"I immediately fell in love with her.". He quickly capitalized on his opportunity. "The sacrifices she made, man. Every mom always finds out. They just don't know. The unexpected death came a month removed from the end of Keifer's freshman year. The child's mother, Cecilia, and members of both parents' families crammed into a hospital room and glanced back and forth between watching a father on TV and keeping an eye on T.J. sleep with tubes and probes keeping him alive. Playing for two beating hearts. To report about any issues in our articles, please feel free toContact Us. Once she looked up at me, it was over after that.". Gathers saved up his scholarship checks ($400 per month) and Pell Grant money to help pay Bria's rent, which came to nearly $800/month. Because KJ wants to be a big boy really fast. "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. For me, my pride in him is just on his self-belief and determination.. Yet, Forbes in 2019 evaluated that he must be receiving a minimum NBA salary which was $900,000. He posted a picture carrying her and wrote a beautiful heartfelt message. In the 2017-18 season, Sykes played for Ankara DS S.K. He'll want to turn to ESPN and watch a basketball game. Lisa Sykes was asking her son's coach to tell Keifer his father was gone because she couldn't bear to do it. He does stuff in his community.' Sometimes he'll drive to Chicago, pick KJ up, stay for but a few minutes, and head right back to campus. The big thing with me is, I want Keifer to be a good father first. I remember we used to play in the alley, McKinnie said. Sykes' son represents an overlooked and under-discussed fact of life for so many college athletes: fatherhood. "People don't even know the half of it," Sykes said. My own trainers telling me, 'Prepare and train for overseas,' and I'm telling them, 'No.' His father taught him and told him about becoming a boy to a man, Lisa Sykes said. On April 5, the 5-11 guard was autographing mini basketballs and. I went to basketball for free college. After a successful college career, Sykesplayed the 2015 NBA Summer Leaguewith the Cleveland Cavaliers. From there, Sykes bounced around the fringes of the NBA, joining the Cavaliers for the 2015 Summer League, then signing with San Antonio his father's favorite team and appearing in three 2015-16 preseason games, before being waived and picked up by the Spurs D League (now G League) affiliate, the Austin Spurs. [30], On December 27, 2021, Sykes signed with the Indiana Pacers for the remainder of the season. Keifer Sykes #28 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball while being guarded by Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns in the third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Jan. 14, 2022, in Indianapolis. The journeyman said it was disheartening to come within arm's reach of his NBA dream again, but he didnt stay down for long. At the time KJ was born Keifer was holding down a job with the Chicago Public Schools system, playing basketball and working rec centers with kids on the east side. 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. Sykes was waived by the Pacers on Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. Branden had lost "significant weight" and was unable to consistently eat due to anxiety. Sykes, who went undrafted in 2015, signed a two-year contract with the Pacers last month after a strong season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA G League. "When she told me, I kind of freaked out. Dayton kicked two players off its roster earlier this season after a dorm-room theft forced Archie Miller's hand. Whereas Dawson did not have a prominent father, Sykes' relationship with his was irrepressible. The Pacers had Sykes and Wanamaker in training camp and kept the veteran Wanamaker when the season began. The next day, Bloodman played 18 minutes against Kentucky. Baylor's Rico Gathers, who's closing in on the Big 12's single-season record for rebounds, isbeamingabout his wife and life over the phone. We both were really scared. [4], From his freshman year in 201112, Sykes was immediately inserted into the Phoenix starting lineup, and was also the youngest player in the nation, let alone youngest starter. Like Sykes, Dawson's been a father since he was a junior in high school. He and his wife/high school sweetheart, Laura, are expecting. The biggest phone call. He was 16. Ithink the basket was moving. Anderson is banking on landing a pro contract overseas this spring or summer. He knows all about long drives on weekends to steal time with a child. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | Bell found out he was going to be a father when he returned to his phone following a workout. 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. Perfect place for an unforgettable night in a tiny, half-filled gym, Illinois-Chicago's UIC Pavilion. Some of them terrifying, like the hell and stress Rhode Island's T.J. Buchanan has endured all season. Sykes cashes a deep 3-pointer as time expires at the end of the first half. Sykes could match upagainst his "best friend" for the first time in the NBA when Indiana hosts Chicago on Feb. 4. "When I got there, I was nervous, and it was kind of surreal," he said. Keifer Sykes was on campus after his freshman season at Wisconsin-Green Bay, taking summer classes and going through workouts, when his phone rang around 7:30 a.m. His older brother, Jarvis Tucker, was on the other end. He took birth to his late father, James Sykes, and his mother, Lisa Sykes, as the youngest of their nine children. My'Shawn's been to almost every Spartans home game this season, sitting with Dawson's high school coach, Johnny Ryan, and a former teammate, Devonte Harris. "I don't want to go out of the States. [10] For the second time in his career, he was named to the Honorable Mention AP All-American team. She thought he had dropped something or whatever. I was charging it. Sykes won the 2015 Horizon League player of the year to join the elite company of players to win the award twice. Moreover, last year on her 5th birthday, Sykes took it to his Instagram @ksykeyb28. And I think we were able to give him that. var cid='2438531626';var pid='ca-pub-3621518944223410';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=2;var alS=2021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);container.style.width='100%';var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;if(ffid==2){ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive='true';} Sykes credits his humbleness to his parents, James and Lisa Sykes, who were featured in a documentary about Sykes rise to high school and college stardom called, Chi-Town. The film shows the harrowing circumstances that he and his family were subjected to in inner-city Chicago, including rampant gun violence, which left one of Sykes' former high school teammates and a former coach paralyzed, while another former teammate went to prison for armed robbery. "Looking back on my season, where did it go, and it's been a weird, weird year.". Where was Keifer Sykes born? Harrington was also featured in Chi-Town, and during the documentary his life took a drastic turn when he was shot and paralyzed while driving his daughter to school. He is at Green Bay because that staff impressed his father. There was yelling on one end of the line and a 15-year-old stomach swirling to mush on the other. "She was really scared to tell me," Dawson said of his girlfriend's pregnancy. I just wanted to run away [from it]. And whatever makes the mother happy, it's all about making the child happy. But the most important thing said that night: "The child will be taken care of." At the start of the 201314 season, Sykes was named to the preseason All-Horizon League team and was a nominee for the Bob Cousy Award for top point guard in the country. 1:08; See All. That's the thing. After Keifer impregnated his former girlfriend, Allyne, he was horrified to tell mom. Hed come so close in the past and inched even closer with a shot that turned him into an overnight sensation. Once my brother left, I went to school by myself. I lost like 40 or 50 grand.". "He's earned it really starting in the summer just with his approach, his work ethic, his level of improvement, which has been gradual and consistent. We were all riding every possession and rooting for him, high-fiving each other whenever he dropped in another 3, Mitchell said. There are major facets to these players' lives that are never seen, seldom known, but emotionally significant signposts toward personal growth and elemental struggle. He's the boss.". Its all demonstrated in the documentary, Carlisle said after the game. He admits now it was a lot to go through. Dawson's first two years at Michigan State consisted of few visits with My'Shawn during the season. Sykes averaged 5.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds . I can't wait to see her and hug her.". So, hell most likely head into the offseason having to prove himself all over again to the Pacers and other NBA franchises for a shot to remain in the best league in the world. 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. I do a lot of camps (in my hometown). Sykes,who was with the Pacers in the preseason before being waived, starred with Indiana's G-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, averaging 16.3 points and a league-high 8.0 assists in 13 games this season. 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. However, no valid sources have yet revealed his annual pay in numbers. [12] Sykes was one of eight invitees to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2015 Final Four, where he placed second. (In this case, an ex-girlfriend of Kiefer's told her.) Soon after, the Austin Spurs acquired him for the NBA G League, and Sykes stayed there until 2016. "I tried to hold back the tears. Hows your team doing? he asked another. Come August, Keifer will be three months removed from college. Keifer, whose birth was not planned, came two days before 1994. 28 jerseys with his best friend. "Those of us that know his story, (it's) very compelling, and this is a culmination of a lot of work and a big dream.". [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. Breakups, forced relationships, long-distance relationships, fractures between families, money -- these are stresses that, comparatively, make basketball seem so simple. Assistant coach Jenny Boucek brokethe news. 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. She ran back downstairs to get my brother, and he said he was trying to perform CPR and when they called the police and the police got there, they tried but they couldn't bring him back to life.".