My Life, My Fight Read online

  During our final media session of the season, yet another reporter asked me if I would be returning for my sophomore year at Pitt. I told them that of course I was coming back. “I don’t know why you guys keep asking that question, man,” I said. “I’m coming back.”

  Twelve days later I declared for the 2013 NBA draft.

  9.

  READY FOR THE BIG LEAGUES

  The moment I stop enjoying basketball, I’ll quit. Things were heading that way when I was at Pitt, and if there was one thing I knew it was that I had to leave before it ruined the game for me forever. Talking to Kenny since, I’ve learned that he always planned for me to be at Pitt for just one year.

  The draft of 2013 has been ranked as one of the weakest in NBA history, or at least in recent history. The 2012 draft had Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, and Draymond Green, who have all played in at least one NBA All-Star game. The 2011 draft had Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Isaiah Thomas. The only All-Stars from the 2013 draft so far are Victor Oladipo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was drafted at 15 by the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s funny to think of that guy being drafted at 15 because he’s an absolute beast now and I’m sure he will be an MVP at some point.

  You just can never tell with something as subjective as a draft, but Kenny had done his research and studied the classes for each year and he had determined that my best shot at being drafted was in 2013. If I had loved playing at Pitt and felt it was good for my game, I might have stayed. Instead, I announced my intention to declare for the draft and got myself an agent, meaning there was no going back. Once you have an agent, you are no longer an amateur and therefore can’t play for a college team. I signed the contract with the Wasserman agency without hesitating for a second.

  I told Kenny that no matter what we decided to do, I needed to get back to New Zealand. Preparing for the draft was going to be a full-time job and I couldn’t go straight into that after a less than satisfactory year of basketball. Kenny spoke to my new agent, Mats, and told him that I’d be doing some of my draft training in New Zealand. Surprise, surprise—Mats didn’t think that was a good idea. America is the best in the world at basketball so having some Kiwi kid say he is going to prepare for the NBA in Wellington wouldn’t exactly fill anyone with confidence. Kenny managed to convince him that if I began my preparations in New Zealand, I would be re-energized and more enthusiastic when I came back for the draft combine testing.

  And so on the day the basketball world found out that I had declared for the draft, I was hunting pigs in Rotorua. That week spent back home with my family saved me. I still wasn’t used to people seeing me as something of a celebrity, so it made all the difference to be around people who couldn’t care less and who just wanted to spend time with me. A bunch of us went to visit Dad’s grave. I’d been using basketball and school to push back my grief for five years, but standing there, about to start a massive new journey in my life, it hit me again just how much I missed the old man.

  After five days of doing nothing but eating and sleeping—the first time I’d had consecutive days off in a while—I flew to Wellington to start my preparations for the draft. As soon as I landed, Kenny took me straight to see Gavin Cross, my trainer.

  I first met Gavin (Gav to his friends) in 2009 when I was 16. I was already a year into my training and had a personal trainer in Blossom, but Kenny wanted me to see Gav for any physio needs I might have. At that point I’d never been injured, but with me at 6 9 and still growing, Kenny was worried about how my joints were handling all the activity.

  I liked Gav from our first meeting. He’s small and Welsh, and he knows everything there is to know about the body and how it functions. Right from the beginning he would explain everything to me. If I know the why then I’m fully engaged. Kenny had told Gav to keep me involved in my own wellbeing, and he did that by explaining every single thing to me. If we did a new workout, he showed me the exact muscles we were working and why they were important for me to strengthen. He followed through by doing the workouts with me and that’s what sealed the deal. Not only did I know that Gav knew what he was talking about, I saw that he was willing to put in literally the same amount of work to get me to my fittest self.

  When I arrived in Wellington I was booked to fly to Los Angeles two weeks later. The first thing Gav did when he saw me was shake his head. I’d gotten bigger during my year at Pitt, but it was all up top. Most colleges work their athletes in the gym just to get big. I had been talking to Gav occasionally from the U.S. and he wasn’t a fan of the workouts they were having me do. But I knew better than to undermine a coach, so I told him I would be doing whatever the Pitt team asked of me and then when I saw him again we would pick up where we had left off. Well, that all changed when I returned from Pitt looking like an upside-down pyramid. The extra strength was good, but it was in all the wrong places.

  Gav had been prepped by Kenny so when I arrived in Wellington we got straight into it. We were working to a 10-week program. It was 10 weeks until the bulk of my workouts with NBA teams so I wanted to be at my fittest by mid-June. However, the draft combine testing—which would be the first chance to show my fitness and strength—was mid-May, so the first stage of the journey was to get me ready for that. Gav looked me up and down and said I needed to trim some weight from up top and work on strengthening my core. And then there was the bench press.

  The combine testing is supposed to reveal athletes’ physical strengths and weaknesses. Most of the tests make sense, like sprints, agility runs, and vertical leaps. But they also do a bench press test, which doesn’t have much to do with basketball. The test is to see how many reps you can do at 185 lbs (84 kg). In 2007, Kevin Durant couldn’t even do one rep and look at him now. I was no Kevin Durant so I trained for that stupid test, even though I had pretty much never used a bench press in training.

  We wasted no time getting me to train like I was already in the NBA. Each day began at 6 a.m. shooting with Kenny, much like when I was at school. He immediately reintroduced mid-range shooting and I shot endless sets from 15 feet (5 meters) every day. That was also a testing distance for the combine. After my morning shootaround, I would have a big breakfast and then work out with Gav for an hour at 11 a.m.

  It was in this pre-draft training period that Gav introduced me to Tabata workouts, which are a form of high-intensity interval training. They are designed to be short but hell, with 20 seconds of intense effort then 10 seconds’ rest, repeated at least eight times. The exercises usually rely on bodyweight, but Gav had me do them with weights to build my overall strength. He even had me work out barefoot to improve my balance and foot strength. Every last area was covered.

  Those workouts were probably just as painful as the conditioning at Pitt and yet I actually enjoyed them because my brother Sid would come and work out with me. It became sort of fun to almost die during a quick Tabata workout and then look at each other knowing we’d smashed it. It didn’t take long for my weight to move around and drop off. After working out with Gav, I’d go home for another feed and maybe a nap, then head back into town for yoga or a spin class with Blossom. Then it was back to the gym for another shootaround with Kenny to finish the day. It was full on, but I knew exactly what it was for, so I just knuckled down and got to work. I wasn’t going to let complacency lead to me being undrafted come June.

  In just two weeks, I felt like my fitness, energy, and enthusiasm for the game were at an all-time high. That’s a testament to Kenny and Gav’s coaching skills. They were able to attack the challenge together in a way they knew was best for me. It was like I had reset and reconnected with why I started playing in the first place. When Kenny and I flew to Los Angeles to set up a base for the pre-draft workouts, I felt at the top of my game.

  My agency put Kenny and me up in an apartment down the road from UCLA, where I worked out before the combine and in between team workouts. I worked out in LA with other players who
were represented by Wasserman, and at one of the trainings one of the top agents came to watch. At the end of the workout he came over and started squeezing my cheeks like a baby, saying “I love you” over and over. Then he went to Kenny and did the same thing. I guess he saw some big dollar signs hanging over me or something, but if he was happy, I was happy.

  For the next month I worked out every day with Kenny and the Wasserman crew, and did Gav’s Tabata workouts whenever I could, in my room or off to the side of the court. He had designed them specifically so they didn’t need any equipment and I could do them virtually anywhere. It wasn’t as much fun doing them by myself, but they were short enough that I could power through them and be on to something different before I started feeling sorry for myself. Meanwhile, I kept working on my mid-range shots day in and day out.

  At the end of April 2013, Kenny got us tickets to a Lakers game. He grew up playing with Magic Johnson’s brother so I got to experience my first ever NBA game from Magic’s suite. I loved it, but more for the amazing food and comfortable seats than the actual game, which I barely watched. I’ve never watched a lot of basketball and probably never will. I always have enough basketball on my own plate that I don’t need to watch more of it in my spare time, no matter how good the players are. But it was a fun night out being in the fancy corporate box.

  The combine testing was held in Chicago over five days in the middle of May and was my first chance to work out in front of NBA scouts and executives. For players who have an incredible college career under their belt, the combine is simply a place to remind coaches and scouts that you’ve got skills. But for relatively unknown players like me, the combine can be the launching pad for a career if you impress enough people and get your name in the mix of top prospects. I didn’t think that anyone was going to draft me based solely on my one underwhelming college season, so I had to blow everyone away at the combine.

  Meeting my draft classmates was fascinating. Nobody really socialized, yet we all had so much in common we should have been mates. I minded my own business and concentrated on acing the first tests, which were the sprints and the bench press. I managed 16 reps in the bench test, which was the third best in the group. It’s completely pointless and I’m sure a lot of players didn’t even bother training for it for that very reason, but coming third in that test put my name near the top of a list somewhere, so it was worth the focus in training just for the exposure.

  In the vertical leap and short sprints, I scored near the lower end, but I expected that because guards are meant to be faster, more agile, and more explosive than bigs. I was happy with my performances, though, as they were always at the top of the bigs leaderboard. Cody Zeller, who is also a center, was like some sort of alien and managed to lead in pretty much every test, even against the guards. There wasn’t much anyone else could do but marvel at his athleticism and dream of having a 35.5-inch (90-cm) standing vertical leap.

  I wasn’t fazed, though, because I knew the shooting drills would be my time to shine. And I was right. In the stationary 15-foot shooting test and the roaming shooting I felt like I couldn’t miss. There were a couple of guys who had absolute mares in the shooting drills and I felt stink for them, but I was on fire.

  The rest of the week was spent getting medical tests done. Apparently, I have long lungs. And you know what they say about guys with long lungs… nothing. They say nothing. As well as being poked and prodded and scanned like guinea pigs, we met with a bunch of different teams. I remember the Dallas Mavericks meeting vividly because they had a psychologist present who asked some pretty strange questions. It was fun, though, and different from the other team meetings. By the end of the week, I felt like I knew what teams were looking for and how to promote my strengths effectively.

  I also felt like I nailed the media portion of the combine. It’s not listed as a test and there’s no grading, but any team that is remotely interested in a player will watch their combine interview. For a lot of players, particularly the ones who weren’t college superstars, it’s the first time they experience a media scrum, which is a huge part of NBA life. If you come off as a dick in your interview, scouts will note it down. It wasn’t something I particularly “trained” for, but I had definitely been thinking about it and talking to Kenny about how I should approach it. If you go back and watch my interview on YouTube, I look like a five-year-old being asked if he likes going to Disneyland. All my answers are innocent and unassuming. Now I’m not saying I was acting, but I’m no idiot.

  I knew that the media loved the fact that I was relatively new to the game and didn’t talk myself up the way some other players did. So just like you would be your best self in a job interview, I put on my best self for that combine interview. And at that time, my best self was my most naive, humble, I’m-just-here-to-have-fun self. It was all true, but I definitely played it up a little. Wouldn’t you?

  It must have worked because the Bleacher Report website did a write-up that same day to determine the winners and losers of the 2013 combine and named me as the biggest winner, specifically mentioning my shooting and my interview. Just a few days earlier I was at best a long-term project who might go somewhere in the middle of the first round. Now people were looking at me differently. Maybe, just maybe, I could be drafted in the top 10.

  Now all I had to do was impress the coaches at team workouts for the next month. Easier said than done.

  10.

  PRE-DRAFT WORKOUT DIARY

  Monday, 20 May 2013

  Back in LA, training with all the draft players represented by the Wasserman agency. There’s quite a few of us. Had a chill day after a full-on week at the combine. It’s as hot as in California, but luckily our place has a pool so fellow draft hopeful Ray McCallum and I had a swim between workouts. I’ve been getting sent so much gear from sponsors there’s no more room in my closet. Have just started a pile of adidas T-shirts and shoes on the floor of my room. There’s at least 20 pairs there and I’ll probably wear two of them. I’m not really a shoe guy, but it’s nice to have options rather than searching everywhere for a pair that fits. It took six years for me to go from having everything I owned fit in a sports bag to having so many sports bags and shoes that it’s actually a bit annoying. First-world problems, eh?

  Friday, 24 May 2013

  The agency was given tickets to the premiere of Now You See Me, a blockbuster film about magicians. I went along with the boys and we got to see some of the stars of the movie, including Isla Fisher. Mate, actors are way smaller in real life than they look in movies. I wore the outfit we’d picked out for my team interviews. It’s the only nice outfit I own. A lavender shirt was a bold choice, but I have a feeling I’m gonna get sick of it real soon. My sweat marks show up hard out on it.

  Saturday, 25 May 2013

  In Boston for my first NBA team workout. I thought Pitt had the flashest facilities but the Celtics’ place was mean as. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce had massage chairs at their lockers. I guess that’s what you get when you’re a legend.

  The workout was straightforward enough, pretty much a regular morning training with shooting drills and then short scrimmages. At the end of the 90-minute workout we had to do the three-minute run test, otherwise referred to by players as the Boston Marathon. It’s very simple—they put three minutes on the clock and you just run from baseline to baseline as many times as you can. It’s basic but it’s very, very tough. I don’t remember how many I got, I just know I didn’t come in last so was happy with that. They’re not necessarily worried about how many lengths you manage; I think they use it to see how players push themselves at the very end of a workout or game. You’ll never catch me in cruise mode so I knew even if I did come in last they’d see me giving 100 percent right to the end, which probably counted for more. Credit where credit’s due, Mike Muscala got the most lengths.

  Thursday, 30 May 2013

  Worked out for the Dallas Mavericks today. I thought the Celtics had flash facilities but, mate,
it’s a whole different ball game in the middle of the country. Did a video tour of the place and posted it on my Facebook page for my friends and family back home to see. I’ve basically been given a trip to outer space—of course I’m gonna try filming it so my mates can experience it too. It’s also good for me because otherwise there’s no one else to buzz out with about the NBA teams. The other draft guys are never as impressed by the mini Red Bull fridges as I am.

  The workout was almost the same as in Boston except better, because I got to talk to old mate Dirk Nowitzki afterwards. I don’t watch much NBA, but I’ve seen enough of Dirk to know he’s the man. He was the first seven-footer I saw who could knock down threes as well. I have a mid-range shot but, mate, imagine if I developed a three-point game.

  Saturday, 1 June 2013

  I came back to LA for the Wasserman draft workout, which was a special run put on by my agency to showcase about six of us to all their clients. It was almost like a second combine but more relaxed and just like a regular training with spectators. Luckily, I didn’t wear my contacts so I couldn’t recognize any of the faces from the different teams. They may as well have been randos off the street for all I knew.

  Sunday, 2 June 2013

  Excited to be in Oklahoma City for a couple of days. Things are picking up and I’m now taking flights pretty much every day. It’s not like New Zealand where flights are 45 minutes; these are the real deal. As soon as I arrived I went through a medical to make sure I’m healthy. Thank God I’ve got no hidden injuries. The place reminds me of New Zealand, just not on the coast. In fact, it’s basically smack bang in the middle of America. It’s good to see some real green grass again, though.