Willie Reed Gives Back While Fighting for Career

Brooklyn Nets rookie Willie Reed joins Nothin’ But Nets to discuss his career leading up to this point, a free camp that he’s hosting in his hometown of Kansas City this summer and his future in the NBA.

Working towards a career in the NBA is a strenuous task to say the least. Years and years are spent in the gym, the weight room and the film room chasing a goal that for many doesn’t end up paying off.

For Willie Reed, this past season was an opportunity to get a taste of what he had been working for his entire life. While he’s still putting countless hours in to securing a permanent NBA home, he’s putting aside some time to give back to the community that has supported him to this point.

Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, Reed had a natural attraction to the game of basketball. As he admired players like Scottie Pippen, Reed hoped that one day he could be a player that kids looked up to.

He took the first step towards that goal in 2008 when he committed to Saint Louis University to play for legendary head coach Rick Majerus. Starting right out of the gate, expectations were high for Reed as he came into his second season.

The team wound up finishing his sophomore year with a 23-13 record, all while Reed ranked second on the team in points and first in blocks and rebounds.

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Some turmoil throughout the program resulted in a suspension for Reed and transfers by multiple teammates and after sitting out one season, he chose to enter the NBA Draft. While it wasn’t how he planned on his college career ending, as Reed tells Nothin’ But Nets it was a move that was necessary at that time.

“I had tried to transfer to Kansas State, but I wanted to play in the NBA and my family needed me to enter the draft at that time, so I did it for them. Regardless of everything that went down, I’m proud to say that I went to St. Louis and that they allowed me to play there,” Reed said.

With his year away from the game, it came as no surprise to him when he wound up going undrafted. He had multiple options on the table, but opted to head to Spain to attempt to play against an upper-level of competition.

He enjoyed his brief experience there, but decided to return home to join the Cleveland Cavaliers for training camp before he had appeared in a game internationally. It was a wise career choice, but he was forced to overcome another obstacle right out of the gate.

Early on in training camp, Reed broke his foot and was forced to miss the entirety of his rookie season. All wasn’t lost though, as he was able to spend the year rehabbing in the D-League with the Canton Charge and spent time learning from some of the coaches and veterans on the roster.

It was valuable from a knowledge perspective, but the injury pushed Reed’s time away from the game to two years. With something to prove, Reed chose to head to the D-League after being waived out of training camp by the Sacramento Kings rather than pursuing more lucrative deals overseas.

“It’s the fastest way to the NBA. Scouts, general managers and coaches can come to games at any time, or they can even watch online and it doesn’t inconvenience them like making the trip overseas would. If I would have went overseas, I could have been lost in their eyes and since I hadn’t played in two years, I wanted to show them that I could play at a high level.”

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Right out of the gate, it looked like he hadn’t missed a beat even with the time off. Scoring nearly 15 points and grabbing almost 8 rebounds per game, Reed established himself once again in the minds of teams around the league.

As the next two years went by, Reed had been signed and waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings again and the Brooklyn Nets all without having a chance to appear in a game for them. It looked like it was becoming a bit of a treadmill, as while Reed was producing in the D-League to the tune of 16 points and 12 rebounds per game in his last full season, the opportunity in the NBA never truly opened up.

“It was definitely frustrating. When I got called up to Memphis they were a top-five team in the league and they were trying to get the fourth seed when I got there, so I didn’t get the chance to play, but I learned so much during that time from Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. It was the same thing in Sacramento, I didn’t play but I was able to learn from DeMarcus Cousins and Mike Malone. I just had to stay focused on my goals and not get down on myself.”

Heading into this past season, interest in Reed seemed to be at an all-time high. After playing in the Summer League with the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets jumped at the chance to sign him before any other team was able to.

“I was waived by the Nets in training camp the previous season, so I kept working to get better at the D-League really helped with that. They decided to bring me in as a backup to Brook Lopez and I couldn’t help but be ecstatic about it and feel pure joy. I think the fact that I didn’t get into the league the typical way of getting drafted built character in me and improved my work ethic to another level.”

It was a step in the right direction, but much like the rest of his career, there was some adversity that he needed to overcome in order to actually get on the court.

A quad strain suffered early on in training camp took him out of a portion of the preseason and once he came back, five minutes into the next game he tore his UCL in his thumb and had to miss the start of the regular season.

“I had worked hard to put myself in that position and it was the first NBA training camp that I had made it out of. I was nervous about everything, but I think I did a good job of getting back into the rotation and making the most of my minutes even though I missed all the time at the start of the year.”

Once he was cleared to return, Reed was able to put everything that had happened to him over the past few years behind him and focus on what he had been working at his entire life: basketball.

Just over four years after he had declared for the NBA Draft, Reed was able to make his NBA debut at one of the staples of NBA history; Madison Square Garden.

“It was amazing and it was truly a blessing. Out of all the places that I could have made my debut, to make it at the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, how many people can say that they had the chance to do that? I remember it just like it was yesterday. I played well and even though it was just 11 minutes, I showed the type of player that I am and that I’m going to play hard every time that I step on the floor.”

Reed had begun to establish himself within Lionel Hollins’ system, but after a slow start the organization decided to part ways with the coach and promote assistant coach Tony Brown on an interim basis. After this coaching change, Reed was in and out of the lineup and wasn’t able to find his footing in the new rotations.

“Obviously it’s tough, but we’re professionals and you have to figure out a way to make sure that you do your job and I think I did a pretty good job of that. I think I made the most of my minutes and did the best I could to put the team in a position to win. We all wanted to win and we just fell short, but I’m proud of the team because after everything we went through, we all competed and never gave up.”

While he missed the last few games due to an undisclosed family matter, Reed is open to re-joining the Nets for next season. After hearing the news of the hiring of Kenny Atkinson as head coach, Reed believes that there is a bright future for the team in Brooklyn.

I like Kenny Atkinson. He comes from a great system in Atlanta, and we know that Coach Budenholzer came from San Antonio so with that system in place, I think there’s a lot of success that can be had. You saw the faster pace that Atlanta was playing and I think that’d do well here with this team.”

Even with the uncertainty regarding his home for next season, Reed has chosen to devote a portion of his time to helping out the community in which he grew up in.

On June 25th, Reed is holding a free basketball camp for children from the ages of 9-13 in his hometown of Kansas City. He hopes to bring in guest speakers and some athletes from the area, but he hopes to inspire the campers with his path to the NBA.

“I’m going to give them an opportunity to see all of the work that you have to put in to get into the NBA because it’s something that I wish that I had when I was little. If it wasn’t for Kansas City, I wouldn’t be who I am today and I want to show my city that I care and I want to give back and show kids that they have the opportunity to do whatever they want in life. I’ve been so blessed to get to this point and this is the best way that I know how to give back.”

Following his camp, Reed will have plenty of time to contemplate his future at the professional level. After the years that it took him to get to this point, there’s no looking back and Reed is determined to find a permanent role in the NBA.

“It would be something that I’ve worked for my whole life. With all of the the times being waived and cut and all the injuries, it would just make it that much sweeter. I pray for it every day and I thank God every day that I’m in the position that I am now, but finding a long-term place in the NBA would help me show kids that dreams do come true. This year was great, but the journey is only just beginning.”

———

Quick Questions

Why #33?
33 was actually the first number that I ever wore. I wanted to see myself as a do it all player and I wanted to do everything that could do what it takes to win. I felt like Scottie Pippen was one of those guys that could do that and I wanted to follow in those footsteps.

What’s something that fans don’t realize about playing professionally?
I think most fans just see what you see on TV and don’t really understand the things that go on in the background; all of the work that goes on in practice and all of the work with the communities that we do. We put in so much work to perfect our craft. With that being said, we are so thankful of all of the fans that watch us play.

Who makes up your all-time starting five?
PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Oscar Robertson
SF: Michael Jordan
PF: LeBron James
C: Bill Russell