Drafted #32 total by the Seattle SuperSonics out of highschool in 1998 (lockout yr), Rashard Lewis needed to grind it out for an NBA contract, and he did simply that.
(through Orlando Magic):
Ryan Anderson: “Man, I can not think about the expertise of leaping from highschool straight into the NBA. I wished to the touch into what that have is like. I had two years in school, however I had a crew round me, even with the selections of the place to go to school, when to leap into the NBA, to get an agent. There’s lots of selections that go into that. How was that call for you and did you’ve gotten a crew round you to assist with that?”
Lewis: “Nicely again then, you couldn’t have an agent. There have been sure guidelines you needed to observe by; or I wouldn’t be capable of go to school. And my entire factor once I was a senior enjoying in highschool, I heard the rumors that I had an opportunity to enter the draft; however you didn’t consider it as a result of it was only a rumor. Till I had one highschool recreation enjoying in opposition to our rivals. Don Nelson, who was teaching for the Dallas Mavericks, was standing proper underneath the basket. I didn’t actually know him on the time. We have been warming up, massive tall man, I didn’t know him. I am going to the bench earlier than we get to play and so they’re like, ‘Don Nelson is right here.’ I’m like ‘Who’s Don Nelson?’ They’re like, ‘The coach for the Mavericks. Look, he’s underneath the basket.’ So I’m wanting underneath the basket, massive tall man simply standing there. In order that’s once I found out that the rumor was true that I could have an opportunity to leap to the NBA. But it surely was positively a troublesome transition. I believed I’d get picked within the lottery, ended up falling to the second spherical, which you’re not assured a contract; it’s a must to make the crew. Again then once you declare your identify for the draft; there’s no going again to school. So it’s both make the crew or go abroad and play. And as a highschool child, I’ve by no means been overseas. So it was a really powerful transition for me. We had a lockout that yr. The season locks out proper after the draft and I am going within the second spherical, so I’m nervous.
“I am going residence and simply work out and prepare my tail off with lots of Rockets, native NBA gamers. And I feel that basically helped me, helped my recreation, and my confidence stage as a result of the draft truthfully broke me down. If we had a coaching camp after that; I don’t know if I’d have made the crew. I needed to kinda rebuild myself up throughout that lockout, work my tail off. As soon as the lockout was over with, went all the way down to Seattle per week earlier than the draft began, was enjoying pickup basketball. I went on the market, the primary day I performed a pickup recreation, simply being very athletic, hustling, doing the little issues. Earlier than camp began that following week, I am going again to play pickup the following day, the overall supervisor calls me upstairs and offers me a two-year. I really feel I’m bringing again the reminiscences, however he offers a two-year deal for the minimal. It introduced tears to my eyes as a result of I’m an 18-year-old child that wishes to be drafted into the NBA, went within the second spherical, now I’ve to make the crew, I can’t return to school. So I didn’t know the place my life was headed. After they gave me that two-year deal, I referred to as my mother, let her know I signed a deal, and I felt like that is the place I labored myself off for this two-year deal to make myself stick within the league. I used to be completely satisfied to get that two-year deal as a result of I couldn’t go to school and I didn’t know the place I used to be headed. So I used to be simply excited, placing that work in actually does repay sooner or later. I commend you guys to proceed to maintain placing within the work.”
Ryan Anderson: “So loopy to me to consider a 17-year-old having to cope with all these pressures and getting cash like that and calling your mother like, ‘Yeah, I can just about present for myself. I feel I’m OK now.”
Lewis: “However that first telephone name to mother, I used to be crying as a result of I’m drafted within the second spherical popping out of highschool, I didn’t know what was going to occur. After which when he gave me that assured deal, I didn’t need to go to coaching camp attempting to make the crew, you’re going in opposition to grown males as a youngster. So I didn’t know what that have was going to be like for me, however I used to be fortunate that they gave me a two-year deal for the minimal, and I labored off that. So I used to be blessed.”
Ryan Anderson: “That’s unbelievable.”
