Now that the NBA draft is in the books, your 2 main opportunities to see some basketball in the months ahead are the NBA Summer League and The Basketball Tournament. The TBT is an open-application, single-elimination tourney featuring 64 teams and offering $2 million in winner-take-all prize money. There will be 8 regionals during July in Columbus/Greensboro/Lexington/Memphis/Salt Lake City/Wichita/Richmond/Syracuse, followed by the final 3 rounds during August in Chicago. We continue our preview coverage with Bernard King (no not that 1), who graduated from Texas A&M in 2003 as the leading scorer in Big 12 history. He has spent much of the past 15 years playing pro basketball overseas, but will be playing for Louisiana United next month as he tries to win the $2 million grand prize. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Bernard about 1 of the most controversial endings ever and being a great PG.
At age 14 you played on an AAU team for 17-year olds and won a national championship: what did it mean to you to win a title? That championship will always be special for me. We all came together as a bunch of kids from small towns so it meant a lot to win it.
You were recruited by several big-time schools including LSU/Minnesota/Purdue/Seton Hall: what made you choose Texas A&M? At the time A&M was known as a football school so it was a challenge for Coach Melvin Watkins to change the culture. At the end of the day that was the basis for my decision.
As a freshman you started all 28 games, led the Aggies with 16.9 PPG, and were named Big 12 ROY: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? It was a funny situation. When I 1st arrived Clifton Cook was supposed to show me the ropes, but he was kicked off the team due to his grades so I just went out and played hard. I really did not know what to expect as a freshman.
In January 2000 you scored 15 PTS and Andy Leatherman had a layup at the buzzer that was ruled good/no good/good in a 2-PT win over Texas Tech: what are your memories of your coach refusing to play OT and your team sitting in the dressing room during a 39-minute delay? I remember that game like yesterday. Thank God we did not have instant replay back then because that shot definitely did not count! It was a special game to be a part of and 1 of the craziest wins that I ever had.
In January 2002 you became the 4th player in league history to record a triple-double (20 PTS/10 REB/10 AST) but missed a 28-footer at the buzzer in a 2-PT loss to Texas Tech: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career, and did you think that your final shot was going in? That was a crazy ending. I actually did not start that game so it was a crazy-good feeling to come off the bench and do all of that in only 28 minutes. It was a broken play at the end: we did not know whether to call a timeout. It was not the best shot but I still thought that I would make it.
You graduated from Texas A&M as the top scorer in Big 12 conference history and #3 in league history in career AST: what is the key to being a great PG? It has been 1 of my strengths during my entire life: I always took pride in making the guy next to me better. Now the game has changed and there are not actual positions, but the most dangerous players are still the ones who can both pass/score. It allows you to pick teams apart.
You also rank #2 in school history with 232 career 3PM: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? Work! Taking a lot of extra shots, late nights staying in the gym, and staying focused on what matters the most. Muscle memory is all it was.
You have spent the past 15 years playing pro basketball: how does basketball in the US compare to basketball overseas? The NBA is totally different due to spacing: it is like night and day. As far as college vs. Europe it is very similar: the rules overseas are so similar that I see it as grown men playing college basketball with more of a team concept.
Your father Victor was a 2nd-round pick of the Lakers and your half-brother Kourtney Roberson played basketball at Texas A&M: who is the best athlete in the family? I am: it is not even close! We have this argument all the time even though my dad says it is him: Kourtney tries to stay out of it.
Next month you will be playing for Louisiana United in the TBT: how is the team looking, and what would you do if your team won it all and collected $2 million? The 1st thing I would do is scream real loud! It would feel good to get that money back for my family: extra money is always good. I do a lot of stuff with my camp so a lot of it would go to charity to help those kids.