John Starks Went From Not On The High School Team To The NBA

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]I think my senior year in high school, I was like 5'10" when I started.

[00:00:03]>> Oh, wow. Me and the coach got into some things my senior year and I end up leaving the team and over the course of the school year I grew. I grew to to the size I am now. And so and but that drive that I had to prove him wrong that I was a better player than what he thought I was is what really gave me that added you know, advantage when I go out and play against guys. And so, yeah, I was I was a late bloomer. End up going off to college junior college starting off and uh that didn't work out cuz of my little trouble past. And I went to another junior college, that didn't work out because of my trouble past.

[00:00:40]You know, the story's been told that, you know, I was working at Safeway, which I did. And uh had to grow up. Had to mature as a man, you know what I mean? And you know, grew up without a father and so you you on that path to try to like find yourself. And so, took me a while. Uh it wasn't until I met my wife. Uh and, you know, we went out for a year or so. End up getting married.

[00:01:04]End up having my son. And that really like fast-tracked my maturity cuz I knew I had a mouths to feed and I had to provide for them. That was really gave me that added, you know, drive inside of me to make it.