"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. "My stomach just dropped when I saw what he looked like. I remember being cut by the Pacers (before the season) and having to tell my son that I got cut, feeling like I just got cut in front of everybody, and I still had to do a seventh- and eighth-grade camp the next day. Nine children from five mothers and two fathers. Harrington praised Sykes for his resiliency throughout his triumphant but often tough career. Stephen A.: Lakers won't advance beyond play-in without LeBron. More: After hitting $1 million shot, Keifer Sykes signed with Pacers to be closer to home, Its only one team that wins out of 64, so the chances are whatever, Sykes said. New Mexico and Mississippi State -- schools in the two states with the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, feature players who are fathers. Our dedicated Editorial team verifies each of the articles published on the Biographyhost. 1:08; See All. Keifer frequently shows his son photos to remind him. 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. He kept it from her as long as possible; the "entire school" knew about it, but she didn't. 1:08; See All. Sykes joined Indianas G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and clawed his way back to the Pacers, who eventually signed him to a guaranteed deal for the rest of the 2021-22 season. 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. Sykes joined the Pacers in late December after the team released reserve point guard Brad Wanamaker. See, the basketball part, thats easy. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',132,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-banner-1','ezslot_6',132,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-banner-1-0_1');.banner-1-multi-132{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}. So Im always a fan of guys like Keifer that defy the odds.. And if you got children, I got your childrens back because youre doing something positive.. Every time dad gets home, son takes it right to the hoop. "A curious boy who loves to be around his cousins. 'I told you don't let him go to that school.'". The big thing with me is, I want Keifer to be a good father first. Assistant coach Jenny Boucek brokethe news. Dawson grew up with a mother who loved him dearly and worked at a local hospital -- the same one My'Shawn was born at -- but there was a wall of fear he couldn't mount. She's long had a keen love for caring for the young, something as immediately evident in Keifer as his flaring athleticism. Like Bell at Gonzaga, Delaware's Kyle Anderson is a four-year starter. Sykes, a self-described daddy's boy, wasn't worried that being a father might hurt his chances in recruitment. [3], After graduating high school, Sykes committed to play college basketball for coach Brian Wardle and eventually alongside Marshall teammates Alfonzo McKinnie and Vincent Garret, at Green Bay. This summer, there was a murder near the house where Keifer Jr. lives with. Another team lost a player in the middle of the night, without warning, because he was given an ultimatum by the child's mother. Ithink the basket was moving. Keifer Sykes would have used his share of the $2 million championship prize to help his Free 10 Foundation and his church. [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 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. It wasnt like when I went to Europe and your teammates have been around American players enough to know some English. 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. We've had them come in as a group and have my wife talking about child-rearing. At the conclusion of the regular season, Sykes was again named first team all-conference, he was named an honorable mention AP All-American, and was named Horizon Player of the Year. "The team was always paying us late, and they didn't think we would make the playoffs, but we got in the last spot, played the No. We come from poverty. A young man will ask his boy about his father. The 28-year-old doesnt remember the last conversation he had with his dad because he never expected it to be the final one. Anderson is banking on landing a pro contract overseas this spring or summer. 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. For more than a few college athletes, this is the side of life the public does not see. I met with director Nick Budabin and star Keifer Sykes, of the new documentary Chi-Town (which I also reviewed), on Monday, March 12, at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.The film, which follows Sykes from the end of his high-school basketball career through the end of college, and just beyond, is like a sequel, of sorts, to the great Steve James' 1994 Hoop Dreams. Some of the scenarios are not ideal. "You can hear him in the stands. People think it's hard, and it is, but when I'm around KJ, that's the only time I can really get away from [basketball]. Im not entitled to anything, and Im still working. "When she told me, I kind of freaked out. INDIANAPOLIS Keifer Sykes remembers every doubter. Its a real heros journey.. On Dec. 7, 2013, Wisconsin Green-Bay hosted and upset Virginia behind a stellar performance from Sykes. I was freaking out. First and always, Sykes prides himself on being an awesome dad. I thought I was going to pass out, but I stayed strong. This arrangement was particularly worrisome and problematic recently, as the boy battled a bronchial infection. [19], In the summer of 2016, Sykes joined the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Summer League. There's too many [coaches] calling me. "At first there was a lot of fear. If anything, Sykes being a dad was a positive. I just repeated it like, Remember what your dad said. His dad taught him everything he knows about being a man, being responsible and taking the lead in everything you do.. , Im not forgetting these things. From grade school to now, I really paid the cost. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Brogdon will never forget his introduction to Sykes. My own trainers telling me, 'Prepare and train for overseas,' and I'm telling them, 'No.' It made my heart weep in joy, not weep in sorrow but in joy that, Wow, he really feels that way about me.. We had guys on our team trying to feed their kids fast food. He listens. For Sykes, whos been giving back for years, that was the norm. It's very important to Keifer that KJ does not forget -- or rather, can easily remember -- who Keifer's father was. Dozens of programs were contacted for this story and asked if they had a player on their roster who was a father or a father-to-be. There was yelling on one end of the line and a 15-year-old stomach swirling to mush on the other. Breakups, forced relationships, long-distance relationships, fractures between families, money -- these are stresses that, comparatively, make basketball seem so simple. Its been an overflow. I asked a tearful Keifer Sykes (@ksykesyb), whose contract was guaranteed by the #Pacers, how he thinks his mom, Lisa (@Supermom00767), will react when he talks to her.She deserve this more than anybody. So all I wanted to do is take care of her. In this, Dawson's final year at Michigan State, My'Shawn has lived with him, the two of them bonding, sharing meals in a small off-campus apartment. The contract became guaranteed. However, he regularlymentions his children during interviewsand posts pictures of them on his social media handles. There are dads playing at Minnesota and UNC Wilmington. And for him to do that, it was just so overwhelming. The shoes were squeaking, the coaches were yelling and the kids were smiling. After being cut, Sykes could've left Indianapolis for good and focused . The sacrifices she made, man. I was at the back and people didnt believe in me, but my dad always believed in me and always affirmed me.. Sykes and the mother of his child broke up when he was 17, when he left for college. One night, when a super . Sykes, who these days has NBA scouts frequently traveling to gelid Green Bay, has previously bypassed chances to turn pro early in Europe. 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. They all have their own things that they do, and I got your back. I gowith different guys. He wasn't. [25], On October 4, 2020, Sykes signed a 1-month contract with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League. She deserves this more than anybody. 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. That's the thing. Korea checks hit $250,000, but it's cutthroat", "Long Lions agree terms with Keifer Sykes", "Turk Telekom Ankara officially signs Keifer Sykes", "Panathinaikos announces 1-month deal with Keifer Sykes", "Panathinaikos to part ways with Keifer Sykes", "Phoenix Complete Roster with Keifer Sykes", "Pacers Sign Washington Jr., Sykes, Taylor", "Keifer Sykes earns NBA Call-Up with the Indiana Pacers", "Pacers Sign Terry Taylor And Duane Washington, Jr", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keifer_Sykes&oldid=1120027463, American expatriate basketball people in Australia, American expatriate basketball people in Greece, American expatriate basketball people in Italy, American expatriate basketball people in South Korea, American expatriate basketball people in Turkey, Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball players, Undrafted National Basketball Association players, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 November 2022, at 18:08. So all of this has been more than me. I was kind of sad. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. In the 2017-18 season, Sykes played for Ankara DS S.K. He was 16. 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. Sykes cashes a deep 3-pointer as time expires at the end of the first half. Because KJ wants to be a big boy really fast. We had nothing, man. "I tried to hold back the tears. We commit to cover sensible issues responsibly through the principles of neutrality. Suddenly he was holding ice chips and helping her breathe through the birth. Its been a blessing. Sykes keeps in touch with all of them but he hasn't seen Kristie and Antawn in years. On Tuesday morning, Buchanan got into a car with his father, aunt and uncle and drove nearly four hours to join his team in Dayton, Ohio. Sykes estimated he's trekked it back and forth about 20 times per season over the past four years. Supported by his mother, Keifer Sykes finally saw his lifelong dream come to fruition last year. Manage Settings Every situation is different. 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. Former Pacers guard Keifer Sykes, center, hosts a free youth camp at the Irsay Family YMCA in Indianapolis on April 30, 2022. According to Pacers teammate and Wisconsin native Tyrese Haliburton, Sykes is a GB legend, and fellow teammate Malcolm Brogdon had the chance to see that legend in the making during college. And in addition to that, you've got a demographic of kids without fathers, maybe more irresponsible, who don't understand things at a young age and make mistakes earlier.". Sykes, Dawson and Gathers all have teammates who are dads. Crawford's son lives in Memphis. Waiting. Eventually, Keifer will find himself back in Homewood, Illinois, standing over a plot where James Sykes eternally rests. August 5, 2020. Green Bay's Henry Uwadiae, a 6-foot-11 Nigerian-born sophomore, had a daughter born last summer. 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 had a translator the whole time, so I never knew what my coach said, and I never really knew what my teammates said either.. 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. Afterward, Dawson revealed his son was taken to the hospital two days earlier on account of pneumonia. If he's in town, have him around practice, around the locker room. Keifer Sykes | | NBA.com Keifer Sykes PPG 5.6 RPG 1.4 APG 1.9 HEIGHT 5'11" (1.80m) WEIGHT 167lb (76kg) COUNTRY USA LAST ATTENDED Wisconsin-Green Bay BIRTHDATE December 30, 1993 DRAFT. He's got a goofy personality and caring heart but also boasts a paternal side that's as sanguine as it is dedicated. I do a lot of things for my foundation before I was even in the NBA. 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. A family of seven crammed into a two-bedroom place, where they lived until Sykes got to high school. All coaches who were asked estimated that more than half the teams in Division I men's basketball currently have at least one player who is father, or a father-to-be, on their roster. in the Turkish TBL, posting 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Sharp and his wife, Jordan, planned the pregnancy. He's a good kid; he's not a distraction.". But that nightmare hasn't ended, neither has the pain. Branden had lost "significant weight" and was unable to consistently eat due to anxiety. Branden does not carry his father's last name. Free schooling.". 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