Really, he worried about leaving his son, how KJ would be without him, and not so much about what the schools thought of his situation or the backstory on his complicated family structure with a troupe of half-siblings. So long as his health is good, he'll have earned a pro contract by then. This is a man who fondly recalls buying a $134 ring from Walmart the night before he proposed. "My son played (NBA 2K) last night with me. I was kind of sad. I didn't want my children to go through that. One of Sykes signature moments came when he scored five points a dagger 3 and layup on back-to-back plays in overtime of a dramatic 121-117 upset win against Stephen Curry and the Warriors at Chase Center on Jan. 20. So I was processing it, and then I didnt know what to do. Its been an overflow. And now, when he's not escaping for trips to be with dad at Green Bay, KJ practically lives with his grandmother. Buchanan's son, Terry Buchanan III, was born in November with a life-threatening condition. 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. This is my path, and thats just what it is. His camp is having trouble getting them admitted into the road arenas. [32], On November 3, 2022, Sykes was named to the opening night roster for the Motor City Cruise.[33]. After Saturday games, White drives east through the dark trails and over the Mississippi border to spend his Sundays with Joniah Jr. Memphis' Kedren Johnson can relate. "I do not want to go pro overseas," he said. And I guess she thought or they thought I had maybe talked to my agent but I hadn't," Sykes said. My heart was just filled with so much joy when he got what he wanted, and thats to play in the NBA for his dream, Lisa Sykes said. "So she just told me congratulations. Ithink the basket was moving. He'll have his headstone then, and he'll have his son and grandson touching it. After being cut, Sykes could've left Indianapolis for good and focused . And for him to do that, it was just so overwhelming. [17], On November 13, Sykes made his professional debut in a 10482 win over the Texas Legends, recording eight points, one rebound, six assists and three steals in 17 minutes off the bench. They say, 'You don't know what it's like to be on food stamps,' and I say, 'I've been through it.'". "We felt defeated," he said. "At this point, she's three months pregnant," Keifer said. He later joined the San Antonio Spurs on 28 September 2015. "Over time, shock turned into excitement," White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old. A lot people were just calling me a scorer, so when they presented me the opportunity to run the team, be a point guard and show that I could help run the organization and prove that I could win, I was excited. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. When Sykes joined the Phoenix, they were an expansion team in Year 2 of their development, and according to Mitchell, no one expected much from them or Sykes. You gotta be a hero to do that, to stand up in front of these kids and let them know like, I got cut from the NBA yesterday, but Imma keep pushing and try to make it, and then come back later and show them that I made it. The two helped Marshall finish third in the Class 3A Illinois high school boys basketball state tournament in 2010, and 12 years later they were on opposing sides of an NBA game for the first time when Sykes and the Pacers hosted McKinnie and their hometown Bulls on Feb 4. What he didn't know was that he wouldn't be a part of it. 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. Moreover, Sykes graduated from there with a degree in Communications. "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. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[6]. He so reminds me of Keifer.". But since Sykes' family felt he was already being overlooked due to his stature, they decided to send him an hour across town to Marshall on the West Side, where his dream of being a basketball star had a better chance of flourishing. Harrington praised Sykes for his resiliency throughout his triumphant but often tough career. "I don't want to go out of the States. Dawson's fellow father teammate is junior Bryn Forbes, who had a boy, Carter, born when Forbes played at Cleveland State. Sykes went on to become a three-time First-Team All-Horizon League honoree and two-time Horizon League Player of the Year, solidifying himself as one of the best players in Wisconsin-Green Bay history. But that's what it takes to be a superhero for my family, a superhero in my community and a good basketball player. This June will mark a decade since Keifer Sykes father died, 10 years of carrying on without his biggest fan. It's a lot of bloodshed in my city, a lot people dying, and I feel like God placed me in this position also to shed light on those things and to show that some people are able to be talented and get out, but some people aren't. "It was a surreal moment," Bell said of watching his son be born. Moreover, last year on her 5th birthday, Sykes took it to his Instagram@ksykeyb28. I trained with different guys. [18] In his rookie season with Austin, including the playoffs, Sykes averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.84 steals while shooting 45.9% from the field and 77.4% from the free throw line, and also recording a plus/minus of +196. It's scary how fast he is at it. The sacrifices she made, man. KJ doesn't know just yet how his grandfather died -- or even what death is, or that people disappear from the world in abrupt and unfair ways. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. But mom? In high school. written on it in white letters, didnt hesitate before handing the kid his phone and obliging. I gowith different guys. Sykes said, laughing. How tall is Keifer Sykes? Sykes estimated he's trekked it back and forth about 20 times per season over the past four years. I didn't have goals to go further. We see him as one our guys, even though we only played a small part in his rise and elevation. In high school, Sykes would ride alone on the green line to Marshall Metro High -- the team featured in the beloved basketball documentaryHoop Dreams-- where he played his way onto varsity and would become a McDonald's All-American honorable mention. You can go to college. She lives more than 250 miles away, in Iowa, with her mother. The season included an upset over eventual Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champion (and NCAA tournament 1-seed) Virginia in a game which saw Sykes score 21 points and distribute 10 assists. How long has it been since Dawson spoke to his dad directly? My'Shawn's mother lives back in Indiana; it was her idea to have father and child live together this season, in part because she's working night shifts at a Speedway to save money and find some quiet that was lost during the early years of My'Shawn's life. But in talking to dozens of college coaches for this story, you discover that that this is a more common situation than you might think. As Sykes sat in the Pacers' practice facility after shootaround Tuesday, he laughed as he reflected on his Italian team, Scandone Avellino, going bankrupt after the 2018-19 season and failing to pay its players their full salaries. Keifer Sykes was born on 30 December, 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of WisconsinGreen Bay and his professional career has included stints at Anyang KGC of the Korean Basketball League, Ankara DSI of the Basketball Super League, S.S. Felice Scandone of the Lega Basket Serie A and South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League. [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. At the time of Sykes' recruitment, Wardle (his coach), who became a dad at 26, could empathize. He took birth to his late father, James Sykes, and his mother, Lisa Sykes, as the youngest of their nine children. "All the different agents that I went through. Sykes is featured in the 2018 documentary film Chi-Town, produced and directed by Nick Budabin. A tremendous man," Wardle said. 1 seed and took them to Game 5, which is like Game 7 over there, and lost on their floor," Sykes said. " The two met in middle school in Louisiana, and remained close friends until things turned romantic midway through high school. May 14 is the due date. Keifer prides his relationship with his son as an extension of what he had with his dad. 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. Sykes grew up on southeast side of Chicago, on East 67th Street and South Cregier, in a project apartment complex. "She's the key to being married, to being a dad. Sykes spent one season in South Korea, but he said that was just the beginning of the hardships he faced as he continued playing in Italy, Greece, Turkey and China. Trivante Bloodman is a 22-year-old senior guard from Harlem who's barely been able to sleep in the past week. when he's on the foul line. I lost like 40 or 50 grand.". Sykes, Dawson and Gathers all have teammates who are dads. Sykes' relationship with his son is the connection he carries from the one he had with his father, that connection he still feels, but one that inevitably dims with the passage of time. At Marshall, we were a basketball powerhouse, and it was a Chicago public school. Keifer Sykes was born on December 30, 1993. Following his senior year at Marshall Metro in Chicago, Sykes wasn't even considered a top-25 senior in Illinois. [27], On December 8, 2020, Sykes signed a one-year contract with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). We've had them come in as a group and have my wife talking about child-rearing. Some schools turned down interview requests. The death of Sykes father painfully added to that. 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. These are really childhood dreams we turned into reality for real, and I think thats the most exciting part. Some of the scenarios are not ideal. Most guessed higher than 75 percent. Keifer, along with six of his siblings and half-siblings, took the red line train with mom and dad to City Hall. The drive was like three hours and I had been on the same trip probably 15 times, but this time it just felt so different. American NBA Player, Representative of Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana. Sykes, a former point guard for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, sunk a pull-up three to give Boeheim's Army a 69-67 win over Team 23 in Tuesday's TBT championship. Keifer Sykes is an American athlete and professional basketball player. Johnson has two teammates, Markel Crawford and Trahson Burrell, who are fathers. "The sacrifices she made, man. "I didn't expect much out of basketball," Sykes said. He says there's more than $5,000 of his own cash allotted toward parenthood. I told them, 'Don't have any babies. Although Sykes has not brought details of his wife in light, he is a father to his son Hugo and daughter Zarah. "I immediately fell in love with her.". 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.. 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. They think, 'that's what I eat, so that's what the baby should eat.' *" Chi-Town " is a well-known reference to the city of Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls with one of the unquestionably all-time greats of basketball, Michael . After Keifer impregnated his former girlfriend, Allyne, he was horrified to tell mom. Anyang Korea Ginseng Corporation (20162017), Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year, 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, "Horizon League Announces Men's Basketball Award Winners", "McCallum Leads Men's Basketball Award Winners", "Sykes Named to Bob Cousy Award Watch List", "Green Bay holds on to beat Virginia 75-72", "Phoenix Keifer Sykes crosses the 2,000 mark", "Sykes named AP honorable mention All-American", "Green Bay's Sykes is HL Player of the Week", "Keifer Sykes will be in Final Four dunk contest", "Cavs Announce 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League Roster", "Spurs announce 2015-16 training camp roster", "Spurs waive Fredette, Ndoye, Sykes and Thomas", "AUSTIN SPURS ANNOUNCE 2015 RETURNING PLAYERS AND TRAINING CAMP INVITEES", "Cotton, Spurs Rout Legends as Satnam Singh Debuts", "NBA D-League Announces Full Roster for elite mini camp", "Terrico White, Michael Efevberha, Keifer Sykes selected in KBL draft. Branden had lost "significant weight" and was unable to consistently eat due to anxiety. "I really made the NBA.". Our dedicated Editorial team verifies each of the articles published on the Biographyhost. Sharp -- who's completed his Mormon mission obligations and is a 24-year-old senior on a team that in recent years has seen half its roster filled with married men -- saw little Jaycee Sharp come into the world 30 minutes after midnight on Oct. 1, 2014. He converted a traditional 3-point play when he drove, banked a shot and got a free throw, too. I cant do that. For some, this is a touchy subject. It made my heart weep in joy, not weep in sorrow but in joy that, Wow, he really feels that way about me.. I've heard a couple of times him screaming, 'Go, Daddy!' It's been an emotional journey for Freeman, who went out and bought a few pregnancy tests last summer, and then cried and hugged Kylee as they discovered they'd be parents. section: | slug: paternal-fraternity-the-overlooked-reality-behind-so-many-college-athletes-daily-lives-as-fathers | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | His dad is alive, but he's not around and never has been. Despite all of those who tried to put a ceiling on his career as hetraveledthe world,there was always at least one person back home reminding Sykes to shoot for the stars: his mom, Lisa. Sykes, wearing a black hat with "purpose." "I was speechless," he said. Keifer's always been a person purely at comfort around family and only his family. Lisa Sykes, who passed out pizza during her sons coat giveaway at Proviso East, said she never wanted to visit her children in prison or, worse, bury them. Keifer Jerail Sykes, born Dec. 30, 1993, is the last child in his family. His performance warranted praise from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who has repeatedly noted how remarkable Sykes career has been. Sykes said his indomitable spirit was instilled in him by his father, who put him in school a year early because he could handle it. And whenever Sykes thought he was too young or too small, his father would tell him not to give up. She has been the backbone of the Sykes familysince Sykes' father, James, died of a heart attack June 6, 2012. Until she did. I was really on my own and traveling in Chicago for an hour each way each day. Mitchell said he keeps in touch with Sykes and, because of the time difference between the U.S. and Australia, the Phoenix often watch Pacers games when they get out of practice in the afternoon. Burrell's daughter, Alyson, is in Puerto Rico. "The rim looked so small. 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. Waiting. "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. At James Sykes' urging, and Keifer's own interest in ending the courtship of so many other coaching staffs, he committed fairly early as a junior. Sykes said he had to rely on nonverbal communication skills to get on the same page as his counterparts, and after developing chemistry and playing well, it still wasnt enough. Chicago. He kept it from her as long as possible; the "entire school" knew about it, but she didn't. 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. 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. [30], On December 27, 2021, Sykes signed with the Indiana Pacers for the remainder of the season. See, the basketball part, thats easy. There was yelling on one end of the line and a 15-year-old stomach swirling to mush on the other. They went through predraft workouts together in 2015.Thats where my respect (for him) came from. The biggest help to me is my wife. I was gonna have to fight an uphill battle, so I was already ready for it if I didnt get drafted.. Their relationship was so strong, their parents were OK with Bria moving to Waco, enrolling in a community college, and living in her own apartment at 18. 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. 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