place in this team. It turns out I did. I played for the varsity team for two years, after which I made it to the NBA through the draft.
When you're chosen, you might think: Oh my God, I became a millionaire overnight. But I didn't think that way at the time. Although you can make that money, but deep inside you, there will still be a little anxiety, you know what I mean?
Or rather, a fear.
The average NBA player has only four or five years in a career, and I know that very well.
No one who can get into the NBA thinks: Ah, if I can play in the NBA for five years, I'm going to be a good player. No, no, no, it's not. Everyone wants to be the best player. Everyone wants to be an elite level player. Everyone wants to be the top player in the buzz.
However, there are only a handful of players at the top.
Most of them are still reduced to all sentient beings.
Once you're in the league, you want to do what you can to extend your career.
During my rookie season, I was traded to the Suns by the Celtics after the All-Star Game.
My first few years on the Suns experienced a series of ups and downs. By 2004, I guess we had the opportunity to change the status quo of the team, and the team's management was really working on it. They traded Steve (Nash) from Dallas and signed Quentin Richardson.
I would say that in 2004-05 we were a very special team.
I wouldn't say it like in the history books — the Suns were the only team that was worth watching that season. Suffice it to say that that year, Nash played at the level of MVP, Amare (Stoudemire) dunked on everyone's head, hacker (Marion) did his job well, quentin (Richardson) three-point arrows rained down. I can also keep hitting shots. We beat all the top teams in the league, and most of them were big wins. It's like a "dimensionality reduction strike."
This is probably the only time in my career that I've really felt it – we're getting to the finish line and we're going to win the championship. I have no qualms.
But after that, I got hurt. In the second round of the playoffs against Dallas, I fractured my orbital bone, which left me missing out on the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Our [Western Conference Finals] opponent was the Spurs, and in the end they got the win and that's what they deserved. I thought we were a team with a full squad and couldn't possibly be beaten. But they took the initiative from the start and eventually sent us home.
That summer, I became a restricted free agent. Let me just put it this way: I don't think anyone would be surprised that I want to take on a more important role on the team. But we already have all-Star players like Marion, Singh and Nash on our team. There is no doubt about that. So as a player, if I have to make a decision, I know I need to find a place where I can achieve my ideal ambitions.
Atlanta offered me a contract and they promised me that they would make me take on a bigger role in the team. So I told the Suns not to match my contract. But Saver (the Suns owner) wasn't going to let me go in vain, so they made a deal with the Hawks to sign first and trade later.
Is it sad to leave [the sun]? Of course. But I believe in my own abilities. I want to play for a team that gives me enough trust, just as I trust my abilities.
When I joined the Hawks, people had high hopes for me.
In order to play to my true level, I need to make some adjustments and I need to be more disciplined. I'm already very disciplined, but I need to be more disciplined.
Atalanta fans are enthusiastic. The whole city is in a state of agitation.
If you want to be more disciplined, you need to pay attention to every little thing in your daily life. The team has a lot of equipment, fat jerseys, big tall T-shirts and loose pants. But it's enough to wear a crisp white T-shirt (during training), and a few can be worn instead. Sometimes, I know I'm going to train early the next morning, but I'll still stay up late at Buckhead — at that age, you don't think it's a big deal.
As a player at the peak, I have a lot of responsibilities to take on. You know what I mean. When I first came to Atlanta, I felt for the first time: Okay, now you're the focus. Opponents will do everything they can to limit you, so you need to help your teammates get better. When you play point guard, you need to lead your teammates. It took me a while to understand this. But until then, I still have the ability to lead my teammates in all positions. As a team leader, this is very important.
We've been improving every year, and in the 2007-08 season we finally made it to the playoffs.
We are a young team, full of confidence and energy, but lack of experience. Our strength should not be underestimated. While we may not be the best team, we have amazing talent and good coaches. CoachEs Mike Woodson and Larry Drew were tough on us and urged us to keep improving.
We finished the regular season (as eighth in the East) and met the East's no. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs — the Celtics, led by Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen.
I remember before this series started, everyone was saying: The Hawks are definitely going to be swept. One, two, three, all of them are saying that.
At G1 and G2 in Boston, we did lose, and so far they're right.
The situation seems to be one-sided... We were beaten to the point of no return.
But when we returned to Atlanta to prepare for G3, everything was like a movie. The Philips Arena is packed. The cheers of the fans were as if they were about to overturn the ceiling of the stadium. T.I. may be one of the most popular rappers in the southern United States, and he was there for a while, but I don't know exactly what it is. But I know he was one of the big fans of our team at the time. When we ran on the field, we could see him on the sidelines. I felt as if Atlanta had come out of the first two losses.
So, [in this environment], we won G3, and we felt like, "Okay, we're going to drag this series to game seven, we've got to win the G4."
On the night of the win, I suddenly understood that I had to make up my mind to tap into my deeper potential. Because of G4 two days later, we went into the fourth quarter with a double-digit disadvantage. There are 10 or 12 points that may be behind. I remember saying to myself, man, we've got to work harder. We have to act, and as soon as we get on the pitch, we have to try to chase points. We can do the reversal. Then, before we knew it, we equalized.
Later, we took the lead.
I remember the whistling of the fans almost bursting through the ceiling. You can't even hear what you're saying. This is crazy. I scored 35 points in the game, 20 of which were scored in the fourth quarter. My state is fiery. I remember as soon as I took the ball, the opponent would double-pack me because my hand was hot.
At that time, I thought, we really have a chance to win this series.
Every game we play at home is crazy. We have a bunch of young, victor-hungry guys, and we're fed up being slighted. Suddenly, everyone's thoughts went from "Hey, your journey this season is coming to an end" to "Oh, the Hawks are in big trouble."
We put pressure on our opponents and managed to drag the game into the seventh. Although, in the end, they won the series and won the championship that season, when I look back on that season, I see that we did have a great group of players. Young players like Josh Smith, Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia and Josh Chidris have all played their normal level and played important roles in the team. We also have players who can stand up at key moments.
These are all special moments, and for the Hawks, it's the highlight of the team's history. The same is true for me. To be able to play on the big stage in the playoffs for a team, I can't help but say to myself: This is what you crave.
But unfortunately, in the following seasons, we hit a bottleneck period.
I don't know what has changed. But after seven years of fighting side by side with us, I feel like we guys are separated at the time. It was me who was traded first, then it was Marvin's turn, and finally the "trickle-down effect" was formed.
But that's not the end of the story.
As we all know, the free agent market in 2010 was chaotic. The Eagle handed me a long-term renewal contract, which I gladly accepted. I know what happened afterwards. That summer, the NBA changed significantly. We couldn't have foreseen these changes at the time, but after a few years, everything did change. And the maximum salary contract I signed was the market price at that time. You don't need any proof to sign such a contract. But since you're one of the first players to take that kind of big contract, you're always being talked about behind your back. Others will criticize you and condemn you, and that's not all. But that's the way it is, it's part of what the top-paying players have to go through.
And you know what?
(If the same contract were in front of me again) I would still gladly accept it.
But there are some things you don't know. In fact, sometimes I think this way: My big role at the Eagles puts a lot of extra pressure on me. After you sign such a big contract, all of a sudden everyone will say, "Why didn't you play a leading role?" Why can't you do this, can't you finish that? ”
Everything is your fault, everything is your responsibility.
And now, I can be as honest as a man and say that some things are really my fault. But now I'm 40 years old. If you ask me back then, (how would I answer that way?"). Like others have done in the face of the media, I may be shirking more responsibility than I am now.
That's why I often say that everyone should have an elder by their side. He's best of people who have lived through the ups and downs, ups and downs that you're going through or are about to face, and he can help you through it.
But in fact, there is no such person around me. I have a lot of teammates and I can ask them for help, but honestly, I never really asked them for help or asked them to give me some guidance. I played differently than I do now. The league was different then than it is now. We don't talk about psychological issues like today's players. It wasn't part of NBA culture at the time.
So, I'm just approaching these challenges in the best way I know: I keep them all in my heart and don't tell anyone.
I used to be a Jordan Brand player and we would go out and do all kinds of activities, hang out, go on vacations and so on. But I never pull jordan aside and say something like, "I have a problem, how can I fix it?" We would often get together. But as a basketball player, I never wanted to interrupt party time (to deal with my own private affairs). I don't want to make myself the focal point at a party, you know what I mean? Because he would invite all the Jordan Brand players to come, we would travel together, relax and enjoy. However, I now regret that I never used these opportunities to consult him.
I'm not the kind of person, I'm not going to walk up to someone and say, "Hey, man, I'm in trouble here and there."
No. I'm not that kind of person. I'm just going to close myself off and deal with these issues in my own way.
But I now sincerely hope that I have gotten even the slightest bit of advice from people who have been through the storms and let them tell me if I want to be a leader.
However, most people probably don't know what to do with what happens next in my life.
In 2009, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She struggled with the disease for a full decade and occupied most of my NBA career. When her condition eased slightly, she felt good. But this cancer came again without any warning, and all of a sudden, it came back.
The last recurrence of the cancer was in late 2018. It relapsed so fast that I didn't even realize it. At that time, this matter took up almost the whole of my life.
I remember it was Christmas, and my mom and I were at our house in Little Rock and she was untying Christmas presents. After about an hour, she said, "Son, I think I need to go to the hospital. I didn't feel right. ”
Then we took her to the hospital... Since then, her physical condition has deteriorated. She was hospitalized from December 25 to February 8 or 9 of the following year. We understood at the time that she might be leaving us.
She herself understood. She asked the doctor if she could be discharged home and stay with the child. After that, we did just that.
Around the last two weeks of her life, I spent with her at the bedside. Most often, multiple myeloma spreads to every part of your body, eroding your bones and joints until you become weak and powerless until you can't do anything. She gradually became unable to walk, could not speak, and after two weeks became completely unresponsive. She lost weight rapidly and lost her mobility. If she needs something, she'll look at you and you'll have to guess what she really needs.
She couldn't even get out of bed... alas.
It was the hardest and most painful time of my life. My mom died. I didn't have a chance to play in the NBA either. I also don't have shelters to lean on. I was really hurt at the time.
But you know what? As sad as it was, I was grateful that I was able to be with my mom for the last few days of her life. The last conversation between us was: she told me that I was very lucky for her, and I told her that she was also very lucky for me.
She lay in bed until her heart stopped beating. After she died, I called the funeral home and they sent someone to put her in a body bag and carry her out of the house. I could only watch, unable to do anything, helpless like a small child.
Experiencing something like this will make you feel touched, and it will make you feel that you have come to a place where you should not have come, or that you are not satisfied with everything around you.
Every night I lay in that dark room, staring at the ceiling, and then asked myself: Why? Why did my mom leave me like this?
But we shouldn't ask ourselves questions like this. We shouldn't ask why or how. It is God's will, and He has the final say.
But, alas, she did die. I'll have to go my own way.
I remember Genilo Pago suddenly saying to me, "Dude, let's join BIG3!" ”
It was 2019. Pago and I were teammates in college.
He spoke lightly, as if he were looking for someone to play billiards with. We can usually train and then go to dominate BIG3 on weekends.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing either. We know that if we decide we're going to sign a contract,' we're going to have to win the game. Winning is the key. Pago also said he called our college teammate Sergerio Gipson, who was playing overseas at the time.
It's like a lifeline for me. When the opportunity to join BIG3 came, I immediately agreed.
[Joining BIG3] is like a way to help me heal. I'm excited to be able to play alongside my college teammates. But I also need to meet other different people. I need to be in an environment that makes me happy and distracts me.
When the league started, Pago came up to me and said who was last year's MVP, who was the MVP of the previous year, and who was the leading scorer. I keep the names of these people in my head: OKAY, I don't care who you are MVP, who scores the king, who is the champion. We're going to take all these awards in our first year of joining, and we're going to take care of everything.
In the most painful days of my life, I have been practicing desperately.
By the end of the season, we did have the championship. In 2020, BIG3 was suspended for a year due to the pandemic. But fortunately, last summer, the league started again. I broke my own scoring record and averaged a double-double per game. I managed to win the MVP, but unfortunately didn't get another title.
I'm enjoying the best time of my life.
In the BIG3 league, I got along well with my teammates, even better than I did in the NBA, because we have a lot of things to share now (our locker room routine is so interesting, so I keep saying that we can go on a TV show to introduce us to these anecdotes). We're unrestrained here and I love this league very much.
In January of this year, a few months after I got the BIG3MVP, my agent suddenly called me and said, "I may have got you a job." There was one team with seven or eight players who had violated health and safety regulations, and they were now short of personnel. ”
"The Celtics want you to join them, that's two days."
We hung up the phone. Half an hour later, he called again. He asked me if I could fly to Boston before 6:30 p.m. I glanced at the time—it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. But three hours later, I was on a plane to Boston.
The next morning, I went to the training hall for a nucleic acid test, which was a necessary step before signing the contract. I happened to run into Jason (Tatum), so we talked for a while. That's all. Before the first game [of the Celtics] again, I hadn't actually seen anyone else. But after doing the nucleic acid, the team still let me shoot a basket in the arena. I shot alone for about 45 minutes. To be honest, this moment reminds me of shooting at the Thrasher Club as a child. My mom was working there, and I was practicing alone there. It was the Celtics who picked me up in the draft 20 years ago, so it was the first court I set foot on as a professional.
(It's been a long time), but I'm no stranger to this place.
This time, I knew I belonged here.
Come to think of it, like I said before, the average career of an NBA player is 4-5 years.
I, on the other hand, am about to start my 18th NBA season.
I'm proud of that.
When I was 14 or 15 years old, I wouldn't have imagined that I would be able to achieve such a thing.
My son Gavin is also 15 years old this year and now I'm trying to look at things more from his perspective.
He loves basketball too, right? But his rapid development period has not yet arrived, and his body has not yet reached its best state, so he is a little anxious about it. I'm also from that age, so I can understand that.
But I told him that if he wanted to extend his career, he had to train hard. If you get up every day and run a mile or two on your own or do some similar workouts, you'll improve even if you don't touch basketball. Do you know where the stamina on the pitch to support you to finish the game comes from? In the third or fourth quarter of the game, when everyone is exhausted and tired enough to bend over and put their hands on their knees, you can still be as energetic as if you were playing the first quarter.
It's something you can't understand at that age, so you have to learn it. Some days you may want to be lazy and do nothing, but you have to pick yourself up and keep holding on. That's the secret to success.
The bottom line I've set for you is: You can't take going to the NBA for granted. The NBA is a league of mighty players, with only 400 players to stay there, and those 400 people stand out from millions of basketball players.
I, on the other hand, used to be 1 in 400.
If I just got into the NBA and made money to buy my mom a house, that's not bad.
But actually?
Not only did I get into the NBA, but I also had a long career.
[The experience of playing in the NBA] made my life what I am now.
Even if I am told not to fight anymore, I will continue to insist.
Original: Joe Johnson
Compilation: Can't hold the basket at all