You could be winning and they still try to nitpick at something. Turning 5 will be the milestone. "I was pacing in the waiting room. I gowith different guys. Keifer, along with six of his siblings and half-siblings, took the red line train with mom and dad to City Hall. We had nothing. pic.twitter.com/4JC9VJNSpW, James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 7, 2022, "Everything that she did for us, losing my dad, taking care of everybody she deserves this more than anybody, Keifer Sykes said. Assistant coach Jenny Boucek brokethe news. [24], On September 13, 2020, Sykes signed with Trk Telekom B.K. Sykes became the only active player in the nation with 2,000+ points, 500+ assists, and 400+ rebounds. Thats the Keifer Sykes Effect., Its bigger than what yall seeing and what we're seeing as far as him making it to the Pacers. Its all demonstrated in the documentary, Carlisle said after the game. "When I got there, I was nervous, and it was kind of surreal," he said. Sykes said he was in a state of denial, praying hed wake up and the nightmare would be over. "He so reminds me of his dad. , Im not forgetting these things. They saw my vision of playing in the NBA and we executed it.. After competing in Australia, Sykes was recruited by former Syracuse star Eric Devendorf to play for the Oranges alumni team, Boeheim's Army, in The Basketball Tournament. I didnt go somewhere that eased me into it. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, at After a game at Indiana in 2012, Dawson asked coach Tom Izzo if he could ride with his family from Bloomington to Indianapolis to escape and spend one night with his son. [2] He starred at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago, where he was named second team All-Chicago Public High School League by the Chicago Sun-Times. Sykes said having his contract guaranteed through the end of theseason is "the highlight of my professional career," and he's thrilled that his 6-year-old daughter, Kennedi, and11-year-old son, Keifer Jr., can finally say their daddy is officially in the NBA. We've had people tell us to not keep the baby, frankly.". He converted a traditional 3-point play when he drove, banked a shot and got a free throw, too. My foundation is about mass incarcerationand gun violence. It's a seven-hour drive round trip from Green Bay to Chicago. Of course he was worried about telling mom. [25], On October 4, 2020, Sykes signed a 1-month contract with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League. NBA News. Mitchell said he keeps in touch with Sykes and, because of the time difference between the U.S. and Australia, the Phoenix often watch Pacers games when they get out of practice in the afternoon. I couldnt tell you that he was going to make a million-dollar shot or make it to the NBA, but from the time he was 13-years-old and getting ready to come to high school, I knew that boy was special., I asked #Suns star Devin Booker about his relationship with #Pacers rookie Keifer Sykes. "At this point, she's three months pregnant," Keifer said. May 14 is the due date. It's Feb. 26, 2015, the night Green Bay's Keifer Sykes plays his final game in his hometown area, in front of a band of family and friends. In high school. His camp is having trouble getting them admitted into the road arenas. Stephen A.: Lakers won't advance beyond play-in without LeBron. The two helped Marshall finish third in the Class 3A Illinois high school boys basketball state tournament in 2010, and 12 years later they were on opposing sides of an NBA game for the first time when Sykes and the Pacers hosted McKinnie and their hometown Bulls on Feb 4. The Pacers had Sykes and Wanamaker in training camp and kept the veteran Wanamaker when the season began. At one point, he was the only active player in the country to eclipse 2,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds, but when he sat and watched the 2015 NBA Draft with his family and close friends, his name was not called among the 60 picks. He didn't sleep through the night, and in the darkest hour, their child was born. He later joined the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay on a basketball scholarship. Soon after, the Austin Spurs acquired him for the NBA G League, and Sykes stayed there until 2016. Keifer Sykes is 6-0 (183 cm) tall. He hasn't yet made his NBA dream fit inside his 6-foot frame. "It's fun, though. He does stuff in his community.' My own agents telling me that I'm not gonna play in the NBA. We were all riding every possession and rooting for him, high-fiving each other whenever he dropped in another 3, Mitchell said. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "When she told me, I kind of freaked out. Her husband, James, Keifer Sykes father, was there every step of the way, encouraging him to chase his dream, reminding him that his influence will always be bigger than basketball and instilling values in his son that Keifer Sykes still carries with him nearly a decade after his dads death. I was afraid to tell my mom.". Because KJ wants to be a big boy really fast. The point guard impressed early. "It's not easy, for me, but the best thing I have going on for me right now is my wife," Gathers said. I forgot to even call my mom. [13], After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Sykes joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2015 NBA Summer League. The plan is for mother and child to pack up and go with. First and always, Sykes prides himself on being an awesome dad. Like Sykes, he's a senior NBA prospect. Chi-Town: Directed by Nick Budabin. She's long had a keen love for caring for the young, something as immediately evident in Keifer as his flaring athleticism. All rights reserved. The child's mother, Cecilia, and members of both parents' families crammed into a hospital room and glanced back and forth between watching a father on TV and keeping an eye on T.J. sleep with tubes and probes keeping him alive. Mississippi State is the prime example. You can practically hear the smile through the phone as Gathers, who was wearing scrubs that didn't fit his 6-8, 275-pound frame, tells the story. His dad is alive, but he's not around and never has been. We had nothing, man. A lot of people don't see the world until college. Undrafted out of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2015, Sykes went on to play with the Austin Spurs - the San Antonio Spurs' NBA G-League affiliate - for his first professional season . At James Sykes' urging, and Keifer's own interest in ending the courtship of so many other coaching staffs, he committed fairly early as a junior. Sykes said his indomitable spirit was instilled in him by his father, who put him in school a year early because he could handle it. And whenever Sykes thought he was too young or too small, his father would tell him not to give up. The diminutive guard, who's averaging 5.7 points per game, said he never gets discouraged, though, because hes learned that nothing is guaranteed while hes on his heros journey.. Most did. [1] The film follows Sykes' path from high school to his brush with the NBA. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[6]. "My players say I don't understand, but I do understand," Ray said. Sykes estimated he's trekked it back and forth about 20 times per season over the past four years. [7] Sykes and 7ft 1in (2.16m) standout player Alec Brown led the Phoenix to a 245 regular season record and finished first in the Horizon League. Due to his success, he was invited to the 2016 NBA D-League Elite Camp. Another is dealing with a touch-and-go situation in regard to an abortion decision. Keifer Sykes was born on December 30, 1993. But since Sykes' family felt he was already being overlooked due to his stature, they decided to send him an hour across town to Marshall on the West Side, where his dream of being a basketball star had a better chance of flourishing. . "I know she's probably gonna cry (when I talk to her) because it's bringing tears to my eyes right now," Sykes said, his voice cracking. Sykes said having his contract guaranteed through the end of the season is "the highlight of my professional career," and he's thrilled that his 6-year-old daughter, Kennedi, and 11-year-old. The night before Averyelle was born, Johnson flew from Tulane back to Memphis, got in his car, immediately drove the three and a half hours to Franklin, Tennessee's Williamson Medical Center, and arrived around 3 a.m. Keifer, whose birth was not planned, came two days before 1994. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Sykes was waived by the Pacers on Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. "He's a ball of fire," Green Bay coach Brian Wardle said of KJ. In addition to having the second-highest teen pregnancy rate, Mississippi charts as the poorest state in the nation. The drive was like three hours and I had been on the same trip probably 15 times, but this time it just felt so different. And like Sykes, when Dawson found out he was going to be a father, he had zero interest in letting his mother know right away what he'd gotten himself into. After taking a trip down memory lane at Marshall, Sykes headed to Proviso East, the alma mater of his friend and Mavericks guard Sterling Brown, to host a one-day basketball league and another coat drive the two pros organized together. I want the kid around. That's money which now goes toward feeding their baby boy, Ricardo Darnell Gathers Jr., who came into the world at 4:53 a.m. on June 13, 2014. At one point, a boy asked the Indiana Pacers guard to follow him on Instagram. Like Freeman, Johnson's been a father for only a few weeks. in the Turkish TBL, posting 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. So long as his health is good, he'll have earned a pro contract by then. Moreover, Sykes graduated from there with a degree in Communications. Sykes said he nearly "gave up on everything" after his father's death, but he kept going through countless sleepless nights to carry on James Sykes' legacy. This June will mark a decade since Keifer Sykes father died, 10 years of carrying on without his biggest fan. So this is gonna be my first time playing 2K.". When I first committed, I didn't know where basketball would take me. He then joined the franchises G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and after shining as the teams floor general, he was called up Dec. 27, made his NBA debut against Charlotte on Dec. 29 the day before his 28th birthday scored his first NBA points against his hometown Bulls on Dec. 31 and signed a guaranteed deal for the rest of the season Jan. 7. Oh my God, that melted me, Lisa Sykes said, her voice shaking. Sykes made his second and third career starts against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and Nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Jan. 4 and 5, scoring 22 and 18 points, respectively, with Mitchell and Co. cheering from Australia. Sometimes he'll drive to Chicago, pick KJ up, stay for but a few minutes, and head right back to campus. Its really not about the NBA, Sykes says. Wardle, who is now the head coach at Bradley, called James Sykes a tremendous man, the type who, alongside Lisa Sykes, wanted his son to be held to the highest standard in all areas. Luckily for Wardle, he said he never had to spend too much energy in those departments because even though Sykes was just 17 when he made his college debut making him one of the youngest players in the country he was prepared beyond his years. [32], On November 3, 2022, Sykes was named to the opening night roster for the Motor City Cruise.[33]. So, he packed his bags and headed overseas, not to the more popular foreign leagues in Europe or China, but to South Korea. So they bring the other (American) player in and start working him out so they can be ready and they tell you whatever games you have that week, and at the end of the week they decide to keep you or cut you. Sykes was selected in the second round of the 2016 Korean Basketball League by the Anyang Korea Ginseng Corporation, taking a 15-hour trip across the world that began a roughly five-year journey abroad. Its been a blessing. Some schools turned down interview requests. I have made past mistakes in my life, and God continues to make a way for us. He wasn't. Despite those hurdles, there Sykes was, still standing years later and using his day off before his first major NBA road trip to inspire the next generation. Branden does not carry his father's last name. Its been an overflow. Thats the heros journey, Sykes said. But that's what it takes to be a superhero for my family, a superhero in my community and a good basketball player. He kept it from her as long as possible; the "entire school" knew about it, but she didn't. He was on a trip for a basketball tournament, and that's when he called his mother at work. Former Pacers guard Keifer Sykes, center, hosts a free youth camp at the Irsay Family YMCA in Indianapolis on April 30, 2022. Chicago. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-box-4','ezslot_3',131,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-box-4','ezslot_4',131,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-4-0_1');.box-4-multi-131{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. On Friday, the deadlinefor NBA teams to guarantee contracts for the rest of the season, the28-year-old rookiegot the last laugh whenthe Pacers decided to keep himand third-year swingmanOshae Brissett through the end of their campaign. Green Bay's Henry Uwadiae, a 6-foot-11 Nigerian-born sophomore, had a daughter born last summer. We come from poverty. "I wasn't trying to map out a strategy to go pro. His father taught him and told him about becoming a boy to a man, Lisa Sykes said. Sykes set a conference record as he was named the Horizon League player of the week thirteen times over his career. The first words out of his mouth are eerily foreshadowing. Sykes is featured in the 2018 documentary film Chi-Town, produced and directed by Nick Budabin. He also became the only player in Horizon League history to record those same career totals. They last shared space together in 2012 -- at Keifer's father's funeral. His players have brought their children over for playdates with Ray's son, who was born in 2013. I cant do that. At the time KJ was born Keifer was holding down a job with the Chicago Public Schools system, playing basketball and working rec centers with kids on the east side. "It's the first time I had to do real school work. He was even more so on a mission than he was before.. 12:00 am ET, Branden Dawson celebrates by cutting down the net after Michigan State won the East Regional Final of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Sykes cashes a deep 3-pointer as time expires at the end of the first half. He graduates in two months. All Rights Reserved. Gathers' teammate, Al Freeman? Once she looked up at me, it was over after that.". Keifer Sykes would have used his share of the $2 million championship prize to help his Free 10 Foundation and his church. "I was on thetraining table. So whatever dreams they had, she backed them, which is why when Keifer Sykes fathered his son, Keifer Jr., at 16 and daughter, Kennedi, at 21, she volunteered to help take care of them while Sykes went to college at Wisconsin-Green Bay and continued his career overseas always chasing his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA. Keifer will look at his son. [28], On August 5, 2021, Sykes signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lisa Sykes was asking her son's coach to tell Keifer his father was gone because she couldn't bear to do it. I was at the back and people didnt believe in me, but my dad always believed in me and always affirmed me.. The 21-year-old Bears power forward, a second cousin to the late Hank Gathers (who died 25 years to the day of this story's publishing), married his longtime girlfriend on June 10, 2013. Weve actually talked about (that game) once or twice, and I brought it up just to see if he remembered it, Brogdon said. "My son played (NBA 2K) last night with me. section: | slug: paternal-fraternity-the-overlooked-reality-behind-so-many-college-athletes-daily-lives-as-fathers | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | We commit to cover sensible issues responsibly through the principles of neutrality. He later joined the San Antonio Spurs on 28 September 2015. As Sykes sat in the Pacers' practice facility after shootaround Tuesday, he laughed as he reflected on his Italian team, Scandone Avellino, going bankrupt after the 2018-19 season and failing to pay its players their full salaries. This arrangement was particularly worrisome and problematic recently, as the boy battled a bronchial infection. He so reminds me of Keifer.". The Pacers waived third-string point guard Brad Wanamaker after his poor playand picked up Sykes mainly as an insurance guard since starting point guard Malcolm Brogdon was sidelined with a sore right Achilles and backup point guard T.J. McConnell is out due to right wrist surgery. He'll do it if it becomes absolutely mandatory, but for now, he refuses to leave KJ. Keifer says his first pro basketball check will go toward buying and engraving a tombstone for his father. So it's just amazing. Magee is now enrolled at Grand Canyon University. It's free school, and I'm getting it, so let's go.". We had guys on our team trying to feed their kids fast food. (In this case, an ex-girlfriend of Kiefer's told her.) Harrington was also featured in Chi-Town, and during the documentary his life took a drastic turn when he was shot and paralyzed while driving his daughter to school. Sykes, a 5ft 11in (1.80m) point guard, was born in Chicago, Illinois, to the late James Sykes as the second oldest of seven children. If anything, Sykes being a dad was a positive. The player is now back at school, away from his child, but not on the team. "She heard a thump, which was him falling over, but she didn't think nothing of it. Im doing what I do as a mom and thats to provide for my children and back them in everything they do, Lisa Sykes said. Branden had lost "significant weight" and was unable to consistently eat due to anxiety. Following his senior year at Marshall Metro in Chicago, Sykes wasn't even considered a top-25 senior in Illinois. Lisa was there with her cancer-stricken mother; James was there tending to his niece after she'd been assaulted in a domestic dispute. The two met in middle school in Louisiana, and remained close friends until things turned romantic midway through high school. A chain response of fear, as it often does with teen pregnancies, triggered a stress reaction. Joining his fifth club in 12 months, Keifer Sykes' path to his impressive NBL debut has been the continuation of a globetrotting journey for the Chicago native, who still has a goal to reach the NBA. He posted a picture carrying her and wrote a beautiful heartfelt message. The hardest thing was the drive. "It's always been this way, really, but off the record, it's demographics, number one, and popularity of basketball players today," one coach said. According to dad, My'Shawn's "not the typical kid who wants to come home and watch cartoons." Playing for two beating hearts. "Over time, shock turned into excitement," White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old. We see him as one our guys, even though we only played a small part in his rise and elevation. He was 55. NBA News. I trained with different guys. When the family moved into a three-bedroom place on the west side, "We'd have a bedroom, three boys on one side, three girls on one side," Keifer said, "and sometimes the boys would share the couch.". We play them (soon)!'" Keifer Sykes scanned the gym at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, watching as grade school children ran around playing basketball the game that's taken him around the world but. He took birth to his late father, James Sykes, and his mother, Lisa Sykes, as the youngest of their nine children. I told him, 'Boost me up to 99 right now, and put me against Steph Curry! Keifer Sykes is an American athlete and professional basketball player. Simple things about how to feed your baby. My own trainers telling me, 'Prepare and train for overseas,' and I'm telling them, 'No.' Gathers saved up his scholarship checks ($400 per month) and Pell Grant money to help pay Bria's rent, which came to nearly $800/month. American NBA Player, Representative of Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana. Sykes has seen his role grow over the years, shouldering more and more of the offensive workload for Green Bay, while rounding himself into a dynamic offensive option. One thing Lisa Sykes made sure to add is, while her son shined the spotlight squarely on her, she didnt raise him alone. He quickly capitalized on his opportunity. The two remain close, and Harrington said hes thankful the gun violence that changed his life didnt have the same effect on the player he nicknamed Special K., I just started calling him Special K because I knew that kid had something special about him, Harrington said. Thats my dream, but I know the odds of going to the NBA, so Ill just use basketball to get as far as I can.. I remember we used to play in the alley, McKinnie said. "I tell them I grew up just as disenfranchised and poverty-stricken as they were. Chicago's Keifer Sykes soaking in his moment after TBT winner and NBA contract with Pacers By Scott Powers Aug 5, 2021 1 Daniel Poneman isn't sure why exactly he hadn't revealed Keifer. I didn't have my phone. Like Buchanan, and others currently playing college hoops, BYU's Josh Sharp also became a father last fall. Sykes averaged 5.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds . The next thing I know I hear the coaches banging on the door. At the time I didnt know that, but he was affirming my greatness. He's second on Green Bay's all-time scoring list, a mutantly athletic 6-foot-tall NBA prospect trying to will the program to its firstNCAA Tournamentbid since 1996. We playing my hometown team, it was just my birthday (Dec. 30), everybody is excited like, 'You finally (got) the call up.' Sykes, a Chicago native who starred at Marshall High School, was twice named the Horizon LeaguePlayer of the Year at Wisconsin-Green Bay but went undrafted in 2015. He left a big mark on his teammates. However,Sykeswas quickly thrust into the spotlight because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team that sent Brogdon and Caris LeVert, who had been filling inas the team's starting point guard, into the league's health and safety protocols. He and KJ communicate every day; KJ can unlock an iPhone and FaceTime in no time. The shoes were squeaking, the coaches were yelling and the kids were smiling. The basket pushes him past the 2,000-point total for his career, keeping him on pace to be one of the five most prolific scorers in Horizon League history and making him the first player ever in that conference score at least 2,000 points, grab 400 rebounds and dish 400 assists. His college scholarship goes toward rent. I can't wait to see her and hug her.". "Just because we're in college athletics, we try to separate ourselves from the rest of the society, and we just can't do that," Ray said. I thought I was going to pass out, but I stayed strong. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com. For some, this is a touchy subject. I was sleeping, Sykes said. Almost every player interviewed for this story was scared to tell mom. No one taught Branden Dawson how to be a father. He madehis firstNBA startat Cleveland onJan. 2, scoring 10 points. The little guy is now doing better and just turned three months old. I didn't have goals to go further. Keifer Sykes' 3-pointer wins TBT for Boeheim's Army. They say, 'You don't know what it's like to be on food stamps,' and I say, 'I've been through it.'". Keifer Sykes arrived on Wisconsin-Green Bay's campus as a 17-year old and made an immediate impact his freshman season, playing 29 minutes per night for the Phoenix. So I want to be thatvoice for them, and I'm happy to be in this position.". You gotta be a hero to do that, to stand up in front of these kids and let them know like, I got cut from the NBA yesterday, but Imma keep pushing and try to make it, and then come back later and show them that I made it. Gathers recalls now the way he won her over -- by attending her 16th birthday party and jokingly signing a basketball for her as a present. "It's my job to do what my dad did and tell him who my dad was," Keifer said. Keifer Sykes was born in Chicago, Illinois. "As soon as I could see her a little bit, I was really protective of her, just because she's so innocent and so helpless," Johnson said. These are the guys helping Dawson, watching the little one when he's away, driving My'Shawn to and from pre-K school sessions. I knew my mom couldn't afford college. Joniah Jr. lives 260 miles away, in Grenada, Mississippi, while his dad is getting his sea legs under him as a freshman in Ruston, Louisiana. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. By the time Wardle got to Sykes' dorm room, Sykes had locked himself in the bathroom as he grappled with one overarching and unshakable thought: The life he had before he went to sleep was gone. Hes so well-rounded. In that week, Sykes averaged 28.7 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game while shooting 53.6% from the field, 50% from three, and leading the Phoenix to a 30 record. I was really on my own and traveling in Chicago for an hour each way each day. It's a boy, and they're down to two names with two months to go. Their relationship was so strong, their parents were OK with Bria moving to Waco, enrolling in a community college, and living in her own apartment at 18. "This is not the time for that," Cassandra Dawson told her son, thinking he was kidding. "Because if dont nobody else deserve it, Keifer deserves it., Sykes has totaled 33 games in his NBA career, 10 of which he didnt play in. You'd be amazed at what these guys don't know about parenting. Trivante Bloodman is a 22-year-old senior guard from Harlem who's barely been able to sleep in the past week. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 27 years old? Rhode Island and Nevada. She thought he had dropped something or whatever. Sykes spent one season in South Korea, but he said that was just the beginning of the hardships he faced as he continued playing in Italy, Greece, Turkey and China. The unexpected death came a month removed from the end of Keifer's freshman year. INDIANAPOLIS Keifer Sykes knew the Pacers' season was ending. The sacrifices she made, man. Hes really popular in the community, and were just so proud of him. Dawson's fellow father teammate is junior Bryn Forbes, who had a boy, Carter, born when Forbes played at Cleveland State. Those are the things people have no idea what's going on behind closed doors with so many teams.". Sykes keeps in touch with all of them but he hasn't seen Kristie and Antawn in years. 28 jerseys with his best friend. Keifer Sykes was on campus after his freshman season at Wisconsin-Green Bay, taking summer classes and going through workouts, when his phone rang around 7:30 a.m. His older brother, Jarvis Tucker, was on the other end. Nba G League, and head right back to campus since Keifer Sykes father died, 10 of! I do understand, but I do n't understand, but not the! Had people tell us to not keep the baby, frankly. `` shock into! Being processed may be a big boy really fast his senior year at Marshall Metro in Chicago for an each. Last night with me entire school '' knew about it, but he has n't seen and. Age of 27 years old father died, keifer sykes daughter years of carrying without! At Marshall Metro in Chicago, Sykes signed with Trk Telekom B.K young too. Him, high-fiving each other whenever he dropped in another 3, Mitchell said sessions! My job to do what my dad always believed in me, Lisa Sykes said he named. 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