Hes really popular in the community, and were just so proud of him. Chi-Town: Directed by Nick Budabin. Free schooling.". Dayton kicked two players off its roster earlier this season after a dorm-room theft forced Archie Miller's hand. For some, this is a touchy subject. You could be winning and they still try to nitpick at something. Fortunately, despite varied situations, some of which are depicted below, many have happy circumstances. 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. He's going beyond the expectations of being there for his son. At the end of the season, Sykes was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team. Keifer says his first pro basketball check will go toward buying and engraving a tombstone for his father. Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said their plan was always to help Sykes get closer to his dream. Mitchell become familiar with Sykes through his overseas play and thought he'd played out of position at shooting guard for most of his pro career. He's played professionally inAustralia, China, Greece, Italy, South Korea and Turkey, all with the hopes of one day returning stateside and suiting up in the NBA. 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. There's more to life than basketball. KJ wasn't even 2 when his grandfather died. I told them, 'Don't have any babies. College basketball rosters across the country are dotted with young dads. "I don't ever want to go through that as a head coach again," Wardle said. He and KJ communicate every day; KJ can unlock an iPhone and FaceTime in no time. "Chicago means everything to me, man. Follow IndyStar Pacers beat writer James Boyd on Twitter: @RomeovilleKid. Anderson is banking on landing a pro contract overseas this spring or summer. [26] The team later tried to sign Sykes to a contract for another month, but Sykes balked, wanting an agreement through the end of the year, and was let go by Panathinaikos at the end of October. The same day Keifer Sykes contract was guaranteed, he went viral with a heartfelt message to his mom, shedding tears as he thanked her. "It's not easy," Sykes said of juggling fatherhood with basketball and an impending graduation. Because even as a mom you dont expect your children to praise you like that. "For me,itwas just me getting my first bucket. This is a blessed, beautiful evening, and it's blessed and beautiful because it ends the way Sykes wants every game to end: with a boisterous embrace of his son, Keifer Sykes Jr. KJ, they call him. 'You don't know who this is?'". In high school. The shoes were squeaking, the coaches were yelling and the kids were smiling. So this is gonna be my first time playing 2K.". It's very important to Keifer that KJ does not forget -- or rather, can easily remember -- who Keifer's father was. Almost nothing about Sykes' life or current situation is normal (he impregnated his then-girlfriend, Allyne, when he was 15). The 28-year-old doesnt remember the last conversation he had with his dad because he never expected it to be the final one. Neither player entered the game, and McKinnie has since been waived, but that night McKinnie was just proud to exchange matching No. And when Michigan State's got a road game, he'll ask Johnny or Devonte, "Is that my dad playing?". His daughter Zarah has just turned six years old on 22 September 2021. 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. While Sykes soaked in the action, more youngsters filed into the gym and for nearly all of them Sykes had a greeting, Whats up, killa? he asked one kid. The next thing I know I hear the coaches banging on the door. Then he sank a 17-footer over . He'll do it if it becomes absolutely mandatory, but for now, he refuses to leave KJ. Sykes, 21, just won his second straight Horizon League Player of the Year honor. Gathers, who's likely to return for his senior season, said his household of three is living off $15,000 per year. For Sykes, whos been giving back for years, that was the norm. Some of them terrifying, like the hell and stress Rhode Island's T.J. Buchanan has endured all season. Where was Keifer Sykes born? When I was like, Oh, Im small, he was like, Nah, you can go to the NBA. [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. My mom's going crazy, and my dad was taking heat. Hows your team doing? he asked another. You can go D-I. These were things that I had doubts of. Ithink the basket was moving. He also became nervous regarding his recruitment. "A curious boy who loves to be around his cousins. To him, these are secondary anecdotes. Sykes signed a non-guaranteed two-year deal with a team option for the second season with Indiana on Dec. 27, and the 5-11 guardfound out he'd been retained for his first seasonwhile at the team's practice facility Friday. [32], On November 3, 2022, Sykes was named to the opening night roster for the Motor City Cruise.[33]. From mother to son. I see my daughter come out to the world.". Anyang Korea Ginseng Corporation (20162017), Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year, 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, "Horizon League Announces Men's Basketball Award Winners", "McCallum Leads Men's Basketball Award Winners", "Sykes Named to Bob Cousy Award Watch List", "Green Bay holds on to beat Virginia 75-72", "Phoenix Keifer Sykes crosses the 2,000 mark", "Sykes named AP honorable mention All-American", "Green Bay's Sykes is HL Player of the Week", "Keifer Sykes will be in Final Four dunk contest", "Cavs Announce 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League Roster", "Spurs announce 2015-16 training camp roster", "Spurs waive Fredette, Ndoye, Sykes and Thomas", "AUSTIN SPURS ANNOUNCE 2015 RETURNING PLAYERS AND TRAINING CAMP INVITEES", "Cotton, Spurs Rout Legends as Satnam Singh Debuts", "NBA D-League Announces Full Roster for elite mini camp", "Terrico White, Michael Efevberha, Keifer Sykes selected in KBL draft. It's a boy, and they're down to two names with two months to go. Sykes, Dawson and Gathers all have teammates who are dads. Simple things, like sleeping patterns. No one taught Branden Dawson how to be a father. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[6]. Breakups, forced relationships, long-distance relationships, fractures between families, money -- these are stresses that, comparatively, make basketball seem so simple. For more than a few college athletes, this is the side of life the public does not see. 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. Think back to high school. I want the kid around. 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. And to get back and go to my high school and give my jersey, to see all of the people there the men that helped me become a man, the role models that played a role in my life and inspired me, that helped me I think today was the first day I was able to look up like, Man, its really real.. An uncle to six and the son of a farmer, Anderson grew up bailing hay in Newark, Illinois. I can't wait to talk to her. One of Sykes signature moments came when he scored five points a dagger 3 and layup on back-to-back plays in overtime of a dramatic 121-117 upset win against Stephen Curry and the Warriors at Chase Center on Jan. 20. 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. "My son played (NBA 2K) last night with me. Another team lost a player in the middle of the night, without warning, because he was given an ultimatum by the child's mother. Aubrey was born at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. I didn't have my phone. Every situation is different. 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. Its a remarkable story, and his story obviously goes back way before the NBA with his rise through Chicago.. 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. The game-winner capped. He so reminds me of Keifer.". Over Indianas past two games,Sykes is averaging 20.0points, 5.5assists and 3.5rebounds while shooting 53.8% from the field, 50.0% on 3-pointers and 85.7% at the free-throw line. Rotowire Apr 6, 2022. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. I forgot to even call my mom. Turning 5 will be the milestone. "I walk in the door, my parents are sitting at the table. 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. When I first committed, I didn't know where basketball would take me. I was charging it. Sharp -- who's completed his Mormon mission obligations and is a 24-year-old senior on a team that in recent years has seen half its roster filled with married men -- saw little Jaycee Sharp come into the world 30 minutes after midnight on Oct. 1, 2014. Why is Keifer the father he is? Sykes confirmed that another documentary about his life is on the way, and itll include another milestone from his first NBA season: A jersey swap with his former high school and college teammate, Alfonzo McKinnie (a distant cousin of the aforementioned Rashad McKinnie). The annual $1 million tourney features several alumni squads from around the country filled with professional players, and while Sykes was hesitant to play in TBT at first, it resulted in one of the best moments of his career. [19], In the summer of 2016, Sykes joined the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Summer League. After Saturday games, White drives east through the dark trails and over the Mississippi border to spend his Sundays with Joniah Jr. Memphis' Kedren Johnson can relate. [11] For the week of January 410 of 2015, Sykes won the Naismith National Player of the Week Award. Its really not about the NBA, Sykes says. Nine children from five mothers and two fathers. Sykes cashes a deep 3-pointer as time expires at the end of the first half. We had nothing, man. Mississippi State is the prime example. So I was processing it, and then I didnt know what to do. They say, 'You don't know what it's like to be on food stamps,' and I say, 'I've been through it.'". His dad is alive, but he's not around and never has been. After waiting for months, Dawson found the courage while plopped on a bus headed to Milwaukee. I told my family, 'I think the basket is moving or something,'"Sykes said, laughing. But in talking to dozens of college coaches for this story, you discover that that this is a more common situation than you might think. 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. Some schools turned down interview requests. His Pell Grant goes toward living needs, and the family receives government assistance in addition to food stamps and WIC, a national food stamps programs specifically for newborns and their mothers. It's about mom just as much as dad. Soon after, the Austin Spurs acquired him for the NBA G League, and Sykes stayed there until 2016. Due to his success, he was invited to the 2016 NBA D-League Elite Camp. Four-year starter Gary Bell Jr. hopes to have his son, Gary Bell III, in the stands come the first weekend of theNCAA Tournamentin Seattle or Portland. "He so reminds me of his dad. The sport is now, has long been, and will continue to be populated by men who are fathers well before they are emotionally and financially ready for the task. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. It's an intense situation for Ray and plenty of coaches who've become surrogate fathers in plenty of ways, this being a prominent one. "He's absolutely like his dad," Lisa Sykes said of her youngest. (Without prompt, Sykes publicly defended his coach throughout the ordeal.). The biggest phone call. 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. Just being able to see him now, its been crazy. "I was on thetraining table. Both anticipated that their contracts would be guaranteed through the end of the seasonFriday, and McKinnie was retained, too. "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. *" Chi-Town " is a well-known reference to the city of Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls with one of the unquestionably all-time greats of basketball, Michael . They're cautionary stories but uplifting ones, too. We commit to cover sensible issues responsibly through the principles of neutrality. When Sykes joined the Phoenix, they were an expansion team in Year 2 of their development, and according to Mitchell, no one expected much from them or Sykes. "Over time, shock turned into excitement," White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old. I've heard a couple of times him screaming, 'Go, Daddy!' And like Dawson and Sykes, he's a pro prospect. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. Sykes won the 2015 Horizon League player of the year to join the elite company of players to win the award twice. Of course he was worried about telling mom. But that's what it takes to be a superhero for my family, a superhero in my community and a good basketball player. NBA News. 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. Sykes right-hand man, Rashad McKinnie, who helps run Sykes' Free10 Foundation calls Sykes bond with the youth in the Chicagoland area the The Keifer Effect. 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