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The Rise Of Lance Stephenson

Brooklyn, NY, its own city within one of the biggest cities on earth. Brooklyn, where the basketball courts are never empty and always seem filled with kids who take jumpers and moves in honor of their favorite players. 10 years ago, some of you may have seen a young, brash, guard named Lance Stephenson take the courts with vigor and pride as he tried to dominate every opponent that was against him. No matter what age his opponent was, he attacked with ferocity and little fear.

The same Lance Stephenson exists today as he is the starting SG for the East leading Indiana Pacers. At an ABCD camp, OJ Mayo was a High School senior who was considered one of the best high school players ever to play, but he soon found a challenger in Stephenson. Stephenson was just a 15-year- old freshman who wanted what Mayo had, the spotlight. Lance attacked Mayo and impressed all of the scouts and media reporters who were there for Mayo. OJ won the match, but everyone knew  Lance Stephenson was someone to watch out for. From there, Stephenson took the long path to the NBA, but not without troubles or roadblocks. He was named New York State Mr. Basketball and won 4 straight titles for the Lincoln Rail Splitters. Stephenson attended Cincinnati Bearcats and he was the leading scorer among Big East freshmen. He was also named Big East Rookie of the Year.

Lance was drafted to the Pacers in 2010, showing extreme promise in the NBA Summer League. Reporters & analysts called Stephenson “the steal of the draft”, and many considered him to be an integral part to the Pacers. However, as his NBA career was off to a head start, Stephenson was arrested for third-degree assault after allegedly pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs on August 15, 2010. This was thought to be the end of Stephenson’s career due to all of the off court trouble he had gotten into, but Larry Bird intervened and took a chance on a young man’s career. Now, two years later and Stephenson has made a name and identity for himself by bringing back the mentality of street ball to a professional setting without becoming a negative fixture. While Jamal Crawford brings the crossover mentality to the NBA, Stephenson incorporates it all with the moves, the flash, and even the dance moves after he completes a highlight play. His antics brings the Pacer fans to their feet every time.

Three years ago, it was safe to say that many journalists and even NBA fans believed that Lance Stephenson would become an invigorating player on one of the best teams in the league. The question is, will he become a star on a different team next year or stay true to a team that took a chance on him?

Lincoln is a co host for Keeping It Real Sports, a comic book/Nerd culture enthusiast who loves to integrate that culture with sports. When it comes to the NBA, Lincoln is your guy. Coming from a Caribbean background, he tends to watch Tennis & Soccer more than the average American sport. Lincoln is currently a coordinator for Complex Magazine and media coordinator for clothing brand Fdynamo1986.

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