It has been a very interesting and eye opening
year for the latest guest on NBATV’s “#NBATogether,” going being traded from a
title contender to what has supposed to be a stop gap from him spending a part
of this season on a rebuilding team and then joining a title contender to turning
that that squad into playoff participant. To being at the head of the league’s
restart that because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic had been put on
hiatus for 129 days but is set to resume in Orlando July 30. This is also a
time in which he has had to lead on the rough subject of race after several
more deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement.
The first thing that NBA on TNT studio host and co-host of TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia touched on in his virtual interview with 10-time All-Star lead guard and eight-time All-NBA selection for the Oklahoma City Thunder Chris Paul, who is also the President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the night of Mar. 11 when Thunder were set to square off with the Utah Jazz that went from another game night during the regular season to what ended up being a long hiatus because of the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic across the globe, which Paul said he was going to due a documentary on with Academy Award-winning film director Antoine Fuqua on the day the sports world stood still.
The 2006 Kia Rookie of the Year, nine-time NBA All-Defensive selection, and two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner said that night in his eyes he said was “interesting.”
“I’d played a lot of games in this league, been around for a long time. I can’t remember a time when we’d went through player intros, warmups, and everything and you just sort of stop,” the 15-year veteran who began in his career with the then New Orleans Hornets, and played with the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and now the Thunder said of that night. “Everybody’s trying to figure out what’s going on?”
“I think the anxiety through our team was really different. Going back to the locker room was an experience in of itself, and it seems like that was years ago now. Like it was so long ago but a big credit to everyone with our team and our organization as well as Utah in the way everyone handled it and made sure that safety and health came first.”
Paul also said during the wait to see if the game would start or not that he went towards the Jazz’s sidelines, he was told to head back to the Thunder bench after he had a quick moment with Jazz swingman Joe Ingles.
The 2013 All-Star Game MVP said though that it was not really much and that he as well as the players with both teams was trying to figure out what was going on.
The game was eventually cancelled and the
fans were cleared out of the arena, and the players were taken back to their
respective locker rooms to get tested for COVID-19 by medics. While the Thunder
after they were tested were able to go home, the Jazz stayed in the locker room
for quite a while because the entire team from the players, coaching staff and
the travel entourage needed to be tested because it was revealed later that
All-Star center Rudy Gobert, who did not play and was not even in the arena
because he was sick was later revealed
to have tested positive for the Coronavirus.
As the National Basketball Association (NBA) assesses the situation of what would later turn out to be a global pandemic; as Commissioner Adam Silver wraps his head around what is going on, Paul as the leader of the NBPA is hearing concerns from his peers around “The Association” was hearing a lot of ideas of how this season could resume safely so a champion could be crowned.
Paul said that he called Michelle Roberts, the Executive Director of the NBPA after the game was cancelled. He then went home to check out Directv’s “NBA League Pass” to see what was taking place in the other games on that night. While the other games slated for the night, the New York Knicks at the Atlanta Hawks; Charlotte Hornets at the Miami Heat; Detroit Pistons at the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets at the Dallas Mavericks on ESPN were able to start and finish, the only other game on the slate in the back end of the ESPN doubleheader of the New Orleans Pelicans at the Sacramento Kings was cancelled.
Paul then said that he talked to Houston Rockets All-Star guard and 2017 Kia MVP Russell Westbrook, who he was traded for last summer to see if their game at the Los Angeles Clippers, who was the back end of the NBA on TNT doubleheader the next night was going to be cancelled.
“I didn’t have any answers like anybody else. So, I was just like everybody else trying to find out what’s next,” Paul said.
After a long hiatus, the league in conjunction with the NBPA last month agreed to bring 22 teams down to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL-the eight teams in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference that are above the playoff line and Washington Wizards (24-40) in the East and the Portland Trail Blazers (29-37), New Orleans Pelicans (28-36), Sacramento Kings (28-36), San Antonio Spurs (27-36) and Phoenix Suns (26-39) from the West, who are on the outside of the playoff picture in their respective conferences down to play eight regular season games starting on July 30 and then to the playoffs.
There will be no fans in attendance at the arenas they will play in and there will be strict guidelines that the players, coaching staff of the teams and their traveling parties will have to follow from making sure they wear masks and maintain social distance.
There are some players that have opted out
of the league’s restart because of their concerns with COVID-19 or the fact
that they want to devote their time and energy towards social justice in the
wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshaun
Brooks.
When asked if any players who opted out of the restart will have that held against them, Paul said he does not believe so because the NBPA led by Paul and Ms. Roberts has tried to convey to the players throughout all of this is they have to make the best decision for them and their family.
Paul mentioned that one of his closest friends in life, not just in basketball is current Trail Blazers’ forward Trevor Ariza, who he calls his “brother” opted out of the restart because he committed to a one-month visitation window with his 12-year-old son, which more than likely means losing out between $1 million and $1.8 million in base salary that is based on whether the Trail Blazers make the playoffs.
“Given his situation, I know him. I know what he goes through. So, no I don’t think anyone can analyze your situation doing what’s best for you and your family,” Paul said. “So, having a guy close to me, right, have to make that decision, I respect it a thousand percent.”
“We all have our own stories, right? We just never know. We never know what someone’s going through and the different things that we’re dealing with day-in and day-out.”
With all of the 22 teams in Orlando in
preparation for the restart, with the Thunder, who sit at No. 5 in the West at
40-24, just 0.5 game behind ironically enough the No. 4 Seeded Jazz (40-24),
Paul said that being in the so-called bubble is “different.”
He also said that the scene is also amazing because of being I someway involved in some of the calls. That even the thought of this restart being even possible made Paul very emotional when the Thunder first arrived at the Wide World of Sports Complex, especially when he saw a lady who works for the NBA because it felt like to him and the guys that worked on the executive committee for the NBPA like Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks; perennial All-Star Kyle Lowry of the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors; the aforementioned Westbrook; and All-Star Jayson Tatum that have been involved in a lot of these conversations.
They always said in those conversations that nothing is going to be perfect and as they got deep into what has now become a reality it was important to get as much feedback as possible to make the restart possible. But to see it all together Paul called “surreal.”
The biggest thing Paul said that is necessary for everyone involved to make sure things go well in the bubble to where a champion is crowned to finish the 2019-20 is communication.
While the players have talked about all
the intricacies about being what Paul referred to as being on “campus,” one of
the biggest things is the mental health of everyone from the players, to the
coaching staffs to the support staffs of the 22 teams.
There are some people that say they are there to finish what was building as one of the best season’s in the NBA in recent years from the parity that has taken place, these so-called stars in the eyes of the fans from their respective cities and fans of basketball in general at the end day are human, who miss their families and the freedom to go about and enjoy themselves in their down time without the restrictions that are in place in the so-called bubble and in general in our world because of the global pandemic.
Paul even said that when he left his wife of soon to be nine years this Sept. 10 Jada, his college sweetheart when they were going to school at Wake Forest University and their two children in their 11-year-old Chris, Jr., and 8-year-old daughter Camryn was totally different than when he left them in L.A. to start this season.
“Us talking to each other as much as possible and collaborating,” Paul said is important for everyone in the bubble in Orlando to make this work. “The fact that we are all here together, we can find ways to communicate and find out what this guy’s into. What is he passionate about” Okay let’s figure out how we can bring our resources together, and make change?”
Paul said that in a discussion that he and NBPA Vice President Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics before his interview with Johnson that it was important that they both get on a call with the players once they become acclimated and come up with a daily schedule that they remember the purpose of why they are all here.
That purpose was to raise awareness for social justice, especially as mentioned in the wake of the deaths of Mr. Floyd, Mr. Brooks, and Ms. Taylor.
It has for sure been on the players minds as they have sported shirts calling all of us to action so we are aware that racial injustice and inequality are something that need to be tackled now.
When Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon
arrived on campus, he sports a black short sleeve shirt Nike shirt that said “I
Can’t Breathe,” referencing the last words of Mr. Floyd when he was murdered by
a police officer when he had his knee on his neck in late May.
During a Trail Blazers practice, head coach Terry Stotts had a short sleeve black shirt on that said, “Black Lives Matter.”
Another player had a long sleeve red shirt on with a fist pointing to the air that also said, “Black Lives Matter.”
The Toronto Raptors when they arrived on campus came in on buses that had “Black Lives Matter” printed on both sides
While a lot of people are interested in what the players are chowing down on in the bubble and what they are doing in their down time, Paul said it is important for everyone in the bubble to stay as focused as possible about making sure the bigger goal is reached, which is keeping social justice at the fore front.
As important as it is to have shirts that sport “Black Lives Matter,” to having the names of those who have died at the hands of law enforcement as well as messages in regards to social justice, it is just as important to learn from conversations the players are going to have like about voting and finding out how many other players feel passionate about that, and come up with a plan to turn that passion into a well thought message to spread to the rest of the country that they will be receptive to.
“Because doesn’t have to be on the same agenda,” Paul said. “One of the big things about the jerseys was we wanted to make it optional, right? We wanted to make it optional. So, you shouldn’t have to be forced to do anything that maybe your not comfortable with.”
“But we wanted to get guys an opportunity to share a message on the back of their jerseys if they felt good about that. And I think for me in choosing ‘equality’ right, it gives me an opportunity to speak on different things.”
One of those things that Paul is extremely passionate about is HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and spreading the message to empower the African American youth that they can attend those schools and achieve all their hopes and dreams.
As important is what will be on the back of the jerseys of the players and what message they have on team buses, it will not mean anything if there is no real action taken by those in power in our cities, states and in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill and on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in our nation’s capital (the White House).
As Hall of Famer and Johnson’s co-host on “Inside the NBA” said on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” recently that our nation needs prison reform and police reform, and that will not happen if all the media coverage is focused on what signs are being shown at these peaceful protest and who is kneeling during the national anthem.
What makes Paul excited is the fact that in those discussions that the NBPA had with the NBA front office in trying to get a restart underway, which was nearly lost because of the social unrest in our nation, there were a few things that the players and the executive committee of the NBPA discussed that they brought to the table that they needed in order to make the restart a reality.
“So, our players did an unbelievable job and got the league to commit $30 million for the next 10 years to social justice, the Social Justice Fund that the players care about,” Paul said. “So, our players let their voices be heard and we said that ‘We need to see more black and brown people in NBA front office.’ Not only teams but across the league as a whole, and not just at lower level positions but executive positions.”
“Obviously, the jerseys get a lot of the attention but it’s bigger than that, and that’s what Charles was talking about. There has to be action. There’s a lot of things that have to be changed and we have platforms, but the more we come together to have these discussions, I think the more we can impact change.”
While Paul also said that he may not have all the answers, he is glad to have the executive committee that consists of Miami Heat veteran swingman and 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, who won three titles with the Golden State Warriors in the middle of the 2010s; Roger Mason, Jr.; now Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones; Memphis Grizzlies veteran forward Anthony Tolliver; now Suns assistant coach Willie Green; former longtime NBA guard Steve Blake; along with Ms. Roberts.
The importance of our country get to the point where we have social justice is something that is very important to Paul from a personal standpoint because back when he was a senior at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, NC he scored 61 points in a game to honor his 61-year-old grandfather was murdered. When he had a chance to score 62, Paul purposely shot an airball on the second free throw.
Paul said that his grandfather was someone that really matter to him, particularly because he had the first, black-owned service station in North Carolina, where four-time NBA assists leader and six-time steals leader worked every summer growing up. He and his older brother Charles “C.J.” Paul, Jr. changed the oil and rotated the tires on cars.
That day, a 17-year-old Paul experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows that week where he signed his letter of intent to attend Wake Forest and the day after his grandfather was murdered by five teenagers.
The game in which Paul had his 61-point performance for the 27-3 Class 4A Eastern Regional finalists Titans was the day after his grandfather’s funeral on Nov. 20, 2002.
This is a moment that Paul said he can
talk about now and he is in the process of doing a book about and a movie about
the death of his grandfather.
“It definitely impacted my life. Probably how I deal with things. How I necessarily don’t deal with death well and things like this,” Paul said of how the death of his grandfather as a late teen has affected him as an adult. “It is what it is, but I know I am the way I am about my family because of that.”
“My granddad was the leader of our family. He taught me about hard work. He taught me about not giving up. He taught about letting someone tell me I couldn’t do something.”
Over the weekend, Paul also took time to
remember two men who you can say were the leaders of Black America during the
Civil Rights movement in longtime Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) and C.T.
Vivian, who passed away on Friday at the ages of 80 and 95 respectably.
“Today is a sad day in the that we lost
two of the most powerful activists we ever had: C.T. Vivian and John Lewis. The
impact they had on America I think, is unbelievable,” Paul said. “For me as a Black
man, this is more important for me to do my job better as a parent.”
“I think a lot of times, people look at
athletes as heroes—what we can do in terms of dunking a basketball and throwing
a touchdown. But things [Lewis and Vivian] did as human beings…John Lewis was
one of the original 13 Freedom Riders. Youngest speaker at the March in
Washington. Did the walk from Selma to Montgomery. All of those these things I
don’t think we do enough learning and teaching about. That’s a lot. That’s my
truth. I think that’s more important than any of the stuff that’s going on down
here.”
Paul’s grandfather used to go open the service station saying he could not have a Caucasian telling him what to do every day. Which is why Paul’s grandfather taught him about ownership, and when Paul and his brother had a basketball game, he would shut down his service station and said that he is going to see his grandchildren play. That was able to happen because Paul’s grandfather owned the service station.
As important as keeping the message of social justice at the forefront of the NBA’s restart in Orlando, which officially gets underway on July 30, there is the matter of finishing the regular season, which will be eight games for each of the 22 teams and deciding an NBA champion.
Before the hiatus, the Thunder had turned
a corner from a slow start to this season to now being in prime position to get
home court advantage in the opening-round of the playoffs.
Since Thanksgiving 2019, only the Eastern Conference leading Milwaukee Bucks going 38-9 and the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers have achieved better records than the 34-13 mark of the Thunder, which also includes a 17-5 mark since Jan. 18, which the best in West during that stretch and second only to the defending NBA champion Raptors’ mark of 18-4.
Paul said in the team’s first three-hour practice in Orlando in over four months was a fun one because when you are on a team where you are around each other all the time and in an instant you are not, there is a feeling of you want to be around each other again. He referred to his Thunder teammates as his extended family.
“So, to not only see these guys but you care about their well-being. You care about their family and what not,” Paul said about what it means to be around his teammates again. “So, it was good to have some sense of normalcy. Just for those three hours to be on the court.”
After the regular season will come the playoffs which will be different because with everyone being at a neutral site, the advantage of being able to start a postseason series on your home floor is gone and it basically comes down to who do you match up well against.
To Paul, the team that wins the title in 2020 beyond having talent has to be “mentally strong.” Has the fortitude and discipline to do the necessary things on a daily basis, and something Paul’s former head coach when he was with the Clippers for six seasons (2011-17) Glenn “Doc” Rivers said you have to have a little bit of luck.
Another thing Coach Rivers said when Johnson interviewed him weeks ago is that he told his current Clippers squad that the had to “win the wait,” which meant they had to have the discipline to do the things necessary during the hiatus that when the season restarted that they can hit the ground running in what will be a grind to the finish line of this season unlike any in the history of the NBA.
Paul said that he got a chance to train, even with all the business and phone calls he had to take as the leader of the NBPA to get the NBA season back.
He did everything from running on the treadmill, to having his daughter lay on his back while he did push ups and lifting weights at his home.
“In the midst of all these phone calls and things like that as far as trying to get this thing back on, I actually had to refocus,” Paul said about getting back into shape for the restart. “I realized that I was spending a lot of time doing all this other work, and I wasn’t necessarily putting that work in as far as my team.”
The Thunder during the hiatus started doing Zoom calls on a weekly basis, which led to Paul to say that this Thunder group with him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steven Adams, Dennis Schroder, Danilo Gallinari, Lugentz Dort, Nerlens Noel, and Terrence Ferguson is one of the finest teams I’ve ever been on in his 15-year career because they has a genuine care and respect for one another, and they are “very selfless.”
Getting to the point where the NBA season will continue and be able to crown and NBA champion took a lot of hard work, focus, determination, and flat out faith on the league’s front office side and from the NBPA side. The leadership of Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA President Chris Paul and the executive committee really shined through to where we will have basketball in nearly two weeks, while also making sure that the message of social justice is front and center.
If all goes according to plan with no setbacks, the 2019-20 NBA season will have a conclusion. The fight for social justice and the long-awaited equality that our country has been long overdue for is just beginning. What has taken place across the United States from the peaceful protests, that have involved some NBA players has been a solid start, that has to continue and if the NBA players and Paul can continue on this trajectory moving forward that change will come, and our nation will be all the better for it.
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