Rudy Gay is coming of age
Disclaimer: An earlier version of this story appeared in the Grizzlies’ game program.
Rudy Gay has it all. He’s just 21 years old, but already in his second NBA season. He has fame and he has money. It’s a life that most people would assume equals an existence of excess. They’d assume he’s a Memphis version of Vinnie Chase: living with freeloading friends and surrounded by sycophants. After all, that’s how it goes with young celebrities.
So what do you say Rudy, who’s in your entourage? Who’s your Turtle, your Johnny Drama, your E?
“My girlfriend.”
OK…anyone else?
“My mom comes down (from his hometown of Baltimore). And my friends come down a lot from home.”
That’s right, not only did he not bring his friends to come live with him in Memphis, but they get third billing after his girlfriend and his mom. But anyone who knows Gay wouldn’t be surprised, because even being just 21, he’s already got a sense of perspective that belies his young age.
While he’s still learning how to be the go-to guy on the court, last season as a rookie he quickly became a go-to guy off the court. While many rookies and young players can initially be uncomfortable at community events, Gay embraced the opportunity to get out and take part in whatever he was asked to do. And he didn’t just show up, pose for photos and go home. Gay is outgoing and engaging, and became an instant hit with everyone he came in contact with, especially kids.
“I just wanted to show people my personality on and off the court. I think it’s good for the kids to see exactly who the person is that’s playing in the jersey,” he says. “Coming from Baltimore and dealing with the same things these kids are dealing with, I think it was important for me to get out here and show them I grew up just like them.”
He’s continued growing his profile in the community this season, and was so affected by the scenes of devastation he saw in the aftermath of the tornadoes that hit the Hickory Hill area that he, along with teammates Mike Conley and Kwame Brown, donated $3000 to the Hickory Hill Boys and Girls Club.
And while he now has the independence wealth can provide, Gay had a modest upbringing, and is truly appreciative of how hard his mother, a director at a Baltimore Head Start agency, worked to keep he and his siblings healthy and happy.
“My mom struggled to make us comfortable. I didn’t realize that until I got a little bit older, but I really realized my mom worked really hard to make sure we felt as if we were ok,” says Gay. “But looking back…I realize that she was really pushing herself to make sure we were happy.”
According to their Web site, the national Head Start Association “is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. It provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.” Rudy’s mother, Rae, would sometimes bring him and his siblings to work with her, an experience that has stuck with Rudy years later.
“She took us to work and showed us her day because she was always coming home saying she’s tired and we were wondering why. But when you go down there and be around all those kids all day you realize why,” says Gay. “It definitely makes me appreciate things, looking back and seeing how hard it was for her, working from 8 to 8 every day.”
Gay also grew up watching his father sometimes work two jobs.
When he realized how hard his mother was working to provide for the family, Gay decided that he wasn’t going to make her life more difficult. Gay says that it was around that time when he really committed himself to playing basketball, and using it as a way to get to college, and from there, possibly the NBA.
“Ever since I was maybe 14 I was out playing basketball and surviving on my own. I never really asked my mother for anything, I always found a way to make sure my mom didn’t have to bust her butt to take care of me, being that she had three other kids.”
Gay did her proud, getting a scholarship to Connecticut before declaring for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and getting taken eighth overall. He’ll be the first to admit he had an up-and-down rookie season, despite finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting and being named to the All-Rookie First Team. When asked to evaluate his rookie season, Gay’s response is “I’d give myself about a C, a C+. I always think I could do better.”
Early on as a rookie he’d show flashes of greatness, but struggled to string together multiple games where he took control. Often he would overthink on the court, trying not to make a mistake instead of just playing instinctively. But as the season wore on, he got better and better. He finished the season second on the team in steals and third in blocks and three-point percentage.
But rather than rest on his late season laurels and take the summer to enjoy the trappings that come with celebrity, Gay spent the summer working tirelessly on improving as a player.
He and New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul took a trip together to the Bahamas shortly after the season ended, but rather than enjoy the sun and atmosphere, the pair went spent the two weeks doing very little other than working on their games. So why go all the way to the Bahamas just to play basketball, when they could have easily done it anywhere in the U.S.?
“It wasn’t really about the vacation. It was about nobody calling you, nobody could bother you, just straight working out.”
The work paid off, as Gay has emerged as star in the making. His scoring average has been hovering around the 20 points per game mark all season, and he’s developed a consistent three-point shot he makes at a nearly 40% clip. And while he won’t be playing a point-forward position anytime soon, his ballhandling has improved to the point where he can take many of his opponents off the dribble. As a result, he’s a leading candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player Award.
It’s that kind of mentality that can make even Gay forget that he’s only 21.
“I just told my mother, ‘Mom, I feel like I’m 30 years old,’” he says with a laugh. “She said, ‘Yeah, you had to grow up really fast,’ and I think I did.”
