Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from interviews conducted by the author in person or on the phone between September 2021 and September 2022.
1. Dwain Price, “Youth Not Served,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, June 25, 2000.
2. John Millea, “Running the Option,” Star Tribune, June 28, 2000.
3. Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan (1972; repr., New York: Washington Square Press, 1991), 234.
4. This American Basketball Association (ABA), a semipro minor league, bears no relation to the original ABA, which merged with the NBA in 1976.
1. “Legends Aren’t Born, They’re Forged,” About, Vulcan Park & Museum, n.d., https://visitvulcan.com/about/.
2. New Orleans Pelicans, “New Orleans Pelicans Purchase NBA G League Team to Play in Renovated Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama,” news release, NBA.com, October 24, 2018, https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/new-orleans-pelicans-purchase-nba-g-league-team-play-renovated-legacy-arena-birmingham-alabama.
3. Aubree Bailey, “Report: Alabama Is the State Most Obsessed with College Football,” News 19, January 4, 2022, https://whnt.com/news/alabama-news/report-alabama-is-the-state-most-obsessed-with-college-football/.
4. Rick Bragg, “In the Nick of Time,” Sports Illustrated, August 27, 2007, 54.
5. Harvey Updike, “**Original Audio** Al from Dadeville Admits to Poisoning Toomer’s Corner,” January 27, 2011, audio, 1:59, The Paul Finebaum Show, WJOX-FM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyc7lcGCMI0.
6. Alan Solomon, “Jordan Already Bonanza for Barons,” Chicago Tribune, April 1, 1994.
7. Paul Finebaum, “We Came, We Saw, We Saved Our Stubs,” Birmingham Post-Herald, April 9, 1994.
8. Chet Fussman, “Panelists Pick Iron over Gold,” Birmingham Post-Herald, July 15, 1996.
9. Exhibit-ten contracts are essentially training camp invites that allow players cut by the NBA team to earn a bonus of up to $50,000 if they sign with the team’s G League affiliate.
10. Two-way contracts, introduced in 2017, allow an NBA team to have two more roster spots in addition to its normal allotment of fifteen. For the 2021–22 season, two-way players would receive a flat salary equal to 50 percent of the minimum player salary applicable to someone with zero years of NBA experience ($462,629). In most cases, two-way players are expected to split time between the NBA and the G League.
1. Lorne Chan, “Chasing the Jonathon Simmons Dream at Austin Spurs Tryouts,” NBA.com, September 25, 2016, https://www.nba.com/spurs/chasing-jonathon-simmons-dream-austin-spurs-tryouts.
2. Kendra Andrews, “Why JTA Felt ‘Destined’ to Sign Standard Contract with Dubs,” NBC Sports, May 13, 2021, https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/juan-toscano-anderson-felt-destined-sign-warriors-contract.
3. “Atlanta Vision Selects 47 Year Old for Vet Camp,” Our Sports Central (website), August 2, 2006, https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/atlanta-vision-selects-47-year-old-for-vet-camp/n-3355650.
4. Karen Rosen, “The Oldest Rookie,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 22, 2007.
5. Kelvin Davis, The Oldest Rookie (self-pub., April 24, 2021), 39.
1. Eric Koreen, “Q+A Pop Quiz with Raptors’ Thaddeus Young: Torching Toronto, Pounded by Andre Miller Passes, and Forgetting Pop,” The Athletic, March 16, 2022, https://theathletic.com/3187954/2022/03/16/qa-pop-quiz-with-raptors-thaddeus-young-torching-toronto-pounded-by-andre-miller-passes-and-forgetting-pop/.
2. Returning rights meant that if Devearl Ramsey was to sign a G League contract, he would automatically be acquired by the Stockton Kings.
1. Alex Caruso, “Episode 24: Alex Caruso,” November 5, 2020, The Old Man and the Three, hosted by J. J. Redick and Tommy Alter, podcast, audio, 1:12:38, https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-old-man-and-the-three-with-jj-redick-and-tommy-alter/episodes/70155902-episode-24-alex-caruso.
1. Michelle Gardner, “ASU’s Zylan Cheatham Plays to Honor Late Brother, Who Was Shot and Killed Saturday,” The Republic, January 3, 2019, https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/2019/01/03/asu-basketball-zylan-cheatham-brother-shot-killed/2469407002/.
1. Steve Irvine, “Former UAB PG Squeaky Johnson Is Finally Living His NBA Dream,” Birmingham News, December 31, 2011.
1. Ken Sugiura, “Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech’s Prince of Thieves, Shines as a Senior,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 15, 2021.
2. Jordan Kaye, “No ‘Outside Noise’: Zylan Cheatham Vows to Stay off Social Media,” Rivals (website), October 1, 2018, https://arizonastate.rivals.com/news/no-outside-noise-zylan-cheatham-vows-to-stay-off-social-media.
1. Associated Press, “Magic Beat Hawks 104–98 in Matchup of Short-Handed Teams,” ESPN.com, December 22, 2021, https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401360294.
2. Associated Press, “Depleted Heat Hold Off Depleted Wizards, 119–112,” ESPN.com, December 28, 2021, https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401360328.
1. Tania Ganguli, “‘Every Hooper’s Dream’: NBA Hopefuls Get Their Chance during Crisis,” New York Times, December 29, 2021.
1. Rohan Nadkarni and Michael Pina, “The NBA’s Replacement Players Are Enjoying the Ride. They Don’t Want It to End,” Sports Illustrated, January 6, 2022, https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/06/nba-replacement-players-daily-cover.
1. Malcolm Hill, “Success . . . Luck or Skill?,” In the Know w/ Finke & Hill (blog), April 12, 2022, https://finkeandhill.com/2022/04/12/success-luck-or-skill/.