Sykes signed with Scandone Avellino of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A on August 7, 2018.[21]. [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. 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. All rights reserved. [29] He was waived at the end of training camp. [30], On December 27, 2021, Sykes signed with the Indiana Pacers for the remainder of the season. I lost like 40 or 50 grand.". They say, 'You don't know what it's like to be on food stamps,' and I say, 'I've been through it.'". We assure our audience that we will remove any contents that are not accurate or according to formal reports and queries if they are justified. In addition to having the second-highest teen pregnancy rate, Mississippi charts as the poorest state in the nation. That's money which now goes toward feeding their baby boy, Ricardo Darnell Gathers Jr., who came into the world at 4:53 a.m. on June 13, 2014. The next thing I know I hear the coaches banging on the door. Aubrey was born at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. I asked a tearful Keifer Sykes (@ksykesyb), whose contract was guaranteed by the #Pacers, how he thinks his mom, Lisa (@Supermom00767), will react when he talks to her.She deserve this more than anybody. Sykes grew up on southeast side of Chicago, on East 67th Street and South Cregier, in a project apartment complex. Pictured below, there he is in the hospital with his girlfriend, Kylee, and his baby girl, Maddox, born three weeks ago -- smack dab in the middle of the season. If he's in town, have him around practice, around the locker room. 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. August 5, 2020. Our dedicated Editorial team verifies each of the articles published on the Biographyhost. At the end of the season, Sykes was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team. INDIANAPOLIS Keifer Sykes remembers every doubter. Chicago. Having not yet committed to Michigan State, the stress of choosing a college only added to Dawson's ongoing personal strain. The craziest thing about this is that today is (Jan. 15), so today is the first time Ive seen an NBA check, Sykes said. Bell's boy already loves basketball. "It's crazy, I told my son I'll never play 2K until I get on it, so that was kind of motivation for me. Dawson's fellow father teammate is junior Bryn Forbes, who had a boy, Carter, born when Forbes played at Cleveland State. "I immediately fell in love with her.". For now, the per diem pays for diapers. We treat him as one of us. var cid='2438531626';var pid='ca-pub-3621518944223410';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=2;var alS=2021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);container.style.width='100%';var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;if(ffid==2){ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive='true';} [10] For the second time in his career, he was named to the Honorable Mention AP All-American team. One night, when a super . We play them (soon)!'" "And when the baby came out, man, it was so cool to be part of that atmosphere," Freeman said. Keifer says his first pro basketball check will go toward buying and engraving a tombstone for his father. Then he sank a 17-footer over . 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 Sykes was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year at Green Bay. For me, my pride in him is just on his self-belief and determination.. "My stomach just dropped when I saw what he looked like. 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. "I walk in the door, my parents are sitting at the table. So many missed calls from his girlfriend. Sykes said he also shared a moment over the phone Thursday night with fellow Chicago native and former high school and collegeteammate Alfonzo McKinnie, who now playsfor the Bulls. And as I have witnessed in recent days, the documentary is being augmented with a videographer. How tall is Keifer Sykes? That was crazy, but the craziest part is that if we had made it to the championship (in Australia), I wouldve missed the deadline to submit (for TBT).. [16] Nine days later, he was acquired by the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of San Antonio. He then joined the franchises G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and after shining as the teams floor general, he was called up Dec. 27, made his NBA debut against Charlotte on Dec. 29 the day before his 28th birthday scored his first NBA points against his hometown Bulls on Dec. 31 and signed a guaranteed deal for the rest of the season Jan. 7. Sykes had done all he could at Wisconsin Green-Bay, ending his illustrious college career with 2,096 points, 522 assists and 467 rebounds. "I was on thetraining table. Some of the scenarios are not ideal. The only thing thats changed lately is his platform. in the Turkish TBL, posting 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. I remember looking up in the clouds like, My dad is in heaven already? Ill never forget that I was holding myself together until we got to the corner and turned down my block, thats when I was just like, Damn and broke down like crazy. "He's a ball of fire," Green Bay coach Brian Wardle said of KJ. She ran back downstairs to get my brother, and he said he was trying to perform CPR and when they called the police and the police got there, they tried but they couldn't bring him back to life.". [23], On December 27, 2019, Sykes signed with the Olimpia Milano until the end of the season. Reach him via email: [email protected]. I wanted to wait a few days," Bell said. When I was like, Oh, Im small, he was like, Nah, you can go to the NBA. 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. Simple things about how to feed your baby. One afternoon Keifer was on the green line, headed back home, when he got a call. 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 | And in addition to that, you've got a demographic of kids without fathers, maybe more irresponsible, who don't understand things at a young age and make mistakes earlier.". Fortunately, despite varied situations, some of which are depicted below, many have happy circumstances. That's the thing. He's brand new to this game. Like Bell at Gonzaga, Delaware's Kyle Anderson is a four-year starter. Sykes, a self-described daddy's boy, wasn't worried that being a father might hurt his chances in recruitment. ", James Sykes died of heart failure on June 6, 2012. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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. Once she looked up at me, it was over after that.". KJ just can't wait to be 5 years old. After the euphoria of winning TBT and signing a training camp deal with the Pacers, Sykes faced another hurdle when he was cut before the season started. Inconvenient, opportunistic, stressful, hopeful, problematic, irritating, invigorating, a blessing all at once. "Loved James Sykes. You'd be amazed at what these guys don't know about parenting. 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. 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. I can't wait to see her and hug her.". Sykes keeps in touch with all of them but he hasn't seen Kristie and Antawn in years. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Brogdon will never forget his introduction to Sykes. "It's not easy, for me, but the best thing I have going on for me right now is my wife," Gathers said. Until she did. He's got a goofy personality and caring heart but also boasts a paternal side that's as sanguine as it is dedicated. Keifer Sykes, Indiana Pacers As a small guard playing in a big city, Sykes was consistently underappreciated and underranked. Moreover, Sykes graduated from there with a degree in Communications. Dawson's first two years at Michigan State consisted of few visits with My'Shawn during the season. Once my brother left, I went to school by myself. After a successful college career, Sykesplayed the 2015 NBA Summer Leaguewith the Cleveland Cavaliers. Keifer will look at his son. "At first there was a lot of fear. He's going beyond the expectations of being there for his son. Its been an overflow. Its a remarkable story, and his story obviously goes back way before the NBA with his rise through Chicago.. Even when I was younger, he would just always affirm my greatness, Sykes said. 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. Just being able to see him now, its been crazy. "It's not easy," Sykes said of juggling fatherhood with basketball and an impending graduation. And when Michigan State's got a road game, he'll ask Johnny or Devonte, "Is that my dad playing?". We had nothing, man. She's long had a keen love for caring for the young, something as immediately evident in Keifer as his flaring athleticism. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[6]. He is at Green Bay because that staff impressed his father. Eventually, Keifer will find himself back in Homewood, Illinois, standing over a plot where James Sykes eternally rests. He took birth to his late father, James Sykes, and his mother, Lisa Sykes, as the youngest of their nine children. It wasnt like when I went to Europe and your teammates have been around American players enough to know some English. Undrafted out of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2015, Sykes went on to play with the Austin Spurs - the San Antonio Spurs' NBA G-League affiliate - for his first professional season . So long as his health is good, he'll have earned a pro contract by then. They have a hierarchy. "Little KJ is very outspoken, loud, and a joy to be around," Lisa Sykes said. I cant do that. "When I see him play against his favorite people, seeing him playing against Chris Paul and he went to Chris Pauls camp, its like its (full) circle.. You can go D-I. These were things that I had doubts of. 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. 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. But it came down to the last shot, and fortunately I was able to hit it and win us some money. He has not revealed his current relationship or marital status. "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. American NBA Player, Representative of Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana. After a game, win or lose, I walk up to him and he's just laughing. So it's just amazing. The ones, even in his inner circle, who repeatedly toldhim he'd never make it to the NBA. "He earned it," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Sykes' contract being guaranteed for the rest of the season. When the family moved into a three-bedroom place on the west side, "We'd have a bedroom, three boys on one side, three girls on one side," Keifer said, "and sometimes the boys would share the couch.". 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). "We were a stage for him to perform on. At Marshall, we were a basketball powerhouse, and it was a Chicago public school. Its not even that I did it (on my own). Sykes didn't like the recruiting process -- at all. Having seen each other from afar in previous years, they met again, of all places, in an ER when she was 23. Being silly. I didn't have my phone. Sykes, who these days has NBA scouts frequently traveling to gelid Green Bay, has previously bypassed chances to turn pro early in Europe. When Wardle got to Sykes' dorm room, the 18-year-old was sitting alone on his bathroom floor, sobbing. They want me to stay overseas to make more money for them. Now, after seldomly getting to see his him early in his college years, Dawson's senior season has been a change for the happier. 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. At the start of the 201314 season, Sykes was named to the preseason All-Horizon League team and was a nominee for the Bob Cousy Award for top point guard in the country. This is a man who fondly recalls buying a $134 ring from Walmart the night before he proposed. It's nothing else but about KJ.". 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. , Im not forgetting these things. Sykes' son represents an overlooked and under-discussed fact of life for so many college athletes: fatherhood. When was Keifer Sykes born? 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}. "I tried to hold back the tears. Since leaving the university after his senior year, Sykes has played in the NBA G-League, over seas, back to the G-League, and finally was presented an opportunity seven years after his college. 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. 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. They last shared space together in 2012 -- at Keifer's father's funeral. According to dad, My'Shawn's "not the typical kid who wants to come home and watch cartoons." It was tough, but I knew that might be a part of my journey with me being at a mid-major, Sykes said. Perfect place for an unforgettable night in a tiny, half-filled gym, Illinois-Chicago's UIC Pavilion. So all of this has been more than me. Keifer Jerail Sykes, born Dec. 30, 1993, is the last child in his family. Most did. Imagine sitting in a class, your leg jackhammering the tile, waiting for a phone call to come. Another team lost a player in the middle of the night, without warning, because he was given an ultimatum by the child's mother. 30 ], on December 27, 2021, Sykes was consistently underappreciated and underranked Sykes... Next thing I know I hear the coaches banging on the Biographyhost have witnessed in recent days ''! Just always affirm my greatness, Sykes signed with the Indiana Pacers a. And your teammates have been around American players enough to know some English but he has not revealed current... I hear the coaches banging on the door, my dad is in heaven already locker room cool be! N'T wait to see her and hug her. `` dad, My'Shawn 's `` not the typical kid wants! '' Sykes said the table in touch with all of this has been more than.... It and win us some money together in 2012 -- at all its even... Being able to see him now, its been crazy 's funeral Green-Bay! 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