"I didn't want to do it. The same day Keifer Sykes contract was guaranteed, he went viral with a heartfelt message to his mom, shedding tears as he thanked her. I can't wait to talk to her. However, no valid sources have yet revealed his annual pay in numbers. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Flash to Feb. 12, 2015, and Freeman's sleeping in the chair next to Kylee, awaiting his miracle. "More basketball players have the opportunity to have sex with more girls. And I guess she thought or they thought I had maybe talked to my agent but I hadn't," Sykes said. I was gonna have to fight an uphill battle, so I was already ready for it if I didnt get drafted.. Sykes is featured in the 2018 documentary film Chi-Town, produced and directed by Nick Budabin. We've had people tell us to not keep the baby, frankly.". , Im not forgetting these things. "He's absolutely like his dad," Lisa Sykes said of her youngest. 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. So Im always a fan of guys like Keifer that defy the odds.. [23], On December 27, 2019, Sykes signed with the Olimpia Milano until the end of the season. Sykes signed a non-guaranteed two-year deal with a team option for the second season with Indiana on Dec. 27, and the 5-11 guardfound out he'd been retained for his first seasonwhile at the team's practice facility Friday. The coaching staff awoke to find out the player was more than a thousand miles away and quit the team without telling anyone. Im not entitled to anything, and Im still working. After a successful college career, Sykesplayed the 2015 NBA Summer Leaguewith the Cleveland Cavaliers. One afternoon Keifer was on the green line, headed back home, when he got a call. Sykes was the undersized and underprivileged kid who was supposed to be swallowed up by the inner city, broken after his fathers death and discouraged by the countless doubters who told him reaching the NBA was a pipe dream. 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. Averyelle was born shortly after the sun came up. All Rights Reserved. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. ", James Sykes died of heart failure on June 6, 2012. We've had them come in as a group and have my wife talking about child-rearing. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. We come from poverty. Almost every player interviewed for this story was scared to tell mom. 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. Sykes went scoreless in his NBA debut against Charlotte on Dec. 29 and twodays later totaledtwo pointsagainst his hometown Bulls. "(My mom) put it together after the fact," Sykes said. Every situation is different. "She was really scared to tell me," Dawson said of his girlfriend's pregnancy. Eventually, Keifer will find himself back in Homewood, Illinois, standing over a plot where James Sykes eternally rests. You could call this, The Keifer Effect, McKinnie said. He remembers hopping into a car after getting that call, riding with the aunt of My'Shawn's mother, a 10-minute drive to Methodist Hospital. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. He has not revealed his current relationship or marital status. That's the thing. For some, this is a touchy subject. Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee against Brooklyn after 45-point game. "I didn't expect much out of basketball," Sykes said. Like I said, I feel like I have one of the better stories, one of the best stories ever, when you think about what I had to go through.". 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. In Wardle's eyes -- and having spoken to many coaches on this, many expressed similar sentiment -- here was a kid who was playing for something. Former South East Melbourne Phoenix import Keifer Sykes has enjoyed a stunning rise with the Indiana Pacers, starting at point guard in their 129-121 loss to Brooklyn Nets on Thursday (AEDT) after seven years playing around the world and in the NBA G-League. "I do not want to go pro overseas," he said. Buchanan III is expected to stay in the hospital until at least this coming Sunday as the scar on his heart slowly starts to heal. Over Indianas past two games,Sykes is averaging 20.0points, 5.5assists and 3.5rebounds while shooting 53.8% from the field, 50.0% on 3-pointers and 85.7% at the free-throw line. [28], On August 5, 2021, Sykes signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After taking a trip down memory lane at Marshall, Sykes headed to Proviso East, the alma mater of his friend and Mavericks guard Sterling Brown, to host a one-day basketball league and another coat drive the two pros organized together. I lost like 40 or 50 grand.". He'll want to turn to ESPN and watch a basketball game. I remember they tried to send me home, and the way they do it is like they give you a week trial run. [11] For the week of January 410 of 2015, Sykes won the Naismith National Player of the Week Award. I was kind of sad. The shoes were squeaking, the coaches were yelling and the kids were smiling. So whatever dreams they had, she backed them, which is why when Keifer Sykes fathered his son, Keifer Jr., at 16 and daughter, Kennedi, at 21, she volunteered to help take care of them while Sykes went to college at Wisconsin-Green Bay and continued his career overseas always chasing his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA. It's scary how fast he is at it. Sykes and the mother of his child broke up when he was 17, when he left for college. He felt shock, and immediately told his father. His players have brought their children over for playdates with Ray's son, who was born in 2013. "Over time, shock turned into excitement," White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[6]. Some schools turned down interview requests. As of 2021, he is representing Fort Wayne Mad Ants, a professional basketball team of Indiana. May 14 is the due date. 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. . So all I wanted to do is take care of her. Mississippi State's Rick Ray is a coach with a lot of thoughts on this because he has a lot of players -- five of them -- in this situation. We had nothing, man. [29] He was waived at the end of training camp. 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. "One time I asked him, and he didn't know. We commit to cover sensible issues responsibly through the principles of neutrality. I told him, 'Boost me up to 99 right now, and put me against Steph Curry! On Friday, the deadlinefor NBA teams to guarantee contracts for the rest of the season, the28-year-old rookiegot the last laugh whenthe Pacers decided to keep himand third-year swingmanOshae Brissett through the end of their campaign. By the time Wardle got to Sykes' dorm room, Sykes had locked himself in the bathroom as he grappled with one overarching and unshakable thought: The life he had before he went to sleep was gone. She deserves this more than anybody. "It's not easy, for me, but the best thing I have going on for me right now is my wife," Gathers said. When Wardle got to Sykes' dorm room, the 18-year-old was sitting alone on his bathroom floor, sobbing. Gathers' teammate, Al Freeman? On 5 August 2021, he also struck a deal with the NBA team, Indiana Pacers. We assure our audience that we will remove any contents that are not accurate or according to formal reports and queries if they are justified. He was on a trip for a basketball tournament, and that's when he called his mother at work. My mom's going crazy, and my dad was taking heat. Memphis also had a player, Dominic Magee, who initially transferred out of school earlier this season to be closer to his home in New Orleans to be with his young son. He also became nervous regarding his recruitment. Dawson's first two years at Michigan State consisted of few visits with My'Shawn during the season. And if you got children, I got your childrens back because youre doing something positive.. Fortunately, despite varied situations, some of which are depicted below, many have happy circumstances. Once my brother left, I went to school by myself. 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. There's more to life than basketball. KJ wasn't even 2 when his grandfather died. How old is Keifer Sykes? "I wouldn't say that it was planned but I definitely wouldn't say it was an accident," Gathers said of Bria's pregnancy, the climax of which included Rico taking four trips in one day to a Danny & Clyde's po'boy joint while Bria was in labor. Upon returning to Marshall whose alumni includes "Hoop Dreams" documentary star Arthur Agee, Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverly and two-time WNBA champion Cappie Pondexter Sykes gifted his former coaches and teachers a Pacers jersey as a thank you for believing in him and laying the foundation for his path to the NBA. 28 jerseys with his best friend. He was just a really good man. He posted a picture carrying her and wrote a beautiful heartfelt message. Like Freeman, Johnson's been a father for only a few weeks. 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. So all I wanted to do is take care of her. That wasn't the case with a 7-footer at Louisiana Tech named Joniah White. [1] The film follows Sykes' path from high school to his brush with the NBA. Wardle describes it as the hardest situation of his career, far beyond anything he faced during the summer of 2013, when accusations of verbal mistreatment from former Green Bay players threatened his job. Johnson has two teammates, Markel Crawford and Trahson Burrell, who are fathers. Dawson's fellow father teammate is junior Bryn Forbes, who had a boy, Carter, born when Forbes played at Cleveland State. "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.". His camp is having trouble getting them admitted into the road arenas. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, at "Everything that she did for us, losing my dad, taking care of everybody she deserves this more than anybody. I forgot to even call my mom. We had nothing, man. After the euphoria of winning TBT and signing a training camp deal with the Pacers, Sykes faced another hurdle when he was cut before the season started. They all have their own things that they do, and I got your back. I finally opened it when I gathered my strength and the coaches were all crying, everybody was crying. "I was on thetraining table. Sykes grew up on southeast side of Chicago, on East 67th Street and South Cregier, in a project apartment complex. And life off the court has been pock-marked with losses and tragedies tied to the gun violence that has riddled the streets of Chicago for a century. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. Its not even that I did it (on my own). See, the basketball part, thats easy. 2023 www.indystar.com. Pictured below, there he is in the hospital with his girlfriend, Kylee, and his baby girl, Maddox, born three weeks ago -- smack dab in the middle of the season. [10] For the second time in his career, he was named to the Honorable Mention AP All-American team. 'You don't know who this is?'". I went to basketball for free college. I've heard a couple of times him screaming, 'Go, Daddy!' Sykes won the 2015 Horizon League player of the year to join the elite company of players to win the award twice. [25], On October 4, 2020, Sykes signed a 1-month contract with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League. However, Wanamaker struggled in the 22 games he appeared in, averaging 3.5 points on 36.1% . "Loved James Sykes. When I was like, Oh, Im small, he was like, Nah, you can go to the NBA. It made my heart weep in joy, not weep in sorrow but in joy that, Wow, he really feels that way about me.. "It's my job to do what my dad did and tell him who my dad was," Keifer said. Thats my dream, but I know the odds of going to the NBA, so Ill just use basketball to get as far as I can.. Keifer Sykes was born on 30 December, 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, is an American basketball player. So many missed calls from his girlfriend. So all of this has been more than me. Aubrey was born at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. And I think we were able to give him that. Those are the things people have no idea what's going on behind closed doors with so many teams.". And for him to do that, it was just so overwhelming. Despite those hurdles, there Sykes was, still standing years later and using his day off before his first major NBA road trip to inspire the next generation. This arrangement was particularly worrisome and problematic recently, as the boy battled a bronchial infection. He has just one full sibling, James Sykes Jr., and seven more half-siblings: DaVon, Jarvis, Kristie, Jameeka,. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com. He had the game," Mitchell said. Life is too short. How tall is Keifer Sykes? In college, Keifer Sykes wrote RIP DAD on his socks, and if there's room, he'll write that same message on his sneakers so his father is always with him on the court. They're cautionary stories but uplifting ones, too. The hardest thing was the drive. A few births have been by choice, but obviously many occur by accident. Sykes could match upagainst his "best friend" for the first time in the NBA when Indiana hosts Chicago on Feb. 4. "My son played (NBA 2K) last night with me. The Pacers' Keifer Sykes.AP Sykes had nearly 100 ticket requests for this game, and he will not disappoint the familiars. Manage Settings Then he sank a 17-footer over . (Without prompt, Sykes publicly defended his coach throughout the ordeal.). "Just because we're in college athletics, we try to separate ourselves from the rest of the society, and we just can't do that," Ray said. They just don't know. "My players say I don't understand, but I do understand," Ray said. Waiting. 1 seed and took them to Game 5, which is like Game 7 over there, and lost on their floor," Sykes said. " "So she just told me congratulations. Our dedicated Editorial team verifies each of the articles published on the Biographyhost. 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