"She's the key to being married, to being a dad. 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. 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.. 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. Why is Keifer the father he is? Sykes, a self-described daddy's boy, wasn't worried that being a father might hurt his chances in recruitment. I was the first person to see him, which was pretty cool.". 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. I can't wait to talk to her. "We felt defeated," he said. Keifer Sykes would have used his share of the $2 million championship prize to help his Free 10 Foundation and his church. Hes really popular in the community, and were just so proud of him. Follow IndyStar Pacers beat writer James Boyd on Twitter: @RomeovilleKid. Waiting. In that week, Sykes averaged 28.7 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game while shooting 53.6% from the field, 50% from three, and leading the Phoenix to a 30 record. 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. We've had people tell us to not keep the baby, frankly.". 12:00 am ET, Branden Dawson celebrates by cutting down the net after Michigan State won the East Regional Final of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Those are the things people have no idea what's going on behind closed doors with so many teams.". "Over time, shock turned into excitement," White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old. I had a rim in my garage, and Id pull it out in the alley, and we would let the rim down to like 8 feet so (Sykes) could dunk with the rest of us. You scope college basketball, and the stories are everywhere. Simple things, like sleeping patterns. I cant do that. So Im always a fan of guys like Keifer that defy the odds.. They went through predraft workouts together in 2015.Thats where my respect (for him) came from. He's brand new to this game. 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. "The sacrifices she made, man. "Everything that she did for us, losing my dad, taking care of everybody she deserves this more than anybody. I gowith different guys. (Without prompt, Sykes publicly defended his coach throughout the ordeal.). So many missed calls from his girlfriend. We had nothing, man. He later joined the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay on a basketball scholarship. [22] The film follows Sykes' path from high school to his brush with the NBA. Sykes subsequently joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and averaged 16.3 points, 8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. "Loved James Sykes. "The team was always paying us late, and they didn't think we would make the playoffs, but we got in the last spot, played the No. So all of this has been more than me. And like Dawson and Sykes, he's a pro prospect. Keifer prides his relationship with his son as an extension of what he had with his dad. These are the guys helping Dawson, watching the little one when he's away, driving My'Shawn to and from pre-K school sessions. Mississippi State is the prime example. How tall is Keifer Sykes? "All the different agents that I went through. "I was a freshman, already on the court, and trying to run a team, trying to learn, and learning how to be a dad and learn to be a college student," Sykes said. 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. Breakups, forced relationships, long-distance relationships, fractures between families, money -- these are stresses that, comparatively, make basketball seem so simple. 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. 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.". 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. "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.". "When she told me, I kind of freaked out. 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. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'biographyhost_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',164,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Throughout his career, Sykesrepresentedseveral basketball clubs worldwide like Anyang KGC (Korean Basketball league), Ankara DSI (Turkish Club), Felice Scandone (Italian Club), etc. Just to see him get that opportunity and be out here playing, Im so excited for him. pic.twitter.com/iZU0TTtaHa, James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 15, 2022. Buchanan, who leads URI in assists, played in Tuesday night's game against the Flyers, a vital one for Rhode Island's NCAA tourney at-large chances. With Keifer Sykes. He has not revealed his current relationship or marital status. Moreover, Sykes graduated from there with a degree in Communications. 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. At one point, a boy asked the Indiana Pacers guard to follow him on Instagram. Keifer Jerail Sykes, born Dec. 30, 1993, is the last child in his family. "So Im very fortunate to have that opportunity. The 28-year-old doesnt remember the last conversation he had with his dad because he never expected it to be the final one. Keifer Sykes was born on 30 December, 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, is an American basketball player. The former Indiana Pacers point guard prefers a low-key personal life. Adding to the growing list of Netflix series about young, rogue FBI agents, this latest one features Gabriel Basso as a man whose specific area of work is the White House. 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. Sykes was waived by the Pacers on Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. During the opening scenes of Chi-Town the documentary that follows Sykes journey from playing at Marshall High School in Chicago to overseas in the Korean Basketball League a young Sykes is shown in his backyard, shooting on a makeshift court. Sharp and his wife, Jordan, planned the pregnancy. Lisa Sykes said she cried nonstop when she initially saw the video, and she cried again while sitting in a back room at Proviso East with Keifer across the hall speaking to dozens of children she had just handed pizza to. A lot of people don't see the world until college. Its all demonstrated in the documentary, Carlisle said after the game. 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. Keifer Sykes was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year at Green Bay. Sykes, a Chicago native who starred at Marshall High School, was twice named the Horizon LeaguePlayer of the Year at Wisconsin-Green Bay but went undrafted in 2015. 'You don't know who this is?'". 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. He was 55. 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. They think, 'that's what I eat, so that's what the baby should eat.' The sport is now, has long been, and will continue to be populated by men who are fathers well before they are emotionally and financially ready for the task. We had guys on our team trying to feed their kids fast food. I'm still frustrated we lost, but now I'm like, that's over with. [24], On September 13, 2020, Sykes signed with Trk Telekom B.K. Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee against Brooklyn after 45-point game. Sykes cashes a deep 3-pointer as time expires at the end of the first half. He's a good kid; he's not a distraction.". They just don't know. At Marshall, we were a basketball powerhouse, and it was a Chicago public school. The 4 year old sat behind Green Bay's bench, in section 115, watching his dad make history last Thursday. 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. 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. "I know she's probably gonna cry (when I talk to her) because it's bringing tears to my eyes right now," Sykes said, his voice cracking. [12] Sykes was one of eight invitees to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2015 Final Four, where he placed second. My own agents telling me that I'm not gonna play in the NBA. *" 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 . He kept it from her as long as possible; the "entire school" knew about it, but she didn't. section: | slug: paternal-fraternity-the-overlooked-reality-behind-so-many-college-athletes-daily-lives-as-fathers | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | Keifer Sykes Jr. does not know who James Sykes was. He was even more so on a mission than he was before.. Averyelle was born shortly after the sun came up. 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. Dawson's first two years at Michigan State consisted of few visits with My'Shawn during the season. 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. . I was charging it. A family of seven crammed into a two-bedroom place, where they lived until Sykes got to high school. 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. A lot of people do n't know who this is? ' '' are., shock turned into excitement, '' White said of his world changing as a 17-year-old be out here,. 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