Uninterrupted- The Real Stories of Basketball Episode 6 - Basketball Families
Uninterrupted- The Real Stories of Basketball Episode 6 - Basketball Families
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00:00When you talk about King and Martin, you talk about fierce.
00:12One of the fiercest competitors.
00:15Not afraid of anyone or anything.
00:21As the game of basketball has evolved, so too has the next generation of legacy players
00:26from NBA families.
00:27To see KJ in the NBA just gives me goosebumps because I can't believe how fast time goes.
00:34Even Kenyon recognized he's going to be better than I was.
00:38He probably would say he shoots it better than his dad.
00:41But despite winning the genetic lottery, these second generation ballers still have to prove
00:46their worth.
00:48Just because you're going to have my genes, I can't put in the work for you.
00:53As KJ steps into the NBA spotlight, he is establishing his own identity while also
00:58leveraging his father's trademark athleticism.
01:01There's not many people that I respect on the basketball court as much as Kenyon.
01:07I'm going to battle with him.
01:09He's in my starting five.
01:10He was one of those guys out there on the floor for his teammates.
01:17They talk about players that could have played in any era.
01:20Kenyon Martin was one of those guys.
01:22This man could do everything.
01:28Legendary players, iconic teams, and epic moments in hoop's history that changed the
01:33culture forever.
01:35Journey into the heart and soul of the game, both on and off the court.
01:39This is Uninterrupted, the real stories of basketball.
01:45We are to the final two competitors in the first round.
01:47Del Curry will be on the left of your screen out of Charlotte.
01:51We go to every practice and every game that we could.
01:54My favorite part of that was just going to shoot-arounds and sometimes the coach would
01:59let me get into the shooting drills with the guys.
02:03That's sort of surreal.
02:04I know my dad's an NBA player, but it got me to think, where am I?
02:06I'm actually on the court right now.
02:09In today's NBA, the father-son relationship runs deep.
02:13Some of the biggest stars have been students of the game since birth.
02:17I taught my boys the fundamentals of the game and the fundamentals of the shot, but they
02:22had to have their own work ethic and dedication.
02:25Of course, being around the game, watching myself and some of the best players in the
02:28world, my teammates, really helped.
02:30Devin Curry is the champion.
02:33In fact, of the 4,500 professionals to ever play in the NBA, more than 450 share a direct
02:40bloodline with current or previous players.
02:44This includes NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Bill Walton.
02:49Kobe's dad played in the NBA, and Kobe often recounted what he learned at a young age from
02:52the tough competitiveness that comes at the highest level of play.
02:55When I got to about 13, 14 years old, that's when he started beating me up.
02:59He started throwing those elbows and I stopped winning.
03:03Then I got to about 16 years old and finally beat him.
03:06And Bill's son, Luke Walton, played from 2003 to 2013.
03:11There's nothing like witnessing the joy and the happiness and the exaltation of one of
03:18your children becoming an NBA champion.
03:22And what is better in life than to be proud and happy for your children's success?
03:30Enter former NBA All-Star and first overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, who was building
03:36a family dynasty of his own.
03:38Kenyon Martin, now Kenyon Martin Sr., powered forward, played for 15 seasons.
03:45Kenyon Martin's firstborn son, who carries his same name, is now making a name for himself
03:50in the league as a second-generation talent.
03:52I'm KJ Martin.
03:53I'm a small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers.
03:57KJ Martin Jr. is in his fourth year in the league, filled with ups and downs.
04:01KJ has always leaned on one NBA legend for guidance.
04:05KJ was born January of my rookie year, had always vowed that I was going to be a part
04:13of his life no matter what.
04:17Just turned 23, unexpected but ecstatic.
04:23Things happen when you party naked.
04:25When I was young, going to practice with him, seeing him, seeing the other guys, the preparation,
04:30the games, it sunk with me and it was just cool seeing that every single day.
04:34KJ was in locker rooms early, before he could walk, before he could talk.
04:39He had his locker and he had a locker next to him for extra shoes and stuff and a chair
04:44and I used to sit there and chill.
04:45He was groomed for success.
04:48The Martins join a short but growing list of basketball families.
04:53Ronnie and Kyan, as well as sophomore Bryce James, suit up for what they can only hope
04:57to be one of the first of many matchups to come.
05:01If you have a father that is a specialist in a specific field, if you show interest,
05:06if you have the intelligence and the wherewithal in basketball and other sports, a lot of it
05:11is if you have the physical genetic gifts.
05:14My name is Richard Jefferson and I played for the Brooklyn Nets between 2001 and 2008.
05:21I think following the same craft that your father had and the advantage that you have
05:25is one, you have the resources.
05:27It was widely reported that his family was well off.
05:30Two, you were taught by a person that has 100,000 hours in a field.
05:35And it's Ken Griffey Jr. taking the play away from his father.
05:41So I think that leads to success.
05:43The fact that Del, Steph and Seth are three of the best shooters out there.
05:48Look at Tiger Woods and his son right now.
05:50The video with Charlie and it was just this incredible exchange as Charlie rolls it in.
05:57Just because I know it, just because you're going to have my genes, I can't put in the
06:01work for you.
06:03And I came from a place of work that I'm trying to learn how to play basketball to change
06:08my life.
06:09You guys are learning how to play basketball purely for the passion.
06:16You don't have to worry about the lights being on.
06:18You don't have to worry about, can you go to this basketball camp?
06:22So you're born on third base.
06:24You don't get to capitalize on a family name or a family thing unless you put the work
06:28in, especially in sports.
06:30Though starting on third base is a huge leg up, success at the NBA level is not guaranteed
06:34by any means.
06:36Only a few have been able to do this.
06:38But for most, the pressure of reaching the same heights as their fathers weighs heavy.
06:42The expectation of me being the number one pick.
06:49People expect him to be me.
06:52And that's unfair.
06:53I get, to a certain extent, from outside looking in, but that's not possible.
06:57Like, I'm my own person, he's his own person.
07:00That's a big part why I go by KJ, like I kind of separate us.
07:06The pressures are there to be embraced, because they have everything they need.
07:11But the pressures of social media makes it 10 times worse than it could ever be.
07:18Social media has put a magnifying glass on all players.
07:21Second generation players are getting compared to their fathers younger and with more scrutiny
07:25than ever.
07:26And no high school basketball program has the convergence of social media hype and second
07:30generation talent on display been more apparent than KJ's alma mater, Sierra Canyon Basketball
07:35Program.
07:41What started out as a day camp in 1972, Sierra Canyon has turned itself into a national basketball
07:47powerhouse.
07:50Founded in Los Angeles, the school has become a hotbed for former NBA players to send their
07:55kids to play high school basketball.
07:58My name is Andre Chevalier.
08:00I am the head coach at Sierra Canyon High School.
08:04The program has gone to astronomical levels in my time.
08:10The Sierra Canyon basketball story cannot be told without KJ Martin, Scottie Pippen
08:17Jr., Dwayne Washington, Christian Coloco, because they paved the way.
08:23Over the last probably seven or eight years, we put in college maybe 25 kids, somewhere
08:30between seven and 10 guys in the NBA.
08:36As Sierra Canyon's basketball dominance rises, so does the national attention.
08:40With millions of followers, nationally televised games, a TV series, and kids rising to fame,
08:48not to mention being the son of an NBA star makes them more appealing to lucrative sponsorship
08:52deals.
08:53The kids get to build their brands and gives them an opportunity to build their NIL platform.
09:00All this added money and attention is light years away from Kenyon Martin Sr.'s path to
09:05the league.
09:07My dad always talked to me about just his experience growing up, that he wasn't as fortunate
09:11as I was growing up.
09:14Kenyon Martin was born in Saginaw, Michigan on December 30th, 1977.
09:20His mother struggled to provide for him and his three-and-a-half-year-old sister, and
09:23before he was two, the family relocated to Dallas, Texas.
09:28His mother worked two jobs and was rarely home.
09:31Kenyon's upbringing made him, in a lot of ways, the player that he was because he always
09:39played with a chip on his shoulder.
09:44He played hard.
09:50My name is Shakira Martin.
09:51I am Kenyon Martin Sr.'s wife and bonus mom to KJ, Sierra, and Cameron Martin.
09:59And I play with a certain type of aggression.
10:09It wasn't just always this bad boy on the court.
10:12I think it's a true reflection of somebody who's been through a lot.
10:18Being a Detroit Pistons fan growing up didn't help.
10:28And is going to fight their way to the top.
10:32That aggression came from my environment, how I grew up.
10:36Me growing up in Oak Cliff and the projects, single mother household, seeing certain things
10:41growing up in certain environments, me as an 11, 12, 13-year-old kid seeing fights over
10:48a travel card.
10:49And if you want to get on the floor, well, you got to adapt, or you get eaten.
10:59If nothing else was there for him, basketball was.
11:02The things my mother told me about, like, don't get mad, get evil.
11:09That's what it was, man.
11:11Kenyon got his toughness and tenacity on the court from the two women in his life.
11:16But his athletic ability came from his absent father.
11:20My dad was a basketball player growing up, but I didn't grow up around him, didn't grow
11:23up in a household with him, didn't find out that he played in college till later at the
11:28University of New Mexico for a little bit.
11:31Martin's tumultuous childhood bounces him through three high schools in four years.
11:36But at his last stop, he dominated, averaging 19.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.4 blocks
11:45his senior season at Bryan Adams High, Dallas, Texas.
11:50If you watched me play in high school, you couldn't turn away.
11:56Just athleticism and more athleticism, contesting everything, blocks, everything around the
12:04rim was a dunk.
12:07Martin is getting notice for his play by Bob Huggins, who wants him to come play at Cincinnati.
12:13I wasn't the most studious person.
12:16There was a belief that he had in me, man.
12:18I think if Bob Huggins had to create a basketball player, I think it would have been myself.
12:28Might be an arrogant statement to some.
12:31I fit what Bob Huggins is as a coach.
12:36His senior year, Martin averaged 18.9 points per game, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per
12:43game.
12:44He is a consensus national player of the year.
12:48Cincinnati was the nation's top team, and Kenyon Martin was college basketball's top
12:52player.
12:53They seemed poised to make a run at the national title.
12:57Until three minutes into the Conference USA Tournament quarterfinal game against St. Louis.
13:03As they called it then, I'm pretty sure you asked some people around Cincinnati, they
13:06called it Black Thursday.
13:07We got the number one team in the country.
13:11At the time, I was probably the number one player in the country.
13:15A number one ranking, one of, if not the best player in the country, and most likely, the
13:20number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
13:23Senior night, ecstatic, Conference Tournament coming.
13:27I was on the set, I was pinned down, and my legs slipped from up under me, and I tore
13:36the ligaments in my ankle and broke my leg.
13:38The game's best player on the country's best team sees his college career come to an immediate
13:43end.
13:44I mean, my heart goes out to Kenyon, he came back for his senior year.
13:48And my career, national championship, everything flashed in front of my eyes.
13:53For Martin, a senior, and a one-time lock to be an NBA lottery pick, his future and
13:58millions of dollars may be in jeopardy.
14:06Kenyon's upbringing fueled his rise to the top of professional basketball, but it also
14:10allowed a completely different upbringing for his son, KJ, who grows up with the opportunity
14:16his father never imagined.
14:18The son of a celebrity father who supports him.
14:22From the beginning, basketball was always a part of his life.
14:25Basketball's the thing I wanted to do, like, he never forced me to play.
14:28Just whatever I did in life, whether it was basketball, if I wanted to be a doctor, he
14:32just always told me, like, we're going to do it a thousand percent.
14:36And he just told me that there's no shortcuts, we're going to do every step of the way correctly
14:39and then get to the highest level.
14:41KJ had basketball in his DNA, and from a young age, he knew he wanted to continue the Martin
14:46basketball legacy.
14:48If anyone in my family, like, told me, like, anything else different than basketball, I
14:52was not listening to it.
14:53I was like, I'm going to the NBA, and that's it.
14:56KJ, from a very young age, he would be playing basketball, if he wasn't playing basketball,
15:02he was watching basketball.
15:03If he wasn't watching basketball on TV, he was watching basketball on his phone or his
15:06iPad or his computer.
15:08But carrying the Martin name could be seen as a blessing or a curse.
15:12It takes KJ a couple years to see it as the former.
15:15When I was young, I felt a lot of pressure.
15:17My middle school days, it was the same.
15:21And then high school, I kind of started to understand that, like, why am I looking at
15:25it as pressure?
15:29I could just go ask him anything, because he's experienced it, and I could use that
15:33to my advantage.
15:38When he started to make a name for himself around the basketball community, I think that
15:45pressure grew.
15:48But he accepted it and thrived in it.
15:53He went to Chaminade High School as a sophomore, and his fifth game, played against the Eric
15:59Canyon.
16:00Marvin Bagley was there.
16:01He was one in his class at the time.
16:03And KJ held his own.
16:05And it showed me a lot.
16:07And there were some things that happened during that game that I didn't approve of, as far
16:12as coaching.
16:14I made my mind up that fifth game, that he wasn't coming back to this school next year
16:19to play for this coach.
16:20While KJ is charting his course for his basketball future, back in 2000, Kenyon Martin is recovering
16:27from his collegiate ending injury.
16:28You got to deal with some things.
16:29You got to be a man to accept them.
16:31And I think I did for the most part, but I just, like I said before, my feelings were
16:37hurting more than anything.
16:38With doubts circulating in the media.
16:40Kenyon Martin sees his certainly lucrative professional future take a sudden and uncertain
16:45twist.
16:46If the injury can drop his draft potential.
16:48It's bad for the kid.
16:49I mean, it really is.
16:50But he'll make a full recovery.
16:51And Kenyon's got a bright future.
16:52Leading up to draft night, man, to be honest, I was ready for it to be over.
16:55Good evening, and welcome to the 2000 NBA draft at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
17:02I was tired of all the talk and doubt and uncertainty.
17:06There's been some rumors that he might need another surgery on that leg.
17:09Of course you want to be the number one pick, but wouldn't have been, wouldn't have thumbed
17:12my nose after being the number two pick when none of this was ever dreamed of or thought of.
17:17The first pick would, to me, has to be Kenyon Martin, one, because you know what he can do.
17:22Anything from this is icing on the cake.
17:25With the first pick in the 2000 NBA draft, the New Jersey Nets select Kenyon Martin from
17:33the University of Cincinnati.
17:36To be that guy called first, no better feeling.
17:46It was a testament to the hard work and everything that I had put into the last four years.
17:53It was unreal.
17:55I've been through so much over the last few months.
18:01Me getting hurt and my family seeing me struggling and stuff like that, it was just, it was like a relief.
18:06He was by far and away the best player in college basketball this year.
18:10And there was no question.
18:12New Jersey got a great choice.
18:14Pure joy and disbelief and yeah, man, it was, it was a great day.
18:21The realities of being a number one pick are about to set in for Martin,
18:25who was accustomed to a winning environment at Cincinnati.
18:29Being drafted number one to the New Jersey Nets, the team had the number one pick,
18:33and the team's probably not that good coming in.
18:37Wasn't a lot of winning.
18:39My rookie year we won 26 games, but I was here, man.
18:42I was making a name for myself.
18:44And make a name for himself he did, earning a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie First Team.
18:52And finishing second for the Rookie of the Year honors.
18:55The Nets are on the move.
18:56Here's Martin with a lob.
18:58Swam by Martin.
19:00Then that summer, we traded for J. Kidd.
19:03Kidd, oh, did she do to Martin?
19:06Drafted Richard Jefferson.
19:08Jefferson with the finish.
19:10That's not fair.
19:11The rest is, hey, get your track shoes on, let's go.
19:16Jason Kidd's creative genius proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle.
19:20Oh, that's special.
19:21Igniting an explosive style of play that would lead them to an epic three-year run.
19:27Well, it was all Jason Kidd.
19:28He was the catalyst for the turnaround in my first two years.
19:34Our motto was get the rebounder still and we're going to fly.
19:37RJ ran on the right side.
19:39Kmart ran the left or down the middle.
19:41He knew those guys were going to end up with the ball
19:44because I knew I didn't want to have to run down the court.
19:47And I think together, Kenyon and I kind of quickly bonded.
19:52I was thirsty, I was hungry, I was ready.
19:55And it showed.
19:56Kenyon flourishes in the second season.
20:00That was the year that we were picked to finish second to last, I think, in the conference.
20:09Quick turnaround from 26-52 to 52-26.
20:13Propelling the Nets from last place to an Eastern Conference title.
20:17The New Jersey Nets will continue one of the most remarkable one-season turnarounds in NBA history.
20:23We crushed the Eastern Conference.
20:24We go to the NBA Finals and we run into Shaq and Kobe.
20:30It was our first year and they were the multi-time defending champions.
20:35We were young.
20:36Maybe because we were young, we knew no better.
20:38We were scared of no one.
20:40Our first time there, they had been there.
20:42And it showed.
20:48They were more experienced in the moment.
20:54The upstart Nets get a rude awakening and are quickly swept from the finals.
20:59So it was a bit of a buzzsaw, but a great learning experience for everyone in our group.
21:03So we learned from that and took it into the next year, Season 3.
21:08In his third year in the league, Martin proves he belongs among the top echelon.
21:13Earning his first NBA All-Star selection.
21:19Making it back to the finals again.
21:26Played San Antonio.
21:28And we thought we had a legitimate shot that year.
21:32Despite a valiant effort, the Nets once again come up short.
21:36Losing in six games to a legendary team loaded with future Hall of Famers.
21:41There's only one team that wins a championship.
21:43And for us to get to the finals those first two years were incredible.
21:47But we wanted something.
21:49Definitely thought we wanted something in Jersey.
21:51With the core we had and what we were building.
21:55KJ sees how his father built a winning franchise from the ground up.
21:59And for his junior year of high school, he transfers to Sierra Canyon.
22:03And looks to do the same with their program.
22:04You talk about a player in the NBA switching teams and completely changing the franchise.
22:09There are star players like KJ that can go to a high school and all of a sudden,
22:14more players are coming, more resources are coming.
22:17And you're watching a high school become a national name.
22:20When I came in my junior year, we had a bunch of guys.
22:23Our goal coming in was, we need to win.
22:28The 2017 Sierra Canyon Boys High School team was an NBA basketball family affair.
22:33Led by KJ Martin and Scottie Pippen Jr., son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen Sr.
22:39The Sierra Canyon Trailblazers would blow away the competition like no previous team had.
22:45The first year, we won the regional championship and the state championship.
22:52So we knew it was going to be an easy game.
22:54So we knew it was going to be an easy game.
22:56We just came out and just had a war and we won.
22:58Year two, we won them all.
23:01Once we have back-to-back state championships, it's been powerhouse.
23:06That team was the foundation of everything that we are.
23:09That team catapulted us to an elite level across the country.
23:14And I think they are the reason why other people came to play here.
23:18What made Sierra Canyon unique from other elite programs was that basketball came second.
23:23A culture of accountability was shared between their superstar players, which paid dividends on and off the court.
23:30If you miss class or if you're late to class, you're going to detention.
23:33If you miss school that day and we have a game that night, you're not playing.
23:37KJ and Scottie really solidified the fact that we could be trusted with the individual NBA players' kids.
23:45Coming off two straight final appearances, the season core of the New Jersey Nets' future looks bright.
23:50But Canyon's explosive temperament is starting to get in the way of that chemistry.
23:55Story behind myself and Richard Jefferson's fight.
24:00Situation going on during the game, Richard and another guy on another team was getting into it.
24:07Bonsie Wells starts talking shit, and so the referee tells Canyon,
24:11get your rookie before I have to give him a technical.
24:14So Canyon was like, yo, Richard, shut the f*** up.
24:16The referee telling me to calm him down, he's going to give him a tech, and I'm telling RJ to calm down.
24:20And he said something to me disrespectful that I didn't like.
24:23I said to Bonsie, f*** you and f*** him too.
24:27He walked in the locker room. I was the guy in there first.
24:30And as soon as he got in the locker room, I got to swinging.
24:33All I know is he put his hands on me, so I get up swinging.
24:37And I swing and we're going at it. Everyone breaks it up.
24:40The last swing, Aaron Williams gets it in the lip.
24:45I guess he thought that since we were on the same team,
24:50that he was exempt from me throwing hands.
24:55But no, that's not the case.
24:58We talk it out. We have to have a meeting with Byron Scott.
25:01And once we had that meeting, there was zero effect on us.
25:05And there was, people don't find out that I'm the guy in the locker room.
25:08There was, people don't find out until later.
25:11As the altercations mounted,
25:13Martin found himself on the chopping block in the eyes of new ownership.
25:17I thought we were on to something.
25:19Myself, J-Kid, Richard Jefferson, the core we was building.
25:22I really thought we were on to something.
25:24But management thought otherwise.
25:28Finishing his senior year at Sierra Canyon High School,
25:31KJ commits to going to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
25:35So I committed to Vanderbilt.
25:36And Scotty was going there.
25:38Because Jerry Stackhouse was the coach.
25:40And I felt like it would be a good situation.
25:42Like, oh, my high school point guard is going there.
25:44So KJ committed to Vanderbilt.
25:46And we were preparing to take him out there.
25:48But it came to a point, I don't know, me and my dad were in the car.
25:51I forget where we were.
25:53We were coming from somewhere.
25:55And I was like, what if I didn't go to college?
25:57And he was like, what, you don't want to?
25:59And I was like, nah, not really.
26:01The idea of him going to school and not being completely into it
26:04and not happy, we just knew that wasn't going to work for him.
26:09I had to go to school for four years.
26:11I wasn't as good.
26:14You're like, when you a hooper and it's in your soul,
26:18there's no plan B and C and D, none of that shit.
26:23It's basketball, man.
26:27KJ was going to play basketball somewhere and get paid for it.
26:31Bottom line.
26:33And I knew that.
26:35Like, if you want to do this, we're going to do this.
26:37And I was like, yeah, I want to.
26:39I think this would be a better fit for me.
26:41So why waste people's time going to school?
26:44It seemed crazy.
26:46Everyone thought I was crazy about doing it.
26:48A lot of doubts, man.
26:50People thought we were out of our mind.
26:52And he was like, all right, I'm going to make a couple calls.
26:54So it was between Australia and IMG.
26:57We went down there and had conversations with the basketball powers that be,
27:00explained to them what we were trying to do, what we were looking for.
27:03They were on board.
27:05The offspring of NBA players sets the stage for a growing trend.
27:08Skip college and prepare for the league against better competition.
27:11KJ heads to IMG Academy in Florida right after high school
27:15to up his stock in advance of next year's draft.
27:18Most of the other guys on my team, since they were going to college,
27:21they would do some classes.
27:23But if you're a postgrad, you don't have to take classes if you don't want to.
27:26Since I knew I was leaving the next year, I was just strictly working out every day.
27:30KJ starts making waves at IMG,
27:33catching the attention of pro scouts who are looking for dynamic players
27:36that can make an impact in their first season.
27:38All is going according to plan.
27:40With KJ's draft stock on the rise,
27:42until, in one of his final games,
27:45another player lands awkwardly on his ankle.
27:48You usually roll your ankle like this.
27:50This dude fell on my leg and my ankle went like this.
27:53I don't know how I didn't break my leg.
27:54It was like, no.
27:57Like, not now.
27:59Why did this happen right now?
28:01Like, I had a great year.
28:04And I was just, every day,
28:06for the rest of the time I was at IMG, I was on the game ready.
28:08I was just rehabbing, like, every day.
28:10Like, hard, so.
28:12KJ's injury places a question mark on his readiness for the draft.
28:16The same type of pressure his father frequently experienced in his playing days.
28:20The summer after my fourth year,
28:22I never received a contract extension.
28:24In 2004, the team trades Martin
28:27for three future number one draft picks,
28:30saving nearly $11 million a year on the all-star salary.
28:34Definitely was unexpected leaving Jersey.
28:36Definitely didn't want to leave.
28:38Yeah, when he got traded from the Nets,
28:40it was the day the Nets died, unfortunately.
28:44K-Mart was one of the best teammates
28:46that I ever had the opportunity to play with.
28:47New Jersey, I don't really remember.
28:49I was too young.
28:51The basketball family makes the first of many moves.
28:54The business of basketball
28:56sometimes gets in the way of a beautiful thing.
28:58Find out about, like,
29:00the real, real business of basketball in situations.
29:03Martin is signed to the Denver Nuggets
29:05in a seven-year, $90 million contract.
29:09Before he knows it, he lives in Denver, Colorado.
29:12Was I happy in Denver at first?
29:14At first, I was happy in Denver.
29:16Martin, now a seasoned vet in the league,
29:19teams up with Carmelo Anthony,
29:21a second-year scoring machine.
29:23Together, they lead the Denver Nuggets
29:25to an opening round of the NBA playoffs.
29:28Despite their meteoric rise,
29:30Martin struggles to maintain the level of intensity
29:32that it requires to stay on top.
29:34His body is beginning to show signs of wear and tear
29:37after years of punishing physical play.
29:40Didn't need problems in life.
29:42Like, no, I was miserable in Denver.
29:45I remember the doctor telling him, like,
29:48he shouldn't have even been walking around.
29:50The way his bones were literally rubbing together.
29:53And him telling him, like, you're tough as nails
29:55because you have to be in pain.
29:57Like, there's no way you're not living in pain.
29:59But he's out there playing basketball
30:01and at a high level.
30:03I play with force,
30:05and so what that led to, knee problems.
30:08I was losing cartilage in my knee,
30:09and the microfracture surgery was to create cartilage.
30:14Six months after his first major surgery,
30:17Martin needs the same surgery on the other knee.
30:20In 2006, there are no reports of professional athletes
30:23returning to their sport
30:25after this type of intrusive surgery on the knee.
30:28It wasn't going to go any other way
30:30than Kenyon was going to come back
30:32from every surgery and every injury,
30:34regardless of what the odds looked like.
30:36He was determined to make it through.
30:37I hated the situation I was in.
30:42In 2006, one year removed from micro-knee fracture surgery,
30:46Coach George Carve views the situation with peril
30:50and wants him to sit out the last few games
30:52of the regular season
30:54in order to be ready for the playoffs.
30:56Playoffs start, I'm ready to rock.
30:58After losing their first game
31:00against the Los Angeles Clippers
31:02in the opening round of the NBA playoffs
31:04and the second game of the series,
31:05Carl leaves the starter on the bench.
31:08I sit over there and watch this play.
31:10We're losing.
31:12If somebody could have did
31:14like the old cartoon,
31:16like the real red face
31:18and the smoke coming out his ears and nose,
31:20like that would have been me.
31:22At halftime, Martin reaches his boiling point.
31:24So I'm the first one in the locker room.
31:26I wait till all the players come in
31:28and I know they're in their coach's meeting in the hall.
31:30So I get up.
31:32I go right in between the coaches.
31:33Like I really threatened to beat him up.
31:36I'm not surprised that
31:38in the highest of competition, the playoffs,
31:40this is what he lives for.
31:42Not dreams of, this is what keeps him alive.
31:44That's also why Kenyon
31:46helped lead us to two NBA finals.
31:48Martin is suspended
31:50for the remainder of the playoffs.
31:52The Nuggets lose their series one game to four
31:54and his reputation for discourse
31:56is getting worse.
31:58I was hard to deal with.
32:00I wasn't happy, I wasn't playing.
32:01Yeah.
32:03The real was in jeopardy.
32:11In February 2020,
32:13during his post-grad season at IMG Academy,
32:15KJ is recovering from a serious ankle injury
32:17after committing for the NBA draft,
32:19eerily similar to how his father
32:21was recovering 20 years earlier.
32:23The only difference is the basketball world
32:25is about to be shut down
32:27due to a global pandemic.
32:29For someone who desperately needs
32:31to rehab,
32:33it's a blessing in disguise.
32:37And I was back home in LA
32:39and I was rehabbing
32:41in the midst of COVID,
32:43trying to get my ankle right
32:45because I needed to work out
32:47because I declared for the draft.
32:49It's insane.
32:51It gave KJ time to heal.
32:53Things that he was able to do in the gym
32:55were just spot shoot.
32:57Like I said, for two months,
32:59just spot shooting.
33:01That helped out tremendously
33:03because if he would have had to go
33:05work out for teams in March and April,
33:07he wouldn't have made it.
33:09Like there was no way he could have went.
33:11And there's no pre-draft workouts
33:13because we can't travel anywhere
33:15because it's COVID,
33:17the airports are shut down.
33:19So I'm just working out by myself,
33:21doing interviews on Zoom.
33:23KJ makes the most out of a difficult situation
33:25as teams set up individual workouts
33:27for prospective players
33:29in COVID-safe environments.
33:31And people didn't think he could shoot.
33:33So they looking at his numbers
33:35on the pre-draft thing,
33:37they're like, hold on,
33:39not only is he an athlete,
33:41shooting the ball this way?
33:43So it was a blessing.
33:45The 2020 NBA Draft
33:47was like none before or since.
33:50Held virtually at the ESPN studios
33:52in Bristol, Connecticut,
33:54while camera crews were sent
33:56to individual prospects'
33:58private viewing parties
33:59The draft night was in Los Angeles
34:02at one of my favorite restaurants,
34:04Katana.
34:06It was a stressful night,
34:09to say the least.
34:11It was a very stressful draft night.
34:13We had a setup where it was like
34:15outside where we could eat,
34:17and then inside by the bar area.
34:19It was just a small group of us.
34:21It was myself,
34:23his brothers and sisters, Canyon.
34:26They put like the TVs obviously
34:27and cameras and stuff like that.
34:29It was a crazy night.
34:31It was super, super nerve-wracking.
34:33My dad was nervous.
34:35I've never seen him that nervous before.
34:37My wife is doing an excellent job
34:39at being on my ass about staying away
34:42and not showing him that I'm nervous,
34:44but consoling him that everything will be fine.
34:46And when the phone rang,
34:48that it was about to happen.
34:50The Sacramento Kings select
34:52K.J. Martin from Los Angeles, California.
34:55Once I got drafted,
34:57I let out.
34:59I didn't think I'll cry tears of joy ever.
35:03I mean, I think seeing my dad
35:05and my parents cry,
35:07that was probably the biggest thing that got me.
35:09Just to hear his name being called,
35:11I was more in that moment for him
35:14than I was on my draft night.
35:16Once I got drafted,
35:18I felt like just a relief on my shoulders,
35:21like all the work I put in
35:23from high school up until now.
35:25But at the same time,
35:27it's another step,
35:29and a new journey of work just started.
35:32I was more ecstatic and happy and emotional
35:37and just on cloud nine
35:40that this was happening for him
35:42because he put so much into it.
35:44There was so much doubt.
35:47So it was middle fingers to everybody.
35:51The Martin family is no stranger
35:53to dealing with doubt.
35:55In 2009,
35:57the Martin squad surprises the league
35:59and advances to the NBA Western Conference Finals
36:01for the first time in 24 years.
36:03For Martin,
36:05it marked another encounter
36:07with a familiar adversary,
36:09the Black Mamba.
36:11That was probably like the high moments,
36:13just seeing him
36:15and him being able to come to LA
36:17where I'm living at and go and play
36:19and I can go to the games
36:21and bring my friends and stuff like that.
36:23Despite a vintage performance by the old veteran,
36:25this would also be the second time
36:27he's gone from two games to four.
36:29Sensing the moment
36:31from one basketball family member to another,
36:33Kenyon does the unexpected.
36:35I've never asked an opponent,
36:38somebody who I'm competing with,
36:40for anything.
36:42But I knew how big of a fan
36:44my son was of Kobe.
36:46It beat my dad
36:48and my dad and him got eliminated.
36:50But I told my dad, I was like,
36:52I'm sorry, but I need Kobe to sign shoes.
36:54After they beat us
36:55in the finals, I asked Kobe
36:57if he could sign a pair of shoes for my son.
36:59And he did it,
37:01without question about it.
37:03That was just a testament
37:05of who he was as a competitor
37:07and for him to do that for my kid meant a lot.
37:09The shoes he wore that game,
37:11my name's on them,
37:13we were all in love,
37:15keep working hard,
37:17you get here one day,
37:19so those are my number one things
37:21I'll never get rid of.
37:23And Kobe was right.
37:25He's a fast starter
37:27and plays in all 82 games.
37:29He achieves career highs in points,
37:31rebounds, and minutes per game.
37:33After my first big game in the NBA,
37:35you just live for that experience.
37:39You understand that you're capable
37:41of doing that.
37:43You put yourself to a high standard.
37:45Being able to see him
37:47as a young toddler
37:49and now to see him in the NBA
37:51just gives me a big smile
37:53and sometimes goosebumps
37:56As KJ begins to show out,
37:58he earns himself a spot
38:00in the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest.
38:02Fans can't help but draw parallels
38:04with senior's above-the-rim theatrics.
38:06Has a lot of his dad in him
38:08with his athleticism.
38:10He probably would say he shoots it better
38:12than his dad.
38:14For the first two years, he was great, man.
38:16Showed people that he was more than an athlete.
38:18Here's a three, and it's good!
38:20Houston was starting to try
38:22to move in a different direction
38:24The one commonality
38:26in this family of basketball players
38:28is that they're never in charge
38:30of their situation.
38:32New to the professional court,
38:34KJ is finding out quick
38:36how fluid his career is.
38:38I got a call from his agent
38:40and I heard something in his voice
38:42and I was like, yo, yo, what's up?
38:44And he's like, man,
38:46I don't want anybody to say this.
38:48In 2011, the NBA found itself
38:50in a lockout season.
38:51KJ retired from the JINJANG
38:53Flying Tigers.
38:55By the time the NBA season resumes,
38:57an aging Martin is now
38:59on the wrong side of 30.
39:01Travels back to the States
39:03where he finds himself relegated
39:05to the role of journeyman,
39:07bouncing around the league.
39:09I knew it was time to retire.
39:11It's just when the phone
39:13stopped ringing,
39:15when your agent calling teams
39:17and the responses are not the same.
39:19You understand Kenyon
39:21is like a lot of people.
39:23The average NBA career is four years.
39:25Without that explosion,
39:27without that bounce and that quickness,
39:29you start to see his career
39:31come to an end.
39:33We all know that not everyone
39:35gets a farewell tour
39:37and not a guy's career ends
39:39before they want it to
39:41for whatever reason.
39:43Martin retires in 2015.
39:45That was a hard decision
39:47for him to make.
39:49This is what they love.
39:51This game just took a toll on him.
39:53What I loved about K-Mart
39:55is that he was going to die
39:57out there on the floor
39:59for his teammates.
40:01When he retired,
40:03I didn't expect him to retire
40:05because that was probably
40:07the craziest part about it.
40:09Like, dang, my dad's at the house.
40:11He don't got to go to practice.
40:13He don't got games.
40:15Yeah, when I retired,
40:17KJ moved in with us.
40:19My dad, he was actually
40:21a different person.
40:23Off the court, he's totally different.
40:25Genuinely, he's the nicest person ever.
40:27Firstborn.
40:29Being under the roof
40:31and being a boy, man,
40:33and just being able to die
40:35and have your imprint
40:39on something and someone.
40:41For a kid from the projects
40:43who grew up with very little guidance,
40:45Martin Sr. understands
40:47the importance of his post-retirement role.
40:49It was cool to have him there now
40:51every day.
40:53Being there and being present
40:55every game,
40:57front row and loud.
40:59He didn't mess any high school games.
41:01Even when my little sister was born,
41:03him and Big Scotty flew private
41:05to Sacramento
41:07to watch our state championship game.
41:09He always made it work
41:11somehow, someway.
41:13Kenyon proves to be
41:15the most supportive basketball patriarch imaginable,
41:17making good on his vows
41:19to always be a part of KJ's life
41:21with the Angels,
41:23playing for the LA Clippers.
41:25KJ coming home to LA
41:27as a professional,
41:29for us, you know,
41:31it was, had our baby back.
41:33It was huge for him.
41:35Huge, huge for him,
41:37huge for our family,
41:39huge for his morale.
41:41He's been in a comfortable environment.
41:43But as the Martin family knows,
41:45the business of basketball
41:47has no guarantees.
41:49And after only playing two games
41:51on Halloween the next day...
41:53...reported that James Barton
41:55is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers
41:57in a blockbuster trade.
41:59It was out of the blue.
42:01No one expected a trade.
42:03I think that overall
42:05was kind of a gut punch.
42:07To have that
42:09in an instant
42:11snatched from up under you
42:13was unfortunate, man.
42:15I thought I was going to be on the Clippers for a while.
42:17It just felt right.
42:19It's kind of tough,
42:21but our opinions took
42:23the news of the trade the hardest.
42:25My dad, he was kind of upset
42:27and sad at the same time.
42:29Hard to put into words
42:31without being emotional about it.
42:33No, but no, that's a good thing, man.
42:35That's really a good thing.
42:44He didn't get cut.
42:46He didn't get waived.
42:48He still got a team,
42:50so Silver Linings and everything.
42:53I think the Martins have created success
42:55because I know who their father is.
42:57Their father is going to demand success.
43:00Do you want to do this? Yes.
43:02And if it is what they do,
43:04I will show you and I will push you
43:06to the place that you need to be.
43:08And if you can handle that,
43:10that's the reward.
43:12You're born on third and a half base
43:14when you're given those genetic gifts.
43:16And the last bit is how hard
43:17you're committed to it,
43:19how committed you're going to be.
43:21Kenyon's only telling them
43:23how hard it is to do it.
43:25And they're still doing it
43:27and they're listening.
43:29And that's the ultimate sign of respect.
43:31I'm in my fourth year now.
43:33I'm only 22, so I have a long road ahead.
43:35So I'm going to continue
43:37year by year and build that legacy.
43:39And KJ won't be the last.
43:41Coming out of high school in 2024
43:43is 18-year-old Cameron Martin,
43:45the next great hope
43:47who's more of a shooter.
43:49The Martin family legacy
43:51with basketball is not over yet.
43:53I have a five-year-old son,
43:55so it's not over.