I broke into the NBA in 2005 — the same year Chris Paul did.
He’s still running the point. I’m passing the torch.
After 20 seasons covering the NBA — 17 as a full-time beat writer — my run is over.
The young fellas have got next.
Readers of
Money Talks
already know:
I’ve got a new story to tell
. And I’m all in.
But for more than two decades, NBA writing was the dream, the career I had coveted since my senior year of high school.
I wasn’t just lucky; I worked my tail off for it.
At Norfolk State, it was the school paper by day, newspaper internships by night.
A year after graduation, a lucky break landed me my first NBA writing gig.
In the fall of 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf South, forcing the New Orleans Hornets to relocate to Oklahoma City. I was a first-year reporter in Akron, Ohio, when I got the call that changed everything.
“
How would you like to cover the NBA
?”
The voice on the other end belonged to Mike Sherman, then the sports editor of
The Oklahoman
, and still the best editor I’ve ever had.
The paper needed an NBA writer, and I became the chosen one — tasked with chronicling the dawn of a new era in my home state.
Paul was the prized rookie for the displaced franchise, officially renamed the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets during their two-season stay.
Seven months after scalping a ticket in the last row at Cleveland State’s Wolstein Center to watch Paul’s final collegiate game, I found myself forced to shift from superfan to neutral sportswriter.
The sudden reality blew my mind.
The NBA beat became my world. I threw everything at it, and it gave back more than I could’ve imagined.
I covered three franchises in two cities: the Oklahoma City Thunder for seven seasons and,
for the past eight seasons, the Chicago Bulls
. I pestered six head coaches, four general managers and hundreds of players with probing questions.
Over my 17 full-time seasons alone, I consumed 1,394 NBA contests. That’s 66,912 minutes of gametime, not including overtime sessions — a sportswriter’s fiercest opponent.
Paul was the first star player I covered, but there were plenty of others: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
I navigated other larger-than-life moments, too.
In 2008, I interviewed Shaquille O’Neal, learning that his favorite peanut butter is Smuckers’ Goober Grape.
That same year, I had a sitdown interview with Yao Ming. Well, he sat, while I lobbed questions as he ate a sub sandwich that looked pedestrian in those massive hands attached to his 7-foot-6-inch frame.
In 2012, I covered LeBron James’ first NBA championship.
In 2013, I ended up in
Westbrook’s most famous meme
.
In 2014, at the All-Star Game in New Orleans, I met
my all-time favorite player, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.
” It was one of the few times I was truly star struck and ignored all journalistic decorum.
In 2017, I authored
my first book
.
In 2019, I stood four feet from Michael Jordan outside the Bulls’ visiting locker room in Charlotte. We actually made eye contact — the kind that screamed,
‘Don’t even think about it, kid
!’
That’s OK. I’ve interviewed Magic and Larry. Shaq and Chuck. Kobe and LeBron. Steph and Dirk.
The late, great Bill Russell even scolded me once, raising a hand to block my photo attempt before sternly putting me in my place.
After two unforgettable decades of deadlines and datelines, I’m walking away from the game I’ve always loved.
Now, I’m choosing presence. I’m choosing my
true
purpose.
I’m choosing to tell stories on my own terms, and to reclaim the time I once gave to the grind.
Many have asked me what’s next. One social media follower asked where I’m going. I resisted replying, “bowling with my daughter,” which, in that moment, was the honest truth.
This transition lets me do just that. It brings the balance I’ve been chasing.
Another reality? I’d rather talk about Bitcoin more than basketball now. I’ve evolved — and that’s a good thing.
I’ve moved from the Bulls beat to an editing role, working with a team of talented editors who make the product better in every way.
I’m grateful to my company for working with me through this transition.
And to everyone who’s read a story, shared a link, listened to a podcast, or let me into your basketball conversations, thank you. You helped make the dream real.
But now I’ve got a different goal.
Yet again, I’m in lockstep with Paul — the future Hall of Fame point guard who recently announced next season will likely be his last. Paul ranks second all-time in assists and steals, trailing only Utah Jazz legend John Stockton in both categories. But like me, he’s chasing something better.
“I love to play basketball,”
he said
, “but I love my kids and my family more.”
We’ve found fulfillment beyond basketball.
Darnell Mayberry is a sportswriter based in Chicago and is the author of “100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He loves his daughter Parker, money and the Minnesota Vikings. You will find his column, Money Talks, each Saturday on
cleveland.com
and Sundays in The Plain Dealer
.
More ‘Money Talks’ by Darnell Mayberry
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How I’m investing in my daughter’s future with a smarter payment plan today: Money Talks
