Hoopshype conducted an interview of 6 former NBA front office executives, who revealed some of the crazy things players had done.
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The transition from high school basketball to college basketball and then to the pros is a tough one for many players. A lot of them have been the star players all through their careers, and are unused to being rotation members. Many never learn how to fit into smaller roles and specialize in NBA skills.
Some of these prospects walk into the league thinking they can just get by with their current skillsets. Many of those players are, sooner or later, phased out of the elite league that is the NBA.
The process of screening for prospects during draft interviews and during free agency falls largely to front office executives. 6 of them granted an interview recently, and had some crazy stories for basketball fans.
“I think I’m Michael Jordan” and other crazy interview answers
An executive once asked a player whose shoes he can fill in the league tomorrow. The prospect mentioned Anthony Davis or Kevin Durant. Another executive was told by an underclassman:
“I don’t really see anybody I play like, but I feel like I’m old school. I think I’m (Michael) Jordan. I think I’m Scottie Pippen.”
One longtime Eastern Conference executive asked a prospect if he did drugs. The player confided in him by confirming that he did indulge. The executive then asked what his favorite drug was.
“He said he did ecstasy,” the executive recalled. “We asked him where he got the money for the drugs. He said, ‘They paid me to come to this school, so that’s where I got the money.’ Needless to say, he was red-flagged from our list.”
Earning a place as one of the top 450 players in the world is a hard task that requires a lot of mental clarity and self-awareness. Real prospects should certainly not shy away from wanting to be stars, but they have to know that everyone takes time to reach that level.
“I think I’m like Michael Jordan.” is not the kind of answer that usually gets you sele
