I have always been a basketball lover. I played as a child throughout elementary school. Like many other children my age, I had dreams of making it big as a superstar in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Those ambitions were shattered in middle school, though, when I learned that there was something called “defense,” and that other people would actually try to prevent me from scoring. Faced with the fact that I was not NBA material, I sadly put away my basketball shoes and resigned myself to watching the sport on television, accepting my fate as a basketball junkie who would never hit the hardwood or get shoe sponsorships. Little did I know that only a few decades ago, less than two miles away from my house, lived an NBA legend: Kurt Rambis.
When I arrived at the school as a freshman and went into the gym for my first rally, my eyes scanned the rafters. I zoned in on a jersey that read “54 — Rambis.” I recognized that name as belonging to Lakers player from the 1980s. But I never realized that he had attended the school. Ever since then, I was fascinated by Rambis. I knew that before I left the school, interviewing Rambis was something I wanted to accomplish. Two years, an ambitious tweet, dozens of emails and one kind agent later, I received my opportunity.
Rambis moved to the city as a child and attended local public schools. He grew up around basketball, albeit an informal variety. Since there were no leagues for youth at the time, Rambis played with his neighbors and friends in outdoor courts.
“We would just go down to the local junior high and shoot baskets outside,” Rambis said. “There was no league, no parental supervision, nothing like that.”
Rambis’ first exposure to organized basketball was in high school. Understandably, many of his greatest memories from high school are the victories that his team achieved.
“We had a really good freshman team,” Rambis said. “And then sophomore year, we ended up going to the quarterfinals of the area tournament. In my junior and senior years, we ended up winning CCS … and we ended up playing at Stanford. We all grew up together, that’s what was fun about it … some of us went all the way back to elementary school.”
Rambis’ path to the NBA was not a smooth one. After graduating from the school, Rambis attended Santa Clara University. He was then drafted to the NBA by the New York Knicks but was cut and went overseas to play in Greece for one year. Upon returning, Rambis tried out for and was given a contract by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the national championship that very year. The Lakers team Rambis played for was known as the Showtime Lakers and is considered to be one of the greatest teams of all time, boasting notable players such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
“There were obstacles in my way, so I didn’t feel for sure that I was going to make it [to the NBA] until I actually did,” Rambis said. “It was a culmination of great joy; we ended up winning a championship, and I ended up starting my rookie year. It was pretty amazing. We enjoyed each other as teammates … it was just an incredible time.”
Rambis later played for the newly founded Charlotte Hornets. In one game, he made the game winning shot against a Chicago Bulls team led by the most famous basketball player of all time: Michael Jordan.
Upon retiring as a player, Rambis served as a coach for the Lakers. He coached the Lakers for one season when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, two legends infamous for their poor relationship, were on the team.
“They were both young, they were both trying to establish dominance on the team, they both kind of had that alpha dog personality, so there was a lot going on in the locker room, we’ll put it that way,” Rambis said.
He later served as an assistant coach for the Lakers and later the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Currently, Rambis is a broadcaster for the Lakers with Time Warner Cable.
Looking back, Rambis has only fond memories of his time in the school.
“I had a chemistry class that I enjoyed, [an] English class too. I had a great time in high school. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the classroom and playing and the friends that I had there. I always look back on high school as one of the greatest times of my life. I hope that everyone else that’s gone to [the school] looks at going to school there … that way.”
Anand Hemmady, Copy Editor
Source:
http://chsprospector.org/a-legend-speaks-alumnus-kurt-rambis-reflects-on-his-nba-career/
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