For any visiting team in New York, the query is the same, where do we practice? And this only applies to teams playing against the Knicks. So a gym in an NCAA Division III college fits all the boxes. A famed mecca of practice gyms, this is the place where Reggie Miller once sank a shot worth $10,000!
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Yes, a lot can go down when NBA teams come around to practice. Things get serious and some silly game turns into a contest with tens and hundreds of Dollars on the line.
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice has been witness to many such bets, many such games, and the game’s affluent stars.
The Gym where Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant, and Kevin Garnett practiced
Just ask Guy Rancourt and Helaine Cigel, the coaches of John Jay, about the things they witnessed. Stars colossal enough and carrying a gravity that would pull anyone and everyone; came down to practice in the halls of John Jay College.
They took a gamble and asked Madison Square Garden if they would like to use their pristine hardwood floors for NBA team practices – and shockingly they said yes. They would meet players like Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal among others.
This is the same place where Kobe Bryant would announce his retirement.
John Jay hired people with NBA connects and as a result, it hosted all kinds of workouts in the summers. They saw players make shots that seemed impossible. And among them, one story stood out to us.
Reggie Miller sank a half and three-quarter shot for $10,000
As the Athletic trainer Cigel recalls, “The Indiana Pacers after practice were shooting half and three-quarter shots. If somebody hit, they were betting each other somewhere between $1,000 and $10,000. And actually, Chris Mullin hit one and so did Reggie Miller.”.
Of course one of the greatest shooters of all time would hit a big shot and bet big. These are NBA players and $10,000 is a chump change to them.
The story was first shared on The Athletic and details how crazy the world of NBA superstars is.
