Brandon
continued from page 7
years of collegiate basketball.
The Grant High School graduate
from Northeast Portland was forced
to sit out his freshman year due to
Proposition 48, which began in 1986
and states that high school seniors
not meeting the minimum require
ment on their
SAT’s or ACT’s
must lose a sea
son of eligibility.
Brandon
looks back on
that experience
as a strong life
lesson.
“School was
tougher for me
than others at
first, but I worked on it and I’m a bet
ter man for it,” he said.
He proceeded to make an imme
diate impact in the Pac-10 during
his sophomore campaign when he
led the Ducks to the NIT with his
17.9 points-per-game and was se
lected to the all-Pac-10 team.
And then, despite his sensational
junior season, the critics came out in
full force when Brandon announced
he was heading to the NBA.
“Honestly, I’m disappointed with
his decision to go,” then-UCLA head
coach Jim Harrick said at the time.
“He’s certainly not ready for the NBA.
The players there are all bigger, all
older, all stronger better players.
“The question is, ‘Will he make
it?”’
A few months later, there came
the words from the NBA commis
sioner’s mouth:
“With the 11th pick in the 1991
NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers
select Terrell Brandon from the Uni
versity of Oregon. ”
As the starting five for the Blazers
and Timberwolves walk onto the
court for the noon tip-off, there are
the usual pre-game “whassups” and
half-hugs.
But each Blazer is seen spending
a little extra time with Brandon,
showing how respected the former
Duck is throughout the league.
Once the game begins, though,
Brandon turns into the tenacious
point guard that will do whatever it
takes to win.
Brandon hits his first jump shot
at the 9:02 mark of the first quarter
to give his team the early 8-2 lead.
Then he drains the technical free
throw after Portland head coach
Mike Dunleavy’s outburst, and fol
BRANDON
lows that up with a soft arching
juniper over Damon Stoudamire’s
outstretched hand.
“When he gets in a nice rhythm
like that, you want to feed him the
ball as much as you can and build
off his aggressiveness,” Garnett
would say after the game.
Then Brandon snags a steal and
takes it all the way down the court
for the wide-open fast break lay-in.
Soon after that, he rolls off a screen
and drills his quick-release jumper.
And that’s just the first quarter:
Minnesota-33 Portland-28.
When Cleveland selected Bran
don, it hoped for a player who could
learn under the guidance of veteran
All-Star Mark Price.
He spent his first four seasons in
the background, but was given an op
portunity to shine when Price was
traded in 1995. And shine he did.
The 5-foot-ll, 173-pounder took
over the reins of the Cavs and led
the team in scoring, assists, steals
and free-throw percentage. Brandon
was rewarded for his efforts by be
ing selected to the prestigious NBA
All-Star team.
During the following season, he
started making people believers
when he excelled again and made
his second straight All-Star team.
Brandon further was splattered
across the national spotlight when
his back-to-back elite seasons
prompted Sports Illustrated to put
him on its cover and proclaim him
as “The Best Point Guard in the
NBA.” In smaller print on the
splashy magazine front it says, “We
rated the playmakers and, surprise,
Terrell Brandon came out on top.”
The newfound acclaim never ap
peared to go to Brandon’s head, and
his success made him a wanted man
among other NBA teams. On Sept.
25,1997 Brandon was traded to Mil
waukee in a three-way deal that in
volved Shawn Kemp and Vin Baker.
After two solid seasons with the
Bucks, he was traded on March 11,
1999 to the Timberwolves in another
three way-deal that involved nine
players, including fan-favorite then
Minnesota guard Stephon Marbury.
Marbury and Brandon are the
contrasting styles of NBA players.
One is tattooed, stylish and will
pound his chest after plays as if to
remind people that, “I’m the man!”
The other is clean cut, with his
jersey always tucked in and the
same stoic expression on his face
whether he’s playing in an intense
playoff game or an exhibition.
When Marbury was sent packing
to New Jersey, many Minnesota fans
were not pleased. They had grown
to love the combination of Marbury
to Garnett and all the flash that came
with those two.
So once again Brandon had to
make believers out of people and did
so in his typical Terrell-style of a
way.
“First of all, he’s a very excellent
basketball player,” said Minnesota
assistant coach Greg Ballard, who
graduated from Oregon in 1977.
“He’s a smart leader that leads in
his own quiet way. He’s not an
emotional rah-rah-type of leader,
but rather he leads by example. He
leads by talking to you individually
in a calm matter and then steadies
the offense on the floor and con
( ( You always want to do
well when you play where
you're from and he played
like the TB that I know
and love today.
Kevin Garnett
Minnesota forward
trols the tempo of the game.”
Just recently Brandon went head
to-head against Marbury and the
New Jersey Nets leading with 34
points in Minnesota’s 105-91 victory.
Even two years after the trade be
tween those two, Brandon still has to
deal with inquiries about the trade
and whether a solid 34-point outing
would put the situation to rest.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’ll prob
ably ever be at rest,” Brandon said.
“Every time we play against each
other, people are going to make a
big deal about it. But I don’t even
think about it. Nothing special.”
Brandon’s onslaught continues
in the second quarter.
He scores his team’s first two bas
kets of the period off long jumpers,
causing one Blazers fan to yell, “A
sign-and-trade for Damon, please!”
Brandon finishes the quarter with
a slashing layin and a fadeaway
jumper to give him 19 points in the
first half as the teams head to half
time with Portland leading 62-59.
The third-quarter turns ugly fast for
Portland when center Arvydas Sabo
nis shows his disgust over a call and
chucks his mouthpiece 30 feet into
the crowd, nailing a little girl who bor
rows a towel to wipe off the saliva.
And then Portland’s time-bomb
Rasheed Wallace explodes on two
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referees in a matter of 10 seconds,
both of whom issue Wallace his
record-setting 39th and 40th tech
nicals for his ejection.
Meanwhile, calm-looking Bran
don makes both technical free
throws and lets you realize that not
all NBA players act like hooligans
when they play.
Minnesota enters the fourth quar
ter down 85-81, and Brandon contin
ues to stay on the floor—he has yet to
rest. He knocks home a jumper and
then scores again to bring his team to
within 93-92 with 4:55 to play.
Then, with Minnesota clinging to
a 97-95 lead with 13.1 seconds left,
Portland’s Scottie Pippen dribbles
around and launches a potential
game-winning three-pointer.
The ball clangs off the rim and
ends up in the hands of the shortest
man on the court: Brandon’s. He
sinks both free throws to clinch a
99-95 road victory. Brandon leads
the way with a game-high 30 points
while playing all 48 minutes in his
once-a-year homecoming.
“Terrell loves Portland and he’s
got a sense of pride when he comes
back here because he has so many
people that are so close to him
here,” Minnesota head coach Flip
Saunders said.
“We all understand what it means
to play at home in front of your
friends, your boys, your girls, your
ex-girlfriends and your family,”
Garnett said. “You always want to
do well when you play where
you’re from and he played like the
TB that I know and love today.”
Brandon politely deals with the
herd of media that surrounds him
following his solid game against
Portland. He answers question after
question in the humble way that he
is renowned for, despite having nu
merous family and friends waiting
outside the locker room for him.
“I just try to be consistent and
keep the morals that my parents
have given me over the years,” he
said. “And not get out of character
because of a game. I mean, it’s only a
basketball game.”
His parents Charles and Charlotte
Brandon deserve much of the credit
for Terrell’s tale. They are the two
people who have raised Brandon in
inner-city Northeast Portland and
instilled in him the values that
make it practically impossible for
the NBA life to go to Brandon’s
head, even with his recent six year,
$60 million dollar contract.
“I’m very, very proud of my son,”
Charles said. “He’s come a long way
in 10 years and has done a fantastic
job at keeping himself grounded and
humble, having a banner life and
keeping ahold of the things we taught
him. No such stardom, money figures
or distractions can change that. ”
The night before the game, Bran
don took his team and staff to one of
his prized possessions: Tee Bee’s
Place, a two-story building in
Northeast Portland. It is here where
the TB’s Apparel Store is, as well as
the corporate offices of Terrell Bran
don and, of course, the popular TB
Barber Shop, which cuts around 50
heads a day (including Blazers Pip
pen and Steve Smith).
“My teammates were surprised
by it all, but they liked how it was
in the inner city where I grew up
and continue to live in the off-sea
son,” Brandon said.
“TB has a very first class personali
ty and a great heart and that building
is a great example of what he brings to
the community of Portland,” team
mate LaPhonso Ellis said.
At 3:17 p.m., Brandon finally
comes out of the locker room to
greet his friends and family.
Everyone is dressed as if they
were in church as opposed to the
basement of an NBA arena and they
are all gushing over their Terrell.
Little kids want to give him high
fives, older relatives want to em
brace their grown-up NBA star and
outsiders just want to watch this
touching family reunion.
He signs a few autographs. He
poses for a few pictures.
His teammates walk past him to
ward the bus, with Garnett and Ellis
sharing a few laughs with some of
the Brandon family.
Finally, at 3:47 p.m., Brandon
breaks away from his clan and heads
to the Timberwolves’ bus. Before he
can get on, however, he spends 10 or
so more minutes signing as many
items as he can for the group of auto
graph-seekers lingering around him.
He even poses for more pictures
with fans as his teammates continue
to wait for him on the bus. Then, five
and-half hours after he arrived, Bran
don looks exhausted as he hops
aboard to join his team and officially
end his short visit to the city he holds
dear to his heart.
“When I come home, man I’m
happy, but even more happy when I
leave,” Brandon says with a smile.
Who could blame the guy after
the day he just had?
After all, he couldn’t even walk the
short distance from the Rose Garden
locker room to his team bus.
Can't wait to ride in
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