There are a few minutes left before the next pick is made. While I was waiting, I got a call from my agent and he said, “Hey, Detroit is drafting Darko Milicic.” I was hurt, I was really hurt right now. I was mostly thinking: Damn it, Larry. Did Brown lie to my face?
(The following excerpts are from P. 267-274 of this book)
I didn’t leave the school right away. I wanted to stay a little longer and enjoy the celebration of winning the championship. There was party after party and we celebrated for months. We went to every club and bar in town and everyone was so nice to us. Our school’s lacrosse team also won the championship, and I was introduced to the fraternity club. They partyed too much, and the parties they held were on a completely different level than other parties. To this day, my head still hurts when I think about those frat parties.
Later, I had to put these things aside for a while because it was time to train. Only students have time to laugh around on campus. I want to go to the NBA, which is not a place for children to play. There were many big names participating in the draft that year, such as my good friend and high school basketball wizard LeBron. LeBron James, Georgia Tech’s Chris. Chris Bosh, Marquette’s Dwayne Dwyane Wade and Wake Forest’s Josh. Josh Howard.
The scouts from each team sent me to different places for tryouts and training with different players almost every day, and I would rest at night and prepare for the next day’s meetings, tryouts, and training. After months of training, the NBA draft lottery is finally about to be drawn, and it’s time to see who will get the No. 1 pick. In order to prevent the long-term monopoly of championship teams, the NBA established a lottery draft system. This system gives the team with the worst record a chance to draft potential superstars, hoping to save a struggling team.
The Orlando Magic won the No. 1 pick for two consecutive years, selecting Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee “Penny” respectively. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, this kind of good luck has allowed them to transform from one of the worst teams in the NBA to a strong contender in the playoffs in just a few years, and even reached the championship game. Abe and I were in Baltimore watching the lottery to see if we could figure out which team was likely to draft me. Remember, people said I was going to be drafted in the top five. We think whichever team needs a player with my skill set the most is the most likely place for me to go in the future.
We watched the ping pong balls marked with the NBA team logo bounce and dance on the TV screen. The Cleveland Cavaliers take the No. 1 pick, and we know this is a dream come true for the Cavaliers. With LeBron coming from Akron, it’s going to be like a big homecoming party. Detroit was ranked second, and I knew they were interested in me, so I started imagining Detroit as my new home. At this point, LeBron called, and I congratulated him because the whole world knew he was going to Cleveland. He congratulated me too, and we joked about how close Detroit and Cleveland were, and that they were in the same conference, so we could hang out together off the court a lot and have a lot of sparks on the court.
The Pistons were playing the Sixers in the playoffs, so Abe and I decided to drive to Philadelphia to watch the game. I got into the dugout after the game with Larry. He had the opportunity to meet with Larry Brown, who was the head coach of Philadelphia at the time, but had already made private arrangements to take over the position of head coach of Detroit the following year. At that time, I had no idea about this matter before this, but I was able to meet Larry. Brown really excited me, and he seemed excited to see me. He held my hand tightly, looked into my eyes, and said:“We will pick you with the second pick, I promise you. You are the best player, it doesn’t take a brain to pick you. I can’t wait to work hard with you!”
Shortly after I met Brown, Detroit began sending me some equipment: jerseys, tops, sneakers, and an NBA-specific ball so that I could get a feel for it. They even gave me a velvet tracksuit with the Pistons logo on it. My family and I started planning where to live, and the future looked bright.
I dedicated myself to watching film, training extra hard, and preparing to be a Piston. But then I started hearing about Detroit talking about a guy named Darko. News of interest from Darko Miličić guy. I asked people around me for information about him, but no one knew who he was, but apparently Detroit took a fancy to him and was conducting trials with him. I started to doubt myself and wonder why they wanted to try out for him. Is there something wrong with me? What news did they hear? We started calling, trying to find out where he was so I could have a workout with him. I wanted to see what he was capable of, but Detroit was really secretive and didn’t want anyone to know they were considering another player.
Brown and the Pistons kept moving him around, keeping him out of everyone’s sight. No one saw him play. I later learned he was from Serbia and was projected to be a top-five pick. I still think Detroit will pick me, after all, I came to Syracuse as a super fresher and led my team to win the championship and write a new page in history. And most importantly, Larry. Brown had looked me in the eyes and pledged. I value integrity, it’s important to me. As a person, the most important thing is to always treat others with integrity.
The 2003 NBA draft was held at Madison Square Garden and was a spectacle, with countless cameras, crowds and screens. Everyone is smiling because they know that the hard times for many families will end after tonight. There were lanky black players everywhere who looked to be eight feet tall. My family all came with me, and Jas and Wolf even wore hard-soled shoes, which I had never seen them wearing before. The bright expressions on their faces made me feel even more proud of myself.
As the ceremony started and everyone started to find their seats, I happened to run into LeBron. He looked at my outfit and I looked at his. We were both dressed like Steve. The same suit as Steve Harvey, he wears the cream version, and I wear the gray version. We all wore long blazers and dress trousers that were slim to the knees, flared slightly at the calf, and covered the shoes. I suddenly remembered the time when we were skinny boys competing against each other in training camp in high school, and it reminded me of the long journey that had led us to this stage together.
This is where the show begins. David. Stern walked up to the podium and said what everyone at the scene already knew: “The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the first overall pick in this NBA draft, chose Akron, Ohio, St. Vincent’s Sen-LeBron James of St. Mary’s High School.”
I looked at LeBron and said, “Hey, come on!”
As the crowd erupted in cheers, LeBron prepared to take the stage. At this time, he looked at me and said, “It’s your turn next!” I bumped my fist with him, and then he walked up to the stage, got the hat with the Cavaliers logo and took a photo with the chairman That classic photo, then holding his jersey high.
There are a few minutes left before the next pick is made. While I was waiting, I got a call from my agent and he said, “Phew, Detroit is drafting Darko Milicic.”
“Third child? My family, mom, sisters, and brothers are all here! They all thought we were going to Detroit! But they chose Darko Milicic? What now?”
I was hurt, I was really hurt right now. I was mostly thinking: Damn it, Larry. Did Brown lie to my face? Is he the kind of person who can lie to your face without hesitation? Was his opinion dismissed? Why did he turn against him? Won’t this have any consequences? Is there something wrong with me? Is Darko really that much better than me? If that’s the case, then why hasn’t anyone seen this guy? Brown would never do such a thing, he’s a super nice guy. I bet my agent is confused right now too. I thought I was going to Detroit.
“The Detroit Pistons, who have the second overall pick in this NBA draft,” Stern announced, “selected Darko Milicic!” He also said some other information, but at this time my eyes went dark, what? I can’t listen to anything anymore.
My heart felt like it had sunk to the bottom, and my thoughts flew back to my childhood. Aggie and I, or Kenny and I, or just me, slapping my Spalding basketball on the sidewalk, imitating Wolf’s game and inventing more crotch dribbling tricks. . Being a member of the Murphy House varsity team, I was always practicing more moves and refining my technique on the way to the court. On a concrete floor surrounded by colorful bottle caps and broken syringes, I always fought hard and devoted myself as I swayed between opponents. Every time I washed the ball and started playing, I carried my mother’s pain, Dick’s anger, and a lot of uncertainty on my back. We were playing a game without a net, where the first to score 16 points would win, and if you dared to call the opponent a foul, you would be severely punished.
I like this feeling because I don’t need any handouts. I didn’t play in a fancy gym, have a trainer, or even follow any diet. I grew up eating candy. I watched the drug dealers sell drugs to the drug addicts on the sidelines, and both groups of people would watch the game on the court from both sides. They were once great players, but then got injured, resented, or never got a chance. Now they are on the wrong track and have achieved nothing, and they can only treat me from the sidelines while I fight bloody battles to win the recognition of my opponents. Commented and pointed at my skills. This is the reality in West Baltimore.
West Baltimore is a place where the stories of the game’s top players on the streets are as rich as their stories on the court. Tall, skinny lottery picks like me or thick-necked teenagers ready to play in the NFL got together and had deep discussions about who got shot, who was the snitch, and who made another fortune. It’s not an unusual scene there. We’ve adapted to this environment because even though we’re a leader in sports, we feel like there’s a good chance we won’t make it here. Being a top athlete doesn’t save you in Baltimore like it does in most places. We have some top prospects here who have the chance to shine in an NFL stadium or compete with David. Stern was shot before he shook hands.
For a kid like me in Baltimore, playing in the NBA meant being one of the 453 best players in the world, starting with about 541,000 high school athletes in the United States. Players, 166,000 AAU players and 32,000 college players stood out. If you have to think about competing with the whole world, your competitors are going to be in the millions. Besides the question of chance, you have to achieve these achievements without being killed.
Not only was I dribbling between bigger defenders and tougher opponents, but I also had to escape poverty, addiction, shootings, and unresolved pain. I had to overcome my past and the trauma that affected my entire family. Basketball is a lot easier than growing up alive in Red Hook and Baltimore. But I did it, I got here, and I didn’t rely on handouts, tear-jerking stories, or a famous dad. All I have to rely on is myself, my family and the people who support me.
Brown can choose whoever he wants. Just to be here, I have overcome more obstacles than any coach could ever imagine. I make it, I take a breath, I belong here.
Stern stepped onto the stage. “The Denver Nuggets, who have the third overall pick in this NBA draft, selected Carmelo Anthony from Syracuse University.”
My chest felt like it froze and the crowd cheered wildly. I saw them screaming all the way from my seat to the stage, but no sound reached my ears. I walked over to Stern with a smile, held his hand tightly, and placed a gold nugget ball cap on my braided head. I’m here, Aggie, we did it. Let the story begin.
2023-12-20 13:02:16
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