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Former professional basketball players Ricky Davis and Michael Sweetney led kids through basketball drills at Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center last Thursday. The East Hills clinic was attended by nearly 30 kids from the ages of 8 to 12.
Chris Long: Per a source w/ knowledge of the situation, former #Timberwolves player & 13-year NBA vet Ricky Davis is expected to be announced as the new boys basketball coach at Minneapolis North ( @NPolarHoops ). He'd succeed legendary coach Larry McKenzie, who retired last month.
NBA star and Port Arthur native Stephen Jackson partnered with the Feed Your City Challenge, an initiative backed by the Ricky Davis Legacy Foundation, to help people whose food security had already been threatened by the coronavirus’ economic damage. “My grandmother and grandfather gave to this community my whole life. They always gave back,” Jackson said. “Over the years, (giving back) is something I fell in love with … because it was already in my heart. This area has been going through so much the last couple of years.”
Jackson implored other NBA players to step up to the challenge. “We talk about supporting each other. We talk about brotherhood. But you have brothers out on the ground doing this work,” Jackson said. “We need y’all’s support. The work is going to get done regardless, but we need y'all’s support. This is really a reality check for everybody who takes things for granted.”
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Davis said he’s ready to coach and for a player who was tabbed a knucklehead during times in his career, he knows what message to convey to young players. “These young guys, you say your name and they’re like ‘Who?’ ” Davis said. “Being able to actually show them the workouts and explain it and do it with them is a big plus, being in [basketball] shape.”
Ricky Davis helped feed more than 400 people today as part of the outreach by the former Heat forward in conjunction with tonight's Big3 appearance at AmericanAirlines Arena. pic.twitter.com/OrTy3e3m9C
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) July 20, 2018
Tommy Beer: Paul George has attempted at least 12 FG's and shot below 50% from the floor in 21 straight games. Per @Basketball-Reference, that's the second-longest such streak over the last 35 years. (Ricky Davis had a 27-game streak back in 2002-03)
The BIG3 halfcourt basketball tour has booked a July 20 date at AmericanAirlines Arena, the first time the weekly tournament of former and fringe active NBA players will appear in South Florida. The league, founded by Ice Cube, last season featured several former Miami Heat players in its inaugural year, such as Jason Williams, Mike Bibby, Ricky Davis, Rashard Lewis, Marcus Banks, Kendall Gill, Mike James and the late Rasual Butler, with former Heat guard Gary Payton among the coaches.
Arash Markazi: Carlos Boozer has joined the BIG3 as Co-Captain of the Ghost Ballers alongside Captain Mike Bibby and Co-Captain Ricky Davis. The trio will lead the team alongside coach George “The Iceman” Gervin.
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There is also a famous story in Cavs circles about the time the team was filming a promotional spot with LeBron and Ricky Davis during their first year together. James was on his rookie contract at the time but Davis was making above the League minimum. As the story goes, there was a homeless person who was watching the entire shoot. After it was over, Davis took off his sneakers and autographed them for the man. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a wad of cash that was in a rubber band. He popped the money inside the shoe and gave it to the guy. The response from the homeless man that Ricky Davis handed roughly $5K inside his Nike shoe after filming a team spot was reportedly indescribable. Selfish, silly, class clowning, or otherwise, Ricky D was a good guy just doing a job who helped out those less fortunate whenever he could. LeBron saw all that from Ricky D too.
Do you hope to eventually become a coach in the NCAA or NBA? Ricky Davis: Oh yeah, coaching in the NBA is definitely my dream. I’d love to bring that knowledge back to the NBA, and that’s what I’m working toward now.
You were on the Cleveland Cavaliers during LeBron James’ rookie season. What was that like, and what did you think of where he was at developmentally as a player and as a person? Ricky Davis: It was awesome. We were definitely looking forward to making some kind of additions after losing 65 games [in the 2002-03 season]. My little brother actually played some high school ball with LeBron. They were briefly teammates at St. Vincent-St. Mary, but then my brother moved. But because of that, I had actually seen LeBron earlier than most people. When he joined us, he was definitely a mature player for his age. He came to the NBA straight out of high school and was so young, and I could relate to that because I was 17 years old myself when I came into the league. I was the third-youngest player to ever enter the NBA, so I sort of understood what he was going through in some ways. The season went great. There was media everywhere, but it was fun. It was really good to see him grow, to see his dedication. I was still doing my thing. I had averaged 20 points the year before and I was still scoring 20 a lot of nights that year too. He did his thing and I did my thing, and I think we meshed well together. He had a lot of talent and when the organization gave him the opportunity to be “the guy,” he took advantage of it. It was just a great season, and it was a lot of fun playing with one of the greatest young guys ever.
Talent committed to the BIG3 include: Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Gary Payton, Kenyon Martin, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal, Rashard Lewis, Jason Williams, Bonzi Wells, Mike Bibby, George “The Iceman” Gervin, Ricky Davis, Al Harrington, Rick Barry, Rick Mahorn, Clyde Drexler, Kenny Anderson, Jamario Moon, Smush Parker, Ruben Patterson and Etan Thomas. Payton, Gervin, Barry, Mahorn and Drexler will serve as coaches, with Iverson serving as a player/coach - the rest are confirmed to play.
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