Welcome Jennifer Ivey who joins us from NYC to talk about her son, Royal Ivey. Royal, a former NBA player and current assistant coach to Steve Nash and the Brooklyn Nets, was born in Harlem and began playing organized basketball when he was 10 years old.
His exceptional talent was not obvious, however, until he started playing at Cardozo High School where he led his team to its first PSAL championship. His success on the court also resulted in a basketball scholarship to U of Texas.
Even then, the NBA was not on their radar until his senior year and Jennifer tells us about Royal’s decision to drop out to become eligible for the draft, the uneventful lead up to draft night - none of his family were even there - and after being drafted 37th overall by the Atlanta Hawks, how his journey to the NBA was almost “through the back door”.
Playing for multiple teams during his 10 year NBA career, his mom talks about how he managed the many changes, how he stayed relevant and how he coped with the celebrity and the exposure of playing on centre court. We hear why, after playing for a few months overseas, he chose to end his playing career and his experience of transitioning from player to coach.
Jennifer discusses The Royal Ivey Life and Basketball Skills Clinic which Royal has run for more than 10 years and shares some of her favorite fun facts about her son.