Former Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison is now helping cover the team he played for from 2004 through 2010 as an analyst for Comcast Mid-Atlantic. The two-time all-star spoke to The Washington Times about scoring 20,000 points, the funky shots he would make and the current state of his former team.
Question: When you entered the league, if you were told you would score 20,000 points, would you have thought that should happen, that seems like a distant number or in between?
Jamison: If you would have told me that while I was in college and predraft, draft camp, draft day, getting drafted by Golden State, I probably would have said, “Yes.” If you would have told me that after my rookie year, it probably would have been the first time I would have had doubts about anybody saying I’d be able to accomplish anything that had to do with basketball. I had always been able, high school, college, as soon as I got on a team, or as soon as my first game, I just felt comfortable, like I belonged, but that rookie year was something that created doubt. Being the fourth pick, seeing guys like Vince Carter and Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki have unbelievable rookie seasons. For me, it was just like … the only time I actually doubted myself in anything I did in life. If you would have told me that as my rookie year or after my rookie year, I probably would have been like, “We’re going to fight through this one, see how it goes.” Before, I started playing in the NBA, I would have told you, “Of course.”
Q: What do you recall about the 3-pointer you made to surpass 20,000 points?
A: In Boston. I remember I was with the Clippers and everybody was talking about [how] I was close to getting it. I remember three points away and eventually getting one to fall that night. For me, it was a number that was talked about for weeks. The circumstances were a little bit different because I wasn’t playing that much. I just remember afterwards, Doc Rivers came in with the ball and said, ’Congratulations, man. That’s a hell of an accomplishment.’ I got the shoes and jersey and all that stuff. One day when I calm down, kind of do a little collage of everything. Definitely have that ball up on the mantle. The accumulation of my whole career kind of came down to one shot.
Q: Where is all that stuff, if you don’t have it all set up in a house?
A: I have everything in my office. I have the 10,000-point ball, the 15,000-point ball, 20,000-point, 8,000 rebounds. I’ve got all those on a mantle in my office. I just haven’t yet put together something special. Two things I’ve got to do: The 20,000-point one, do something with the ball, the jersey. And, I’ve got a lot of stuff from [North Carolina] coach [Dean] Smith that I’m going to put together in a collage as well. Those are like the two final things basketball-wise that I want to really put some time and effort in and do something special. With the 20,000 points, that’s a whole accumulation of pretty much my whole career. Of course, Coach Smith, who means the world to me, I want to do something special so when I’m dead and gone, whatever, my kids can hang it up.
Q: Do you think you benefited from what you went through that rookie season?
A: I think I benefited my whole time with the Golden State Warriors. I was there for five years. Within those five years, I had like seven different coaches. Each coach saw me as a different player. One coach saw me as a back-to-the-basket player as I was in college. Another coach saw me as a perimeter player, so I worked on shooting and worked on dribbling, creating shots off the dribble. Another coach saw me as a slasher. All those coaches envisioned my game totally different. By me working on those things, [it] really helped me out as I got old. Being a stretch four who could shoot the ball. Being able to have unorthodox shots. Being able to put the ball on the floor one or two dribbles and find something.
Q: Where did the development of those “unorthodox” shots come from?
A: Never worked on it in practice. When I was doing drills with Coach Smith or in the NBA, it wasn’t something that I just sat down and worked on: “Let me do this crazy shot” or whatever. It was all about feel and trying to figure things out. It was nothing I worked on or tried to like, be the best at. All that stuff was just by feel and by going with the flow of the game and just trying to get off any shot I could possibly get off without it getting blocked or somebody being able to figure out what was going on. I tell people all the time, I remember when I went with the Lakers and the Clippers, they were like, “Man, show me how you do those shots.” I was like, “I don’t practice these shots.” When we start practice, I start doing them, they’re like, “C’mon, man. You’ve got to be practicing them.” It was just a feel that I have and going off what I see.
Q: What do you make of the Wizards at this point? They have many of the same players from the previous season, yet cannot sustain things, particularly on defense.
A: I think they’re kind of going through an identity crisis right now. I think in the past, the lineup they’ve been using was the big lineup with [Marcin] Gortat and Nene and Bradley Beal and John Wall, and just kind of plug in someone at that three position. They had some success after going with the small ball in the playoffs. I think they felt like that should be their new identity. As the season has progressed, you’ve heard a lot of rumblings that they don’t like that style of play and so forth, and it was kind of like a tug of war between the coaches and the players, and they’re trying to figure it out. Also, injuries have played a part. If you look at the game you kind of see — I might be overanalyzing it — but I can tell by guys, the way they interact, I don’t see this group as tight-knit as they once were last year. How can you say that when it’s the same team? Believe me, it happens. I think not just his game on the court, but the leader he was, Paul Pierce, I think they miss his veteran leadership in the locker room. I think a combination of veteran leadership and going small ball and injuries is the reason why they’re where they’re at. To me, that’s the inconsistent play on both ends of the floor. There were times offensively that you were up there, now struggling to score and defensively … I don’t know what’s going on with the defense. It’s really to the point where it’s tough to watch. I think as players, you go through adversity; it’s one thing to go through it for a small amount of time. This has been going on up and down since the start of the season.
Q: Accepting the end is tough for athletes. Who did you talk to about retirement, and how were you able to personally process the fact it was probably time to move on?
A: I just knew the times was right. At the particular time, it wasn’t after Cleveland. Fourteen years, I’ve got money saved up, I don’t have to worry about money. The biggest thing for me was, for these last two, three years, however many more years I have left, I want to do everything possible to try to get a ring. Kobe [Bryant] was in L.A. They just traded for Dwight Howard. Steve Nash was there. There were other teams that I could have signed a two- or three-year deal, making $3 [million] or $4 million a year. I’m like, “Nah, I’m just going to go year by year.” I went to L.A. Thought I had an opportunity to do something special. We all seen how that turned out. Next year, there was interest from the Clippers. Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul. I don’t have to move out of the city. The whole thing going on with the owner. They end up trading me midseason. I just got to the point where I was like, you know what? I accomplished any and everything. I gave it 100 percent each time I was out on the court. I didn’t have any kind of regrets. I was very conscious of when I practiced, played, leave everything on the court because I knew next year or tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed. I finally got to the point, my kids were older and it was getting a to a point where I needed to be home more more. That’s when I came to the conclusion that winning a championship might not be in my cards. I was like, “You know what? I can actually sit here and say I’m happy with my career.” After that trade with the Clippers, I asked to be released. I needed to be home with my kids. I was fortunate enough that Atlanta understood. They waived me. I sat there and thought about it that summer. Just wanted to be home and realized that basketball-wise, I had given my all. I kind of got the urge a little bit right before training camp. I said if I do play, it would probably be with one team. That would be the Charlotte Hornets because I’m from Charlotte, and I stay in Charlotte, my kids are in school. I wanted to be close to them, as well. They didn’t show any interest. I was like, you know what? It’s been a good 16 years. I’m fortunate and grateful. It wasn’t like the body was hurting or whatever.
Q: If you could change something about the NBA, rules, scheduling or otherwise, what would it be?
A: I wouldn’t change anything. They call it history for a reason. The things that Michael [Jordan], Scottie [Pippen], Magic [Johnson] and those guys went through as far as the schedule, as far as the 82 games, they went through it, I went through it, I think everybody should go through it. Of course, the game has changed. Back in the day when I got into the league [in 1998] you could pretty much foul on every possession and they would allow it. Now, you can’t even breathe on certain players. … You can actually say the game is fun to watch. There was a time with the [New York] Knicks with [Anthony] Mason, God rest his soul, and [Charles] Oakley, it was tough, man. The “Bad Boys” of Detroit. You pretty much had to bring your boxing gloves because it wasn’t a game. It was all about intimidation. Guys like Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard are so skilled. If you can’t touch them and make it difficult for them, it’s impossible. As a fan, I love it. When I played, it was difficult at times to stop those guys.
Q: Why do you think you have an obligation as a professional athlete to use your influence in the community? Some argue athletes are not obligated to such things — the famous Charles Barkley “Not a role model” phrasing, for instance.
A: First of all, it’s part of who I am, to give back and help others less fortunate. I realize I’ve been blessed and fortunate to do something I love. I’ve had a lot of support through that process as well. Another part of it is it’s part of the territory. As a kid, I remember it would have been [nice] to have met Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning when I was here in Charlotte, to have them to be accessible in the community and so forth. When I played and now, I realized that it makes a world of difference for a kid, whether to sit there and talk to him or go out into the community and help out. That’s part of my job description. That was part of what it meant to be a professional athlete. I just can’t sit here and accomplish so much, whether it is money-wise or some would call it fame, and sit down and, “I did enough” or “I’m done.” My job is still to go out and help those less fortunate. To go out and do as much as I can … You are role models. If these kids are buying your shoes or buying your jersey and emulating you out there on the playground, you have to acknowledge that and realize I am doing something positive, I am making a difference in someone’s life. I’d rather kids be doing that than doing negative stuff that can be going on in our communities.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.