The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with DeLisha Milton-Jones about winning a pair of gold medals in 2000/2008. Today marks the 20th anniversary of her very 1st WNBA All-Star game appearance in 2000.
(photo credit: coastalcourier.com)
You were born on 9/11: how has that tragic day in 2001 affected your own life (if at all)? It is ingrained in everyone’s mind as a horrific moment in American history. Whenever I mention my birthday it always make people gasp/apologize but I tell people that I am not sad about it because the entire world came together to unite even though it was for a sad cause. It definitely changed my birthday for sure.
You have an 84” wingspan: how much of an advantage did your long arms give you on the court? That is true and it gave me a tremendous advantage. It allowed me to be more versatile in terms of who I could defend from point guards to centers, which allowed me to have longevity in the game. When I grew my fingernails out that would give me an extra inch or 2 to try to block an opponent who was 6’5”. It also got me in trouble sometimes because I was quirky/awkward growing up and would accidentally knock things over or poke someone in the face! If I stuck my arm out straight and someone was coming full speed then it would cause my elbow to get hyperextended a couple of times.
In the 1994 NCAA tourney as a freshman at Florida you had a 2-PT upset loss to #13-seed Texas A&M: do you think that you would have won the game had you not been forced to play on the road due to a Rod Stewart concert?! I definitely do because we were a tough team to beat at home with our fans supporting us. I immediately said to myself that I would never like any of Rod’s music: he is on my blacklist for the rest of my life!
In 1997 you were named SEC POY and won the Wade Trophy/Honda Sports Award as the best player in the nation: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I never played for awards: I just tried to play as hard as I could for my coach. She believed in me and allowed me to better my situation so I would run through a titanium wall for her. I achieved a lot that year and was proud of that: the SEC had great players like Dominique Canty at Alabama/Chamique Holdsclaw at Tennessee so it said a lot about my growth in the game.
You won a pair of Olympic gold medals with team USA in 2000 and 2008 and a pair of World Championship gold medals in 1998 and 2002: what did it mean to you to win all of those gold medals, and how frustrating was it to miss the 2004 Olympics due to injury? It means the world to me: USA Basketball will always remain near and dear to me and helped set me apart as the crème de la crème. You need the right attitude/ability to be part of that. I definitely feel that 2004 should have an asterisk by my name: it was a low moment in my life and to see Ruth Riley win my medal after I had sacrificed for 3 years hurt deeply.
You won back-to-back WNBA titles with LA in 2001/2002: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles, and where does Nikki Teasley’s series-winning 3-PT shot with 2.1 seconds left in the 2002 WNBA Finals against New York rank among the greatest clutch shots that you have ever seen? Winning back-to-back title with the Sparks while the Lakers were also hot was great: the city was vibing on a different frequency and it was a lot of fun. We knew that New York was going to focus its attention on Lisa Leslie but we had go-to players all over the floor. Teresa Weatherspoon helped off of Nikki a little bit and she hit a shot that was heard all over women’s basketball. It was a dagger and even bigger than Spoon’s 50-footer in the 1999 WNBA Finals.
In 2005 you became 2nd woman ever to coach a men’s pro basketball team when you took over the ABA’s Los Angeles Stars: what is the biggest difference between coaching men vs. coaching women? This will sound bad but I am telling the truth. Women are tough/resilient and have instant loyalty. We naturally are pleasers and will do whatever it takes to make the coach happy. The men are gifted athletically but sometimes it hinders their game because they do not see the game in its beautiful form below the rim and will just try to jump over/through someone. Women see the execution/timing of the play, which I admire.
In 2015 you retired as the WNBA’s all-time leader with 499 career games played: what is the secret to having such a long career in pro basketball? The main thing is to take care of yourself and be someone who other people want to have around. I garnered a lot of respect from my teammates/GMs and they knew that I had a genuine love for the game/passion for people. I had my head on straight and took pride in being a pro. I invested in myself by getting a massage every day, going to a chiropractor 3 times/week, and having meals that were scientifically prepared after hearing that Kobe Bryant did that. It paid off big-time for me: 16 of my 17 years involved playing year-round and the only 1 that was not is the 1 where I tore my ACL. I could score X amount of PTS every night but took less shots so that we could win games: that was the most important thing for me.
Last April you were named head coach at Old Dominion: how has the coronavirus affected your new job either on or off the court? It has had a huge effect. I am a hands-on person and love communicating/hugging so it has really thrown a monkey wrench into the entire mechanism. I prefer face-to-face but am trying to make the most out of it: even interviewing for the job virtually was weird but I like to be myself organically.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I want people to remember me as someone who did it the right way: with humility/passion/compassion/love. I am tough but the foundation for everything I do is love. I really studied my craft and played a part in growing the game by helping those who came after me.
Are there any thoughts you would like to share about everything that has been going on in our country recently (George Floyd/protests/police/other)? I am wrapped up with so many different emotions after seeing everything taking place. The death of George is the straw that broke the camel’s back. I know that there are good police officers out there but justice has to be upheld for the incidents of cowardly people who use aggressive force. They need to be held responsible in every police department: we need to rewrite the script and go back to the days when they served/protected rather than instilled fear. I am sick and tired of it and want us all to become better human beings because underneath our skin we are all the same.