The stoicism that guided Chauncey Billups to Springfield, Mass., isn’t helping him ahead of his Sunday induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billups has his speech written, but he's missing some ruthlessness as he tries to fit it into the 7 minutes he is allotted.
“The problem is, I’m way over time, so I got to trim it down, and I just don’t know where, man,” Billups told reporters Tuesday.
“I’m about twice the amount that it should be.”
In Billups’ defense, there’s plenty to unpack. The proud Park Hill native was selected as a McDonald’s All-American from the high school class of 1995 and went on to earn more All-American honors over his two seasons at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
The Celtics selected Billups as the third pick in the 1997 draft, but his professional career didn’t get off to the smooth start typical of a future Hall of Famer. He was traded to the Raptors at the trade deadline during his rookie season.
Toronto wasn’t home for long. The Raptors traded Billups to his hometown Nuggets less than a year later, but it wasn’t exactly a storybook homecoming. Denver traded him to Orlando in February 2000, though a shoulder injury prevented him from ever playing for the Magic. Billups signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent ahead of the 2000-01 season. After a couple of years in Minnesota, Billups signed with the Pistons, with whom his persistence paid off.
Larry Brown, his coach for most of his time in Detroit, and Ben Wallace, a hall-of-fame Pistons teammate, are two of his presenters. Former WNBA player Tina Thompson, who Billups called a “very dear friend,” will join Brown and Wallace in presenting Billups during Sunday’s ceremony.
“No coach got more out of me than (Brown). He means so much to me. Not only my playing career but even now, he’s still leading me, teaching me, giving me ideas and giving me encouragement all of the time. … He’s just somebody that means a lot to me,” Billups said of Brown before moving on to Wallace.
“Him or I wouldn’t be there without each other. The run that we had in Detroit is a big deal. I was there watching him go in a few years ago. Obviously, that’s my brother.”
In his first season as a Piston, Billups averaged 16.2 points, a career-high at that point, and finished sixth in Most Improved Player voting. The King of Park Hill earned a new nickname — Mr. Big Shot — for his unflappability in the clutch with the Pistons. He lived up to the moniker, winning Finals Most Valuable Player when Detroit beat the Lakers to win the 2004 title. Billups made All-Defensive second team in 2004-05, his third season with the Pistons. Three All-Star seasons followed before he was traded back to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson two games into the 2008-09 season.
Billups’ second stint back home lasted nearly three seasons before he was included in the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.
“You look at his upbringing here in Denver and obviously CU and his NBA career and what he was able to do, I’m just very happy for him and his family. Class act,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Saturday.
“You’re always rooting for guys that have worn that Nuggets jersey that make their way into Springfield. Shoutout to Chauncey. Job well done.”
Billups’ playing career concluded following a half season with the Knicks, a couple of injury-plagued seasons in Los Angeles with the Clippers and his farewell season with the Pistons in 2013-14 before knee injuries led to his retirement.
Now, he’s using his matter-of-fact approach in coaching. He got started as a Clippers assistant and is entering his fourth season as the Trail Blazers’ coach. The weekend’s events will force Billups to miss Portland’s preseason game against Sacramento. The enshrinement ceremony will air on NBA TV, starting at 4 p.m. in Denver. Billups didn’t know when he was scheduled to speak or if the event would break down his stoic demeanor.
“I’m not the most emotional dude in the world, but this is an emotional – obviously – event,” Billups said.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024
Seimone Augustus
Dick Barnett
Chauncey Billups
Vince Carter
Doug Collins
Michael Cooper
Walter Davis
Harley Redin
Bo Ryan
Herb Simon
Charles Smith
Michele Timms
Jerry West
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