Yahoo Sports Brendan Haywood on Michael Jordan: 'At 40 years old, he was still in the gym before everyone else'
Brendan Haywood: Playing with Michael Jordan was a blessing. It was wild to think he was both a player and a GM. I’d see guys go out and party with him and think, ‘Y’all realize you’re partying with the boss, right?’ When they asked me to come, I’d just stay in my room and play video games. But MJ showed me why he was the greatest. At 40 years old, he was still in the gym before everyone else, lifting with Tim Grover and getting up shots. His footwork was impeccable. He taught Bobby Simmons, a young player, how to read defenders: ‘When you jab, watch how they react. If they drop this foot, counter this way.’ Everything MJ did was calculated. He wasn’t just guessing—he read body language, anticipated rotations, and always knew his next move. Watching that up close, you realize it’s not by accident. It’s all in the preparation.
Source: YouTube
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Brendan Haywood on Dirk's 'quiet confidence' during the 2011 Finals: "We taking on The Big 3, they ain't no real Big 3. If they really wanted to create Big 3, they would've came and got me." -via reddit / December 11, 2024
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Throughout NBA history, New York City natives have won a combined 62 championships, far surpassing any other city worldwide, according to HoopsHype’s research. However, 58 of these titles were secured in the 20th century, with only four in the 21st – courtesy of Brendan Haywood, Lamar Odom and Metta World Peace. That tells you all you need to know about New York’s decline as the actual basketball mecca. -via HoopsHype / October 5, 2024
Stephon Marbury: I think that as a player, LeBron is the most all-around basketball player to ever touch a basketball. There’s nobody like him. Magic was that for me, but then I saw LeBron and what he’s done. You know, on the winning side, as far as playing, taking everything into account—he’s incredible. "But as far as basketball players go—come on, man—you shouldn’t even be mentioning him in the same breath as Michael Jordan. -via YouTube / December 10, 2024
Jamal Crawford: He was so cold, bro. I went to his house, played with him there, and he showed me around his house. Like, he really invested in me. He even tried to trade for me. Yeah, he even got my eye doctor for LASIK surgery. He’s the one that told me to go get it done. I flew to Alabama because that’s where Dr. Andrews was at the time, back when he wasn’t the big Dr. Andrews we all know now. He did my surgery. -via YouTube / December 10, 2024
Stephon Marbury: "They didn’t want him to play on that team. He didn’t fit for that team, and he still won, so it’s cool. MVP talks—I don’t know. I feel like they were mad he didn’t get the MVP. And this goes back to my story about the media being mad at me because they think I’m a LeBron James hater. I’m like, I love LeBron James as a basketball player. They get mad because I don’t agree that he’s better than Jordan. I’m like, I played against all three of them. I’ve never seen Jordan or Kobe shoot an air ball at the free throw line. Have you? -via YouTube / December 10, 2024
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Brendan Haywood on Michael Jordan: 'At 40 years old, he was still in the gym before everyone else'
