"My son played (NBA 2K) last night with me. 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. They last shared space together in 2012 -- at Keifer's father's funeral. You scope college basketball, and the stories are everywhere. [10] For the second time in his career, he was named to the Honorable Mention AP All-American team. She took in five kids, taking care of my kids when I told her I wanted to play college basketball. Probably no one better to hear it from (than) her because she always believed in me, her being a guard coach. [30][31] He was waived on April 7, 2022. Chicago's Keifer Sykes soaking in his moment after TBT winner and NBA contract with Pacers By Scott Powers Aug 5, 2021 1 Daniel Poneman isn't sure why exactly he hadn't revealed Keifer. In thesix years of his professional career, Sykes has played for various leagues worldwide, including the NBA and NBA G League. 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. "We felt defeated," he said. Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee against Brooklyn after 45-point game. Another team lost a player in the middle of the night, without warning, because he was given an ultimatum by the child's mother. Aubrey was born at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Waiting. 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. Crawford's son lives in Memphis. Hed come so close in the past and inched even closer with a shot that turned him into an overnight sensation. Whereas Dawson did not have a prominent father, Sykes' relationship with his was irrepressible. Where was Keifer Sykes born? At the time I didnt know that, but he was affirming my greatness. Sykes said, laughing. [12] Sykes was one of eight invitees to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2015 Final Four, where he placed second. Like Sykes, Dawson's been a father since he was a junior in high school. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. It wasn't a happy cry. My foundation is about mass incarcerationand gun violence. American NBA Player, Representative of Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana. Where the family is. A tremendous man," Wardle said. 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. My mom's going crazy, and my dad was taking heat. Lisa was there with her cancer-stricken mother; James was there tending to his niece after she'd been assaulted in a domestic dispute. Sykes grew up on southeast side of Chicago, on East 67th Street and South Cregier, in a project apartment complex. And to get back and go to my high school and give my jersey, to see all of the people there the men that helped me become a man, the role models that played a role in my life and inspired me, that helped me I think today was the first day I was able to look up like, Man, its really real.. I forgot to even call my mom. [7] Sykes and 7ft 1in (2.16m) standout player Alec Brown led the Phoenix to a 245 regular season record and finished first in the Horizon League. Sykes' son represents an overlooked and under-discussed fact of life for so many college athletes: fatherhood. The two-time Horizon League Player of the Year scores a career-best 36 against UIC, helping the Phoenix win 72-67. So all I wanted to do is take care of her. Its a remarkable story, and his story obviously goes back way before the NBA with his rise through Chicago.. All rights reserved. Buchanan flew into Detroit after Sunday's Rams practice, then spent his Monday helplessly pacing around the University of Michigan Medical Center as his 18-week-old son underwent open-heart surgery. 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. How much does Keifer Sykes weigh? Keifer Sykes is 29 years old. He still gets frazzled thinking back to cutting KJ's umbilical cord, which he hesitantly failed to prune on first attempt, and only succeeded on the second snip under the loving demands of his father that he cut his son's cord. 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. The two remain close, and Harrington said hes thankful the gun violence that changed his life didnt have the same effect on the player he nicknamed Special K., I just started calling him Special K because I knew that kid had something special about him, Harrington said. Turning 5 will be the milestone. Almost every player interviewed for this story was scared to tell mom. The Pacers waived third-string point guard Brad Wanamaker after his poor playand picked up Sykes mainly as an insurance guard since starting point guard Malcolm Brogdon was sidelined with a sore right Achilles and backup point guard T.J. McConnell is out due to right wrist surgery. You could be winning and they still try to nitpick at something. "I tried to hold back the tears. 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. The point guard impressed early. 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. A family of seven crammed into a two-bedroom place, where they lived until Sykes got to high school. 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. Branden does not carry his father's last name. Yet, Forbes in 2019 evaluated that he must be receiving a minimum NBA salary which was $900,000. She lives more than 250 miles away, in Iowa, with her mother. Supported by his mother, Keifer Sykes finally saw his lifelong dream come to fruition last year. He later joined the San Antonio Spurs on 28 September 2015. In fact, Sykes is technically on a two-year deal, but the second year of his contract is non-guaranteed. Sykes right-hand man, Rashad McKinnie, who helps run Sykes' Free10 Foundation calls Sykes bond with the youth in the Chicagoland area the The Keifer Effect. No matter where Sykes career has taken him from starring at Marshall High School to becoming a Korean Basketball League All-Star to earning a guaranteed contract from the Pacers hes always carved out time to return to his old stomping grounds. Wardle answered his phone that afternoon to hear the mother of his talented newcomer crying on the other line. 10:51am: The Pacers intend to waive guard Brad Wanamaker and sign another guard, Keifer Sykes, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). August 5, 2020. This is my path, and thats just what it is. Averyelle was born shortly after the sun came up. I was sleeping, Sykes said. An uncle to six and the son of a farmer, Anderson grew up bailing hay in Newark, Illinois. So I really had to focus in and just go out there and do what I do.". Playing for two beating hearts. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-box-4','ezslot_3',131,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-box-4','ezslot_4',131,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-4-0_1');.box-4-multi-131{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. Johnson has two teammates, Markel Crawford and Trahson Burrell, who are fathers. Every mom always finds out. I told him, 'Boost me up to 99 right now, and put me against Steph Curry! The 4 year old sat behind Green Bay's bench, in section 115, watching his dad make history last Thursday. 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. Joining his fifth club in 12 months, Keifer Sykes' path to his impressive NBL debut has been the continuation of a globetrotting journey for the Chicago native, who still has a goal to reach the NBA. Afterward, he takes dozens of pictures and shakes the hands of nearly 200 people, plenty of whom he does not know. "The rim looked so small. "I don't want to go out of the States. 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. You go to South Korea and thats a whole different culture, Sykes said. Mississippi State is the prime example. (Virginia coach) Tony Bennett went to Green Bay and was a legend there, and I think Keifer was the guy thats been next in line as the second or first greatest player to play there. Just being able to see him now, its been crazy. 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. They want me to stay overseas to make more money for them. After waiting for months, Dawson found the courage while plopped on a bus headed to Milwaukee. 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. [28], On August 5, 2021, Sykes signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). "Little KJ is very outspoken, loud, and a joy to be around," Lisa Sykes said. Hows your team doing? he asked another. 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. We had guys on our team trying to feed their kids fast food. Like Freeman, Johnson's been a father for only a few weeks. "I walk in the door, my parents are sitting at the table. He was 55. 'You don't know who this is?'". He has not revealed his current relationship or marital status. I didn't have goals to go further. When James passed away, it was hard on everybody, but something definitely clicked in Keifer, Wardle said. It made my heart weep in joy, not weep in sorrow but in joy that, Wow, he really feels that way about me.. He was just a really good man. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 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. "It was a surreal moment," Bell said of watching his son be born. Thats the Keifer Sykes Effect., Its bigger than what yall seeing and what we're seeing as far as him making it to the Pacers. 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. Most of the deals being completed around the NBA right now are 10-day hardship contracts, but it doesn't appear that'll be the case here, since the Pacers don't have any players in the health and safety protocols and will be waiving a . From mother to son. And I guess she thought or they thought I had maybe talked to my agent but I hadn't," Sykes said. Bloodman's long been saving for this. To him, these are secondary anecdotes. Five and a half years later, James and Lisa Sykes married, on April 27, 1999. Lisa runs an out-of-home daycare operation. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. KJ will look up to his dad. Bell's boy already loves basketball. Sykes made his second and third career starts against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and Nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Jan. 4 and 5, scoring 22 and 18 points, respectively, with Mitchell and Co. cheering from Australia. Dayton kicked two players off its roster earlier this season after a dorm-room theft forced Archie Miller's hand. "I didn't expect much out of basketball," Sykes said. Fortunately, despite varied situations, some of which are depicted below, many have happy circumstances. Its been an overflow. [9] A loss in the Horizon League tournament, due in part to a Sykes injury, led the Phoenix to missing an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament and playing in the National Invitation Tournament. "So she just told me congratulations. INDIANAPOLIS Keifer Sykes remembers every doubter. Suddenly he was holding ice chips and helping her breathe through the birth. So she was downstairs cooking, and their room was upstairs, so when she went upstairs, that's when she saw that he was passed out. 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. Sykes signed with Scandone Avellino of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A on August 7, 2018.[21]. 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. She deserves this more than anybody. College basketball rosters across the country are dotted with young dads. 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. New Mexico and Mississippi State -- schools in the two states with the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, feature players who are fathers. She's long had a keen love for caring for the young, something as immediately evident in Keifer as his flaring athleticism. You can go D-I. These were things that I had doubts of. [26] The team later tried to sign Sykes to a contract for another month, but Sykes balked, wanting an agreement through the end of the year, and was let go by Panathinaikos at the end of October. 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. We treat him as one of us. 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. I shot that wing 3 against the Bulls,I air-balled. [8] In a 6966 loss to Wisconsin, Sykes scored 32 points, including a highlight dunk in the first possession of the game. The former Indiana Pacers point guard prefers a low-key personal life. He also became nervous regarding his recruitment. Sykes, who these days has NBA scouts frequently traveling to gelid Green Bay, has previously bypassed chances to turn pro early in Europe. "You can hear him in the stands. Another is dealing with a touch-and-go situation in regard to an abortion decision. "I can't wait to get the list of all the players they had ranked ahead of me. I want the kid around. It's a seven-hour drive round trip from Green Bay to Chicago. Sometimes when he's here and he's with KJ, I'm like, 'Oh my god,he's just like him'. Sykes elevated his play in the postseason, including a game in which he recorded 31 points and 6 steals in a 26-point comeback in a win-or-go-home game 3. He knows all about long drives on weekends to steal time with a child. Sykes was selected in the second round of the 2016 Korean Basketball League by the Anyang Korea Ginseng Corporation, taking a 15-hour trip across the world that began a roughly five-year journey abroad. I went into his room like, Yo, my dad died, and thats when it hit me.. "At this point, she's three months pregnant," Keifer said. 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. His daughter Zarah has just turned six years old on 22 September 2021. She took care of everybody.. "I wasn't trying to map out a strategy to go pro. 1 seed and took them to Game 5, which is like Game 7 over there, and lost on their floor," Sykes said. " It's very important to Keifer that KJ does not forget -- or rather, can easily remember -- who Keifer's father was. 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. To South Korea and thats a whole different culture, Sykes is technically on a bus headed to.. Took in five kids, taking care of her Archie Miller 's hand point guard prefers a personal... Johnson 's been a father for only a few weeks `` my son played NBA... At 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24 with her cancer-stricken mother ; James was there with her mother... Last year a junior in high school go out there and do what I.... Burrell, who are fathers a low-key personal life dad make history last Thursday and do what do... Her because she always believed in me, her being a guard coach taking heat played for various leagues,... 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