44 DIGS.NET | 10.16.2015
The Arizona State star basketball player was a transplant from Inglewood,
California, who had dominated the Sun Devils squad since 1979 with
record-busting seasons that earned him a place in the university's Hall of
Fame. It also gained him an entrée as first inductee into the school's Pac-10
Hall of Honor, among a heap of other accolades. At the moment, though, he
was just waiting on some news.
"I was 21 years old," recalls Scott, settling into his chair. "I had been drafted by the Clippers, which was one of the happiest days of my life. To be drafted
into the NBA, that was a goal of mine for years. Ever since I was 8 years old, I always told my mom and dad I was going to play in the NBA, so that was
a goal I was about to see come true."
"Then my favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers, called me and told me they're about to make a trade," he continues. "I nearly died and went to heaven
when I got the call that I was traded to the Lakers. It was obviously the best thing in my life. I was a boy from Inglewood, California, who had been
watching the Lakers for years, and now I get the opportunity to play for my home team, the team that I love the most."
In the 30 odd years since that call, Scott has held onto a continuum of success—first as a player, then as a head coach—in a demanding and sometimes
fickle industry. Here, he shares some secrets to his longevity.
IN 1983 BYRON SCOTT
RECEIVED A PHONE CALL THAT
CHANGED HIS LIFE.
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