Video ID: 627
Interviewee: Rodney McMahan
Transcribed by: Joseph Gardella
Date: April 2, 2012
*Please mark timecode in and out for each individual segment.
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Hello, I’m Rodney McMahan I played professional basketball – 2 years semipro here in the united states and seven years in Europe. Probably the highlight
for me was going to London. Playing with the team called the London Towers
at the time. Being in Piccadilly Square, and going in Wembley Stadium on our
day off to stand and see that. Football is a big culture there – so big there – and
going to see how big wembley stadium was and then playing against a team in
London. Having a great game – going down and visiting all the shops - that
was the biggest experience for me when I looked up and around and said this is
nice – I’m glad I’m here. They take care of your housing, they provide you
with a care, you’re provided with 2 or 3 meals a day, your basic expenses end
up becoming your phone bills calling back home. They’ll provide you with
internet at your house if you ask for it. And so your salary and all those other
things, incidentals – you end up paying for. But mostly, you write it out on
your contract these are the necessities that I need, these are the things that I’m
looking for that make or break the contract. And they’ll take care of that for
you, everything else you buy – clothes, anything you want while you’re there –
you pay for that yourself. I was playing back in the late 90s – mid 90s, late 90s
– each European team was allowed to have two Americans. But now in each
country it’s changed. Many countries now you can have 2, 3, 4, 5 Americans
on each team. So it makes it a little different and you have more in common
with some of the American players on your team as opposed to when I played.
So it’s gotten better in some respects, but also having so many Americans on
each team, that lowers the salaries because they have to pay so many guys. So
it makes a difference and you have to think about those things when you’re
weighing staying here or going over there. And where you’re going – certain
countries only allow two Americans but other countries allow up to 5 – so
there’s a lot of factors that you have to weigh in.
The passion for the game, your fan base – when you play on certain teams the
fans are very passionate, they show it and the live and breathe it. They shower
you with love and the commitment of the programs. They invest their time and
money to getting you there and they want to win. Seeing a different culture in a
different country, being there and soaking it all in and seeing the history of
where the country came from. Over in Europe, if you play on a team that has
won the title the previous year, you’ll play in a tournament basically where
you’ll travel to different countries and play against different teams in different
countries. So I was able to see 10 or 12 different countries just specifically
playing basketball in turkey – I got to see the world doing what I loved to do.
That was fascinating for me, a new experience for me, and learning the
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language and the food, all the experiences there – it was something I wanted to
be part of and be see for myself first hand and I enjoyed it. If guys are open to
those kinds of things and want to see it, I suggest they do it. It’s not as easy as
people may think. You’re playing in a different country, different language,
different culture, different experiences; you have issues that you have to deal
with – food, convenience, payment depending on where you go.
As of now, after going through it myself, because I left school and then came
back and graduated, I was fortunate enough not to have to pay when I went
back to get my degree. Looking back on it, I wish I went ahead and did all the
basketball things that I did my four years, and yet, gone ahead and had my plan
b – finishing my degree on time and quite honestly, if I had taken enough
classes to go ahead and try to work towards getting a graduate degree while in
school in my four years, that’s what I would recommend because its so difficult
– one in a million to make it to the nba. When you get overseas, they’re so
many issues you have to deal with. Or in the d-league so many different guys
trying to do the same thing you’re doing. I think having a plan b now is very
important and looking at the big picture – because you’re not going to able to
play basketball for all your life – and so the realistic thing to think about is to
say what if I get hurt tomorrow and they have to cut me, what am I going to do?
And so, you never know, that could be the last time you dribble a basketball. So
I think having a plan b is very essential.
Honesty, in ’95 – when my four years ended at Vanderbilt – I didn’t graduate, I
wanted to pursue professional basketball. So I left at the end of ’95 – in the
summer rather - and started playing semi-pro basketball for a couple months
and then I tried out for the Chicago bulls. I didn’t make the team but was on the
last cut and stayed in Chicago in the cba which I a minor league of the nba. I
did that for a year and the following summer I played semi pro again and tried
out for the bulls again. I did not make it, went back to the cba for two months,
and after that short stint – I hoped, I wanted to go over seas to Europe. So I got
an offer to go over seas to Europe in august in ’97 so I went there. (Did you
play for one team over there?) No every year I was in Europe I played for a
different team in a different city. I started my first year in Budapest Hungary –
played there for ten months – and got to travel and play on a really good team –
came in second. And my second year I went back to Hungary again and played
for another team in a different city called page – we finished third that year. So
after that I wanted to try something different and to south America – I went to
Argentina. So I played in Argentina – enjoyed it – played there for a year – and
after that I went back to Hungary and played on three different teams there. My
things that hurt me – my size – I was 6’5 in height but I was light – I was
only185 – so size and strength was a big thing for me. For my position, playing
a shooting guard, I was a streaky shooter – at times I made shots at times I
didn’t. What helped me and what the Chicago bulls liked about me, was that I
was versatile. I could handle the ball, I could rebound, defend, and I could
make shots for the most part – that helped me for the most part. But ultimately,
I didn’t shoot the ball good enough and I wasn’t strong enough and quite
frankly, it was probably the best team history has ever seen a - 72-10 team –
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and they did not have a roster spot for me. And so no other nba teams gave me
an offer to try out but the Chicago bulls did. It’s kind of frustrating – you can’t
understand why that is the best team in the world wants you to try out and yet
no one else wants you to try out, but I fit their system – I knew the triangle
system – we ran it a couple years in college with jam vertikov was our coach.
As I said, I was versatile and able to do a lot of things, but I wasn’t great at just
one thing. With the nba, a lot of teams are looking for a perfect fit, or a perfect
role guy to fit specifically what they need. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do
that for them. Usually, throughout your college career and my senior year in
particular, I had different agents send me letters saying they would like to
represent me. So after I finished playing at Vanderbilt, I went with an older,
experienced agent who had many guys overseas and many guys in the nba.
And my first two years, he felt like after I tried out for the bulls so well, it was
better for me to try out in the states, see if get a shot with an nba team, and then
after that try to peruse the European thing. So that’s what I chose.
(Q: Any Final Advice) I would tell them to value their time where they’re at. I
would tell them to not hold back and hold any regrets. Don’t sit back tomorrow
and think about what you could’ve done today to done that. I would say if
you’re going for basketball, go all out. If you’re going for an education – get
your degree or whatever you’re perusing. Academically, I would say peruse it
with all your passion and your heart because there’s no grantees at anything.
The way the job market is right now, it going to be very difficult if you’re
playing basketball or if you’re going for a job - don’t leave any stone unturned
just peruse with all you can. (Q: From a technical standpoint – going through
the try-outs with the bulls – what are they looking for what would you tell them
they need to work on this part of your game.) Knowing what your strengths and
weaknesses are very key. If a team invites you to camp, they know exactly
what you can do for them, so concentrate on those skills, and having an
understanding of alright, this is what I’m weak at. Staying away from your
weaknesses and showing them your strengths can help an nba team. For me, I
had such a great camp with the bulls my first time, I kind of felt like I’ve done
enough, instead of continuing to push – even though I was last cut, I didn’t
make the team. But they asked me to play for Chicago, the semi-pro team
there, and I was working out with the bulls twice a week. So they felt like I was
good enough, on the verge, and yet I hadn’t pushed through. I took that as well
I’m good enough to be here – when a spot opens, they’ll bring me in – and I
relaxed instead of pushing through even harder. But guys never relax, never
settle, never sit back, never be satisfied, keep your hunger, because there is
always someone behind you ready to take your spot.
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