PHOENIX — During a press conference with students from Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication program, Allan Houston discussed some of his experiences playing in the NBA, becoming a part of the Knicks’ front office and the profound opportunity he had to compete against the 1992 Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.
Houston, who now serves as the VP of Player and Leadership Development for the New York Knicks, had a storied NBA career. He was a 2x NBA All-Star, has an Olympic Gold Medal and was, at one time, one of the highest paid players in Knicks’ basketball history. Oh, and I forgot to mention, he’s also the all-time leading scorer in the history of University of Tennessee basketball.
A legendary career like Houston’s doesn’t simply happen overnight without diligence, commitment to excellence, an uncompromising desire to win and, most importantly, opportunities to distinguish himself.
One such moment transpired in 1992, when the Men’s Olympic Team (aka “The Dream Team”) was set to prepare for their international opponents by competing against the 1992 Select Team. Houston gave credit to his then teammate, Grant Hill, for taking the initiative to finally tell this story on a major streaming platform, Max.
“It was really Grant that kind of fueled it,” Houston said when asked why, over 30 years later, the footage was finally released to the public. “Years ago he was like ‘Man, I got the footage,’ and after that nobody really talked about it.”
Well, Mr. Houston, people are certainly talking about it now. The documentary, which premiered on Feb. 17 earlier this year, has become a trending topic of discussion across several major social media platforms since its release. All people are currently wondering is: how did we not know anything about this until now?
“It was almost kind of thrown away, and we were kind of like, well, we actually did the human experiment, but we didn’t talk about it,” Houston said. Houston explained that teammate Grant Hill had decided that, following the release of the 2012 documentary “The Dream Team,” it was time for the footage to come to light. Now, 13 years later, the Select Team players have their chance to tell their story.
When asked about what it felt like to be an up-and-coming star, and not only competing against some of the most talented players in NBA history, but also beating them in a scrimmage, Houston said that the “unique experience” provided confidence for him and others that they could feasibly compete at the professional level.
“I think what I took away from it was validation, and I think personally, that’s what we all got from it.” Houston said. “Even though it was one 20-minute scrimmage and we got destroyed the next day.”
We all love an underdog story—well, at least I certainly do. But what about when the underdog ends up getting whooped in the rematch? Does the follow-up innately dismiss the original success of the protagonist, or is there another way to interpret moments when one is metaphorically punched in the mouth? For Houston, not only did the loss in the rematch not dissuade him from continuing to pursue NBA success, it motivated him to dig deeper and strive for more. “I think we all walked away and were like ‘Oh yeah, we’re ready.’” Houston said.
“The first day you realize that you have a talent and certain skill level, and then the second day you realize that there are more levels to it,” Houston said while discussing the alterations to his mindset following the two historic matchups covered in the documentary.
Houston likened the experience to that of playing basketball against his 12-year-old son. Sure, he’s going to have his moments, but while his son continues to challenge him as he grows older and more talented, Houston knows that he still has another gear to shift to—similar to the second day when hall-of-famer Michael Jordan told Houston he wouldn’t get the ball over his shoulders, and Jordan kept that promise.
I would argue that, without that initial win, and the corresponding walloping that occurred the day following, Houston would not have learned to develop that next-level talent that shone so brightly throughout his NBA career. Perhaps it was equally as important for them to lose in disheartening fashion as it was for them to win against some of the league’s all-time greats. One of his biggest takeaways from this moment was this: Houston knew he would have to continue to get better.
“I think I took away from it that there are levels to this and I just got to get ready and keep preparing,” Houston said. “I’m going to have to get a lot stronger for this level, and to just be ready for the speed, strength and intensity of the next level.”
And become stronger, faster and more intense was exactly what Houston did. From his on-the-court success to his meteoric rise in the Knicks’ front office, Houston’s career was one chock-full of historic moments, and his experiences competing against The Dream Team were profoundly impactful on his journey.
Allan Houston: Press Conference Recap
PHOENIX — During a press conference with students from Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication program, Allan Houston discussed some of his experiences playing in the NBA, becoming a part of the Knicks’ front office and the profound opportunity he had to compete against the 1992 Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.
Houston, who now serves as the VP of Player and Leadership Development for the New York Knicks, had a storied NBA career. He was a 2x NBA All-Star, has an Olympic Gold Medal and was, at one time, one of the highest paid players in Knicks’ basketball history. Oh, and I forgot to mention, he’s also the all-time leading scorer in the history of University of Tennessee basketball.
A legendary career like Houston’s doesn’t simply happen overnight without diligence, commitment to excellence, an uncompromising desire to win and, most importantly, opportunities to distinguish himself.
One such moment transpired in 1992, when the Men’s Olympic Team (aka “The Dream Team”) was set to prepare for their international opponents by competing against the 1992 Select Team. Houston gave credit to his then teammate, Grant Hill, for taking the initiative to finally tell this story on a major streaming platform, Max.
“It was really Grant that kind of fueled it,” Houston said when asked why, over 30 years later, the footage was finally released to the public. “Years ago he was like ‘Man, I got the footage,’ and after that nobody really talked about it.”
Well, Mr. Houston, people are certainly talking about it now. The documentary, which premiered on Feb. 17 earlier this year, has become a trending topic of discussion across several major social media platforms since its release. All people are currently wondering is: how did we not know anything about this until now?
“It was almost kind of thrown away, and we were kind of like, well, we actually did the human experiment, but we didn’t talk about it,” Houston said. Houston explained that teammate Grant Hill had decided that, following the release of the 2012 documentary “The Dream Team,” it was time for the footage to come to light. Now, 13 years later, the Select Team players have their chance to tell their story.
When asked about what it felt like to be an up-and-coming star, and not only competing against some of the most talented players in NBA history, but also beating them in a scrimmage, Houston said that the “unique experience” provided confidence for him and others that they could feasibly compete at the professional level.
“I think what I took away from it was validation, and I think personally, that’s what we all got from it.” Houston said. “Even though it was one 20-minute scrimmage and we got destroyed the next day.”
We all love an underdog story—well, at least I certainly do. But what about when the underdog ends up getting whooped in the rematch? Does the follow-up innately dismiss the original success of the protagonist, or is there another way to interpret moments when one is metaphorically punched in the mouth? For Houston, not only did the loss in the rematch not dissuade him from continuing to pursue NBA success, it motivated him to dig deeper and strive for more. “I think we all walked away and were like ‘Oh yeah, we’re ready.’” Houston said.
“The first day you realize that you have a talent and certain skill level, and then the second day you realize that there are more levels to it,” Houston said while discussing the alterations to his mindset following the two historic matchups covered in the documentary.
Houston likened the experience to that of playing basketball against his 12-year-old son. Sure, he’s going to have his moments, but while his son continues to challenge him as he grows older and more talented, Houston knows that he still has another gear to shift to—similar to the second day when hall-of-famer Michael Jordan told Houston he wouldn’t get the ball over his shoulders, and Jordan kept that promise.
I would argue that, without that initial win, and the corresponding walloping that occurred the day following, Houston would not have learned to develop that next-level talent that shone so brightly throughout his NBA career. Perhaps it was equally as important for them to lose in disheartening fashion as it was for them to win against some of the league’s all-time greats. One of his biggest takeaways from this moment was this: Houston knew he would have to continue to get better.
“I think I took away from it that there are levels to this and I just got to get ready and keep preparing,” Houston said. “I’m going to have to get a lot stronger for this level, and to just be ready for the speed, strength and intensity of the next level.”
And become stronger, faster and more intense was exactly what Houston did. From his on-the-court success to his meteoric rise in the Knicks’ front office, Houston’s career was one chock-full of historic moments, and his experiences competing against The Dream Team were profoundly impactful on his journey.
Travis Bradley