Last Update
March 11 | 17:02 PM
Interviews
Shaun Livingston: Soul In The Hole
For the last two years, the NBA has had one PR nightmare after another; and it can’t seem to wake up. The infamous brawl in Detroit sparked an entire era of media scrutiny and social criticism about a league which by several accounts was “out-of-control” and “overrun with thugs”…headed down the same road as its football predecessor, the NFL.
Follow-up with a reactionary dress-code debacle, a hilarious new-ball scandal, and mix with a racist age-discrimination draft policy and you’re just about caught up to speed, just about.
The 2007 season kicked off in a few short weeks amidst a humiliating scandal involving a referee who admittedly bet on games. “What’s good about the NBA?” one might ask. Well, there is Shaun Livingston.
In 2004 Shaun Livingston was the Los Angeles Clippers’ 1st round draft pick out of Peoria Central High School in Illinois. The 6’7 point guard actually passed on a scholarship offer from Coach Krzyzewski at Duke to go straight to the Association. Out west Shaun is described as a young philanthropist who prefers attending charity events over clubs. HipHopDX got the exclusive interview with "Mr. Clipper" himself, (now set to return after a career-threatening knee injury) to get his take on the league, co-existing in L.A. with Kobe, and real life community service.
HipHopDX: What’s it like on the west coast?
Shaun Livingston: Aww man, first off the weather out here is great, and being a part of the Clippers franchise and helping to turn some things around here the last couple years has been good. I’m definitely excited to be out here.
DX: Nowadays you hear lots of stories about players who make the transition from high school to the pros. Do you still feel yourself as a young guy or are you starting to feel more acclimated to the league?
SL: I am…some of the guys…a lot of the guys in the league look at me as young, and I guess I’m still younger than a lot of the rookies coming in but I’m going on my fourth year so…
DX: You’re known for your maturity.. what kind of social responsibility do public figures, athletes in particular, have?
SL: Well it's tough, you come out so young and you sign a big contract and you’re making 100 times what you were making in high school, and you’ve got responsibilities… to be accountable for all of your actions.. A lot of guys don’t think about that before they make decisions…we’re all human at the end of the day, but it's just trying to be smart and make the right decisions.
DX: Tell me about some of the off-court projects you’ve got going on right now.
SL: Well first we’ve got the Shaun Livingston Foundation which we started a couple of years ago. It’s about just trying to provide opportunities and the chance to interact with myself and others to help kids get out of the struggle…whatever it is: poverty, cancer, you know whatever. So that’s been keeping us busy. I’m working with my basketball camp, making my hospital runs…going to charity events. I’m also getting into real estate… trying to make some quality investments. And I’m also interested in the film industry…executive producing movies…you know I’m in L.A. so…that’s a good look.
DX: Of course…L.A. Say no more… tell me about growing up in Peoria, Illinois. What has the Peoria to L.A. transition been like?
SL: Peoria is 150,000 people tops and L.A. is like eight or nine million so….You just have to stay grounded, I think the people around you are important. You have to keep a good core group of people around you to help keep you grounded. It’s easy to get lost out here man… especially in an athlete or entertainer’s situation.
DX: After the injury, what was your outlook on your career?
SL: I knew I had injured myself. I tried to stay positive…and I prayed about it and left it at that. Then I found out the details and it was tough and it was a grind but once I got my thoughts together I just got back on the grind.
DX: I hear a lot of athletes who’ve been through injuries say that they really benefited from the opportunity to talk to veterans who’ve overcome similar injures in their careers. Have you had the chance to reach out to anyone like that in the league?
SL: Yeah, I did. I actually talked to Kiki Vandeweghe, who’s had some knee and back problems… but for me it was tough because I was in a unique situation…my injury is rare when it comes to basketball (a multi-ligament knee injury). It’s more-so a football injury, and that rarely even happens in football. I kind of had to deal with it myself and work with the doctors and medical staff. But it’s coming along well. I’m excited about the progress that I’ve had already. It’s going well.
DX: What’s it like being in the same sports town as the Lakers?
SL: It’s a little tough, but its exciting as well. What Magic [Johnson] and those guys instilled in the city, and then Shaq [O'Neal] and Kobe [Bryant] ... you know, this is a traditional Los Angeles Lakers city. People definitely bleed yellow and purple out here. But there’s no shortage of Clippers fans either. You have a lot of loyal fans out here that love the Clippers. It's exciting, man, you’ve got a rivalry out here…especially since Shaq left. I like it.
DX: Let’s talk rap for a sec. Who are you rocking with right now?
SL:My mans is [Lil] Wayne. So many mixtapes and songs come out that just keeping up with him is crazy. Being from the Chi-town area I gotta rock with Kanye [West]… but I like 50 [Cent] too. And I like a little R&B every now-and-then too.
DX: Lots of pro athletes have foundations and charities and all that. Where does your passion for helping kids come from?
SL: First off, your background. I wasn’t very fortunate, but I had a lot more than other kids I grew up with. We weren’t rich-we were….you never want to say it but we were borderline poor. So I can relate to kids who go through the struggle. You compare that to kids who grow up in stable households who are financially blessed; and the opportunity is definitely not equal. I just try to reach out and provide hope for them, whether they have cancer or some type of disease like HIV. For me, basketball was my motivation, so I’m trying to be that person and inspire others to help and give back as well.
DX: Who did you look up to and what’s it like stepping on the court with dudes you may have idolized?
SL: Guys that I watched when I was young…once you step on the court with guys like Kobe and [Kevin Garnett]. and guys like Allen Iverson…it's crazy. When they came in I was like 11 or 12 or whatever. I still had posters and all that.
DX: What’s your take on the new rules prohibiting guys from coming right form high school to the NBA?
SL: It all depends on the individual. That’s how I really feel. I’m not saying I’m against the rule. College is good for kids. And there are exceptions. I think they’re trying to weed out or differentiate between those two types of players.
DX: What’s the word on when you’ll be back?
SL: We’re taking it a day at a time, we’re not really pinpointing a date but hopefully I’ll be back by January or February to give me a chance to help my team get back to the playoffs.
DX: How can fans get in touch and help support the foundation?
SL: Go to the our website: ShaunLivingston14.com. We just brought in a new executive director so we’re excited. Check us out.
Follow-up with a reactionary dress-code debacle, a hilarious new-ball scandal, and mix with a racist age-discrimination draft policy and you’re just about caught up to speed, just about.
The 2007 season kicked off in a few short weeks amidst a humiliating scandal involving a referee who admittedly bet on games. “What’s good about the NBA?” one might ask. Well, there is Shaun Livingston.
In 2004 Shaun Livingston was the Los Angeles Clippers’ 1st round draft pick out of Peoria Central High School in Illinois. The 6’7 point guard actually passed on a scholarship offer from Coach Krzyzewski at Duke to go straight to the Association. Out west Shaun is described as a young philanthropist who prefers attending charity events over clubs. HipHopDX got the exclusive interview with "Mr. Clipper" himself, (now set to return after a career-threatening knee injury) to get his take on the league, co-existing in L.A. with Kobe, and real life community service.
HipHopDX: What’s it like on the west coast?
Shaun Livingston: Aww man, first off the weather out here is great, and being a part of the Clippers franchise and helping to turn some things around here the last couple years has been good. I’m definitely excited to be out here.
DX: Nowadays you hear lots of stories about players who make the transition from high school to the pros. Do you still feel yourself as a young guy or are you starting to feel more acclimated to the league?
SL: I am…some of the guys…a lot of the guys in the league look at me as young, and I guess I’m still younger than a lot of the rookies coming in but I’m going on my fourth year so…
DX: You’re known for your maturity.. what kind of social responsibility do public figures, athletes in particular, have?
SL: Well it's tough, you come out so young and you sign a big contract and you’re making 100 times what you were making in high school, and you’ve got responsibilities… to be accountable for all of your actions.. A lot of guys don’t think about that before they make decisions…we’re all human at the end of the day, but it's just trying to be smart and make the right decisions.
DX: Tell me about some of the off-court projects you’ve got going on right now.
SL: Well first we’ve got the Shaun Livingston Foundation which we started a couple of years ago. It’s about just trying to provide opportunities and the chance to interact with myself and others to help kids get out of the struggle…whatever it is: poverty, cancer, you know whatever. So that’s been keeping us busy. I’m working with my basketball camp, making my hospital runs…going to charity events. I’m also getting into real estate… trying to make some quality investments. And I’m also interested in the film industry…executive producing movies…you know I’m in L.A. so…that’s a good look.
DX: Of course…L.A. Say no more… tell me about growing up in Peoria, Illinois. What has the Peoria to L.A. transition been like?
SL: Peoria is 150,000 people tops and L.A. is like eight or nine million so….You just have to stay grounded, I think the people around you are important. You have to keep a good core group of people around you to help keep you grounded. It’s easy to get lost out here man… especially in an athlete or entertainer’s situation.
DX: After the injury, what was your outlook on your career?
SL: I knew I had injured myself. I tried to stay positive…and I prayed about it and left it at that. Then I found out the details and it was tough and it was a grind but once I got my thoughts together I just got back on the grind.
DX: I hear a lot of athletes who’ve been through injuries say that they really benefited from the opportunity to talk to veterans who’ve overcome similar injures in their careers. Have you had the chance to reach out to anyone like that in the league?
SL: Yeah, I did. I actually talked to Kiki Vandeweghe, who’s had some knee and back problems… but for me it was tough because I was in a unique situation…my injury is rare when it comes to basketball (a multi-ligament knee injury). It’s more-so a football injury, and that rarely even happens in football. I kind of had to deal with it myself and work with the doctors and medical staff. But it’s coming along well. I’m excited about the progress that I’ve had already. It’s going well.
DX: What’s it like being in the same sports town as the Lakers?
SL: It’s a little tough, but its exciting as well. What Magic [Johnson] and those guys instilled in the city, and then Shaq [O'Neal] and Kobe [Bryant] ... you know, this is a traditional Los Angeles Lakers city. People definitely bleed yellow and purple out here. But there’s no shortage of Clippers fans either. You have a lot of loyal fans out here that love the Clippers. It's exciting, man, you’ve got a rivalry out here…especially since Shaq left. I like it.
DX: Let’s talk rap for a sec. Who are you rocking with right now?
SL:My mans is [Lil] Wayne. So many mixtapes and songs come out that just keeping up with him is crazy. Being from the Chi-town area I gotta rock with Kanye [West]… but I like 50 [Cent] too. And I like a little R&B every now-and-then too.
DX: Lots of pro athletes have foundations and charities and all that. Where does your passion for helping kids come from?
SL: First off, your background. I wasn’t very fortunate, but I had a lot more than other kids I grew up with. We weren’t rich-we were….you never want to say it but we were borderline poor. So I can relate to kids who go through the struggle. You compare that to kids who grow up in stable households who are financially blessed; and the opportunity is definitely not equal. I just try to reach out and provide hope for them, whether they have cancer or some type of disease like HIV. For me, basketball was my motivation, so I’m trying to be that person and inspire others to help and give back as well.
DX: Who did you look up to and what’s it like stepping on the court with dudes you may have idolized?
SL: Guys that I watched when I was young…once you step on the court with guys like Kobe and [Kevin Garnett]. and guys like Allen Iverson…it's crazy. When they came in I was like 11 or 12 or whatever. I still had posters and all that.
DX: What’s your take on the new rules prohibiting guys from coming right form high school to the NBA?
SL: It all depends on the individual. That’s how I really feel. I’m not saying I’m against the rule. College is good for kids. And there are exceptions. I think they’re trying to weed out or differentiate between those two types of players.
DX: What’s the word on when you’ll be back?
SL: We’re taking it a day at a time, we’re not really pinpointing a date but hopefully I’ll be back by January or February to give me a chance to help my team get back to the playoffs.
DX: How can fans get in touch and help support the foundation?
SL: Go to the our website: ShaunLivingston14.com. We just brought in a new executive director so we’re excited. Check us out.
