These are really childhood dreams we turned into reality for real, and I think thats the most exciting part. Chicago. The game-winner capped. He wasn't. In fact, Sykes is technically on a two-year deal, but the second year of his contract is non-guaranteed. Keifer Sykes' 3-pointer wins TBT for Boeheim's Army. Trivante Bloodman is a 22-year-old senior guard from Harlem who's barely been able to sleep in the past week. From mother to son. However, he regularlymentions his children during interviewsand posts pictures of them on his social media handles. How old is Keifer Sykes? We had nothing. pic.twitter.com/4JC9VJNSpW, James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 7, 2022, "Everything that she did for us, losing my dad, taking care of everybody she deserves this more than anybody, Keifer Sykes said. One team has a father who's a leading scorer with a child who attends every home game but did not want to bring extra attention to the player or the program. [22] The film follows Sykes' path from high school to his brush with the NBA. [29] He was waived at the end of training camp. 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. He carried the Phoenix to a 75-72 victory with 21 points and a game-high 10 assists, compared to 17 points and six rebounds from Brogdon. 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. of the Basketball Super League. Moreover, last year on her 5th birthday, Sykes took it to his Instagram@ksykeyb28. You cant eat before somebody whos older than you, you gotta bow, you cant drink alcohol in front of older people; it was just a full-blown different culture. I didn't learn that until Igotto college.". August 5, 2020. You'd be amazed at what these guys don't know about parenting. Sykes won the 2015 Horizon League player of the year to join the elite company of players to win the award twice. "Little KJ is very outspoken, loud, and a joy to be around," Lisa Sykes said. Mississippi State is the prime example. "I had my first child when I was 20. Keifer frequently shows his son photos to remind him. "You can hear him in the stands. The two met in middle school in Louisiana, and remained close friends until things turned romantic midway through high school. 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. Where was Keifer Sykes born? He has just one full sibling, James Sykes Jr., and seven more half-siblings: DaVon, Jarvis, Kristie, Jameeka, Rashaunda, Shakeeya and Antwan. So they bring the other (American) player in and start working him out so they can be ready and they tell you whatever games you have that week, and at the end of the week they decide to keep you or cut you. Because even as a mom you dont expect your children to praise you like that. It has been less than two weeks but with all of the COVID roster shuffling and another player,. These are things when I used to come home and tell him, Dad, they telling me Im too small, or They not treating me right. So its crazy when I see all of the things Im going through today because Ive been through all of these things before. Sykes, 21, just won his second straight Horizon League Player of the Year honor. ins.style.display='block';ins.style.minWidth=container.attributes.ezaw.value+'px';ins.style.width='100%';ins.style.height=container.attributes.ezah.value+'px';container.appendChild(ins);(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'stat_source_id',44);window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'adsensetype',1);var lo=new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent);lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId+'-asloaded'),{attributes:true}); In Chicago, Illinois, USA, the NBA G League player Sykes wasbornon 30 December 1993. They went through predraft workouts together in 2015.Thats where my respect (for him) came from. Sykes could match upagainst his "best friend" for the first time in the NBA when Indiana hosts Chicago on Feb. 4. 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. "She's the key to being married, to being a dad. 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. After Keifer impregnated his former girlfriend, Allyne, he was horrified to tell mom. 28 jerseys with his best friend. Keifer Sykes scanned the gym at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, watching as grade school children ran around playing basketball the game thats taken him around the world but never kept him away from home. [8] In a 6966 loss to Wisconsin, Sykes scored 32 points, including a highlight dunk in the first possession of the game. He's second on Green Bay's all-time scoring list, a mutantly athletic 6-foot-tall NBA prospect trying to will the program to its firstNCAA Tournamentbid since 1996. 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. She took in five kids, taking care of my kids when I told her I wanted to play college basketball. I told my family, 'I think the basket is moving or something,'"Sykes said, laughing. The journeyman said it was disheartening to come within arm's reach of his NBA dream again, but he didnt stay down for long. 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. Neither player entered the game, and McKinnie has since been waived, but that night McKinnie was just proud to exchange matching No. A young man will ask his boy about his father. I was kind of sad. Keifer Sykes was clutch in the fourth quarter for Boeheim's Army. How long has it been since Dawson spoke to his dad directly? Moreover, last year on her 5th birthday, Sykes took it to his Instagram @ksykeyb28. After waiting for months, Dawson found the courage while plopped on a bus headed to Milwaukee. KJ wasn't even 2 when his grandfather died. "Chicago means everything to me, man. I wanted to wait a few days," Bell 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.". "At first there was a lot of fear. I was the first person to see him, which was pretty cool.". He didn't sleep through the night, and in the darkest hour, their child was born. Its really not about the NBA, Sykes says. We had nothing, man. They want me to stay overseas to make more money for them. [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. It's a dimension some critics didn't realize when they were all too eager to bemoan Dawson's performance in MSU's loss last Sunday at Wisconsin, wherein Dawson had four points and two rebounds. "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. And as I have witnessed in recent days, the documentary is being augmented with a videographer. So I really had to focus in and just go out there and do what I do.". You can go D-I. These were things that I had doubts of. We treat him as one of us. He makes sure, no matter what, he keeps a good relationship with his baby's mother. It's Feb. 26, 2015, the night Green Bay's Keifer Sykes plays his final game in his hometown area, in front of a band of family and friends. I forgot to even call my mom. Most did. One of those players already had a child, and the other had one on the way. Sykes, a 5ft 11in (1.80m) point guard, was born in Chicago, Illinois, to the late James Sykes as the second oldest of seven children. Sykes said having his contract guaranteed through the end of the season is "the highlight of my professional career," and he's thrilled that his 6-year-old daughter, Kennedi, and 11-year-old. 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 set a conference record as he was named the Horizon League player of the week thirteen times over his career. "My son played (NBA 2K) last night with me. I dont know why they wouldnt allow this story to be continued in as much detail as possible. Without her, I wouldn't have been as successful as I have been this year.". 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. Lisa was there with her cancer-stricken mother; James was there tending to his niece after she'd been assaulted in a domestic dispute. You can practically hear the smile through the phone as Gathers, who was wearing scrubs that didn't fit his 6-8, 275-pound frame, tells the story. Sykes, wearing a black hat with "purpose." "I don't want to go out of the States. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com. "It's always been this way, really, but off the record, it's demographics, number one, and popularity of basketball players today," one coach said. The biggest phone call. "All the different agents that I went through. 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 | 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. More than a decade later, and after making a name for himself overseas, the only box Sykes said he had left to check was to beat the odds his younger self foretold and finally play in an NBA game. 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. Life is too short. Thats the heros journey, Sykes said. Keifer prides his relationship with his son as an extension of what he had with his dad. He worries about his 4-year-old son, Keifer Jr., who lives in a neighborhood in Chicago that Sykes knows is violent. 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. Im not entitled to anything, and Im still working. This arrangement was particularly worrisome and problematic recently, as the boy battled a bronchial infection. 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. Afterward, Dawson revealed his son was taken to the hospital two days earlier on account of pneumonia. And these (five games) that he's played, he's played tremendously. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. They're cautionary stories but uplifting ones, too. However,Sykeswas quickly thrust into the spotlight because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team that sent Brogdon and Caris LeVert, who had been filling inas the team's starting point guard, into the league's health and safety protocols. 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. She thought he had dropped something or whatever. Crawford's son lives in Memphis. Playing for two beating hearts. Sykes said having his contract guaranteed through the end of theseason is "the highlight of my professional career," and he's thrilled that his 6-year-old daughter, Kennedi, and11-year-old son, Keifer Jr., can finally say their daddy is officially in the NBA. Aubrey was born at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. I was charging it. Sykes confirmed that another documentary about his life is on the way, and itll include another milestone from his first NBA season: A jersey swap with his former high school and college teammate, Alfonzo McKinnie (a distant cousin of the aforementioned Rashad McKinnie). "So Im very fortunate to have that opportunity. 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. He did not sleep overnight. Sometimes he'll drive to Chicago, pick KJ up, stay for but a few minutes, and head right back to campus. It's a boy, and they're down to two names with two months to go. Its not even that I did it (on my own). [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. [12] Sykes was one of eight invitees to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2015 Final Four, where he placed second. After shining with the Austin Spurs throughout the 2015-16 campaign, Sykes joined the Warriors for the 2016 Summer League, but he wasnt picked up by Golden State or another franchise ahead of the season. We playing my hometown team, it was just my birthday (Dec. 30), everybody is excited like, 'You finally (got) the call up.' section: | slug: paternal-fraternity-the-overlooked-reality-behind-so-many-college-athletes-daily-lives-as-fathers | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | His daughter Zarah has just turned six years old on 22 September 2021. After a successful college career, Sykesplayed the 2015 NBA Summer Leaguewith the Cleveland Cavaliers. Keifer Sykes is an American athlete and professional basketball player. It wasn't a happy cry. "Most four-year players have a teammate at some point who is either having a child or has had a child," Illinois state coach Dan Muller, who's coached a few dads, said. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. A few births have been by choice, but obviously many occur by accident. One of his brothers had called him before Wardle could break the news. "I was on thetraining table. 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. We both were really scared. "Over time, shock turned into excitement," White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? 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