"This is not the time for that," Cassandra Dawson told her son, thinking he was kidding. 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. His players have brought their children over for playdates with Ray's son, who was born in 2013. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[6]. Where was Keifer Sykes born? Keifer Sykes: Waived by Indiana. James Sykes, a former vice president of the Broadway Armory Park association, is buried at Memorial Gardens in Homewood, Illinois. He kept it from her as long as possible; the "entire school" knew about it, but she didn't. But that's what it takes to be a superhero for my family, a superhero in my community and a good basketball player. Sykes spent one season in South Korea, but he said that was just the beginning of the hardships he faced as he continued playing in Italy, Greece, Turkey and China. "I walk in the door, my parents are sitting at the table. Dawson's fellow father teammate is junior Bryn Forbes, who had a boy, Carter, born when Forbes played at Cleveland State. 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. While Sykes soaked in the action, more youngsters filed into the gym and for nearly all of them Sykes had a greeting, Whats up, killa? he asked one kid. At the time KJ was born Keifer was holding down a job with the Chicago Public Schools system, playing basketball and working rec centers with kids on the east side. "When I got there, I was nervous, and it was kind of surreal," he said. 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. Although Sykes has not brought details of his wife in light, he is a father to his son Hugo and daughter Zarah. 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. [27], On December 8, 2020, Sykes signed a one-year contract with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Its a remarkable story, and his story obviously goes back way before the NBA with his rise through Chicago.. Both anticipated that their contracts would be guaranteed through the end of the seasonFriday, and McKinnie was retained, too. Like Sykes, he's a senior NBA prospect. And I was just like, OK, Imma kill, because if you dont do your thing, youre out.. Its really not about the NBA, Sykes says. 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. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. He was on a trip for a basketball tournament, and that's when he called his mother at work. Why is Keifer the father he is? The two began dating and created a family out of wedlock. This is a man who fondly recalls buying a $134 ring from Walmart the night before he proposed. 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. Even when I got here, (Boucek) just following me on Instagram and Twitter, and telling me alwaysto continue to chip away at it.". I gowith different guys. WATCH: Dog makes mess at Louisville halftime show, Updates: Four conference tournaments in action Tuesday, Bracketology: Boise State boosts its standing, Alabama vs. Auburn odds, picks, prediction, bets, Top 25 And 1: Bill Self continues to cement legacy, Court Report: Strange resumes, best turnarounds, Nate Oats says Bama players explained pat-down, March Madness starts with game-winner at buzzer, AP Top 25: Marquette moves up; UK back in rankings, Legendary former Virginia coach Terry Holland dies. 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's fun, though. Most guessed higher than 75 percent. He hasn't yet made his NBA dream fit inside his 6-foot frame. The next thing I know I hear the coaches banging on the door. His camp is having trouble getting them admitted into the road arenas. And if you got children, I got your childrens back because youre doing something positive.. By the time Wardle got to Sykes' dorm room, Sykes had locked himself in the bathroom as he grappled with one overarching and unshakable thought: The life he had before he went to sleep was gone. We play them (soon)!'" In fact, Sykes is technically on a two-year deal, but the second year of his contract is non-guaranteed. He's the boss.". He was 55. She has been the backbone of the Sykes familysince Sykes' father, James, died of a heart attack June 6, 2012. It has been less than two weeks but with all of the COVID roster shuffling and another player,. He was even more so on a mission than he was before.. From mother to son. Keifer Sykes was on campus after his freshman season at Wisconsin-Green Bay, taking summer classes and going through workouts, when his phone rang around 7:30 a.m. His older brother, Jarvis Tucker, was on the other end. "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. "Loved James Sykes. Keifer Sykes would have used his share of the $2 million championship prize to help his Free 10 Foundation and his church. 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. Sykes said he nearly "gave up on everything" after his father's death, but he kept going through countless sleepless nights to carry on James Sykes' legacy. I didn't have my phone. When Wardle got to Sykes' dorm room, the 18-year-old was sitting alone on his bathroom floor, sobbing. And these (five games) that he's played, he's played tremendously. What he didn't know was that he wouldn't be a part of it. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. His father, his best friend, was dead. The point guard impressed early. When Sykes joined the Phoenix, Mitchell put him back at his natural position, point guard. He relies on the motto, "More God," meaning that whenever he's faced with adversity, he'll trust God even more and remain the course. The basket pushes him past the 2,000-point total for his career, keeping him on pace to be one of the five most prolific scorers in Horizon League history and making him the first player ever in that conference score at least 2,000 points, grab 400 rebounds and dish 400 assists. And whatever makes the mother happy, it's all about making the child happy. Whereas Dawson did not have a prominent father, Sykes' relationship with his was irrepressible. We had nothing, man. Keifer will look at his son. So whatever dreams they had, she backed them, which is why when Keifer Sykes fathered his son, Keifer Jr., at 16 and daughter, Kennedi, at 21, she volunteered to help take care of them while Sykes went to college at Wisconsin-Green Bay and continued his career overseas always chasing his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA. But that nightmare hasn't ended, neither has the pain. My own trainers telling me, 'Prepare and train for overseas,' and I'm telling them, 'No.' Like Sykes, he opted not to turn pro early despite having a child to feed. "He so reminds me of his dad. 'I told you don't let him go to that school.'". Moments after making the million-dollar shot, it was reported by multiple outlets that Sykes signed with the Pacers, bookending a truly remarkable day. But it came down to the last shot, and fortunately I was able to hit it and win us some money. You can go to college. Almost nothing about Sykes' life or current situation is normal (he impregnated his then-girlfriend, Allyne, when he was 15). We commit to cover sensible issues responsibly through the principles of neutrality. Although Sykes has not brought details of his wife in light, he is a father to his son Hugo and daughter Zarah. The annual $1 million tourney features several alumni squads from around the country filled with professional players, and while Sykes was hesitant to play in TBT at first, it resulted in one of the best moments of his career. Lisa was there with her cancer-stricken mother; James was there tending to his niece after she'd been assaulted in a domestic dispute. She's long had a keen love for caring for the young, something as immediately evident in Keifer as his flaring athleticism. Then he sank a 17-footer over . We playing my hometown team, it was just my birthday (Dec. 30), everybody is excited like, 'You finally (got) the call up.' 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. 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. No one taught Branden Dawson how to be a father. Wardle, who is now the head coach at Bradley, called James Sykes a tremendous man, the type who, alongside Lisa Sykes, wanted his son to be held to the highest standard in all areas. Luckily for Wardle, he said he never had to spend too much energy in those departments because even though Sykes was just 17 when he made his college debut making him one of the youngest players in the country he was prepared beyond his years. 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. His Pell Grant goes toward living needs, and the family receives government assistance in addition to food stamps and WIC, a national food stamps programs specifically for newborns and their mothers. They just don't know. There was yelling on one end of the line and a 15-year-old stomach swirling to mush on the other. INDIANAPOLIS Keifer Sykes remembers every doubter. 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 admits now it was a lot to go through. Keifer's always been a person purely at comfort around family and only his family. So I really had to focus in and just go out there and do what I do.". The former University of Wisconsin-Green Bay star . Playing for two beating hearts. As COVID-19 began to change the landscape of everyday life, Sykes signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix, turning down more money in Europe and betting on himself to turn his stint down under into a springboard to the NBA. [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. Our dedicated Editorial team verifies each of the articles published on the Biographyhost. "I didn't want to do it. I was really on my own and traveling in Chicago for an hour each way each day. "And when the baby came out, man, it was so cool to be part of that atmosphere," Freeman said. Unlike Dawson and Sykes, he's married. So it's just amazing. That's the thing. Hes so well-rounded. He later joined the San Antonio Spurs on 28 September 2015. [17], On November 13, Sykes made his professional debut in a 10482 win over the Texas Legends, recording eight points, one rebound, six assists and three steals in 17 minutes off the bench. But mom? In the 2017-18 season, Sykes played for Ankara DS S.K. New Mexico and Mississippi State -- schools in the two states with the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, feature players who are fathers. After competing in Australia, Sykes was recruited by former Syracuse star Eric Devendorf to play for the Oranges alumni team, Boeheim's Army, in The Basketball Tournament. When I was like, Oh, Im small, he was like, Nah, you can go to the NBA. Sykes' son represents an overlooked and under-discussed fact of life for so many college athletes: fatherhood. 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. I have made past mistakes in my life, and God continues to make a way for us. Keifer Sykes is 6-0 (183 cm) tall. Branden had lost "significant weight" and was unable to consistently eat due to anxiety. There's too many [coaches] calling me. The Cavaliers went on to win the 2014 ACC regular-season title and earn a No. He took birth to his late father, James Sykes, and his mother, Lisa Sykes, as the youngest of their nine children. This summer, there was a murder near the house where Keifer Jr. lives with. He's got a goofy personality and caring heart but also boasts a paternal side that's as sanguine as it is dedicated. "I can finally say I made it," Sykes said. For more than a few college athletes, this is the side of life the public does not see. As apro-basketball player, Sykes weighs around 175 pounds and stands at theheightof 5 feet 11 inches. Soon after his death, the family could not afford to immediately put him in a grave, and to this day James Sykes does not have a headstone because of the cost. Turning 5 will be the milestone. 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 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. "It's not easy, for me, but the best thing I have going on for me right now is my wife," Gathers said. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He's a guy that people have underestimated, whether its his size or what school he went to, and hes clearly continued to work on his game, to grind, to believe in himself. He so reminds me of Keifer.". Keifer prides his relationship with his son as an extension of what he had with his dad. Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He was already a mature freshman, and that made him grow up even faster and kind of take his work ethic to another level. You can go D-I. These were things that I had doubts of. It's a boy, and they're down to two names with two months to go. At one point, he was the only active player in the country to eclipse 2,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds, but when he sat and watched the 2015 NBA Draft with his family and close friends, his name was not called among the 60 picks. 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. (In this case, an ex-girlfriend of Kiefer's told her.) "I really made the NBA.". A few births have been by choice, but obviously many occur by accident. Johnson has two teammates, Markel Crawford and Trahson Burrell, who are fathers. Sykes, a self-described daddy's boy, wasn't worried that being a father might hurt his chances in recruitment. Every mom always finds out. The former Indiana Pacers point guard prefers a low-key personal life. It's an intense situation for Ray and plenty of coaches who've become surrogate fathers in plenty of ways, this being a prominent one. A murder near the house where keifer Jr. lives with the door, my parents sitting. 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