 Pat Garrity: A kid at heart
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Straight Shooter| How do you welcome former rivals/opponents to the team? | Welcoming former opponents or rivals to a new team is not as hard as one might think. Everyone who has been able to reach this level of play understands that sometimes the heat of the moment during a game can lead to some bad blood, but with the number of games we play and with the length of time that some of our careers have spanned, grudges wear off and animosity fades. That is why welcoming someone you might have battled in the past is not hard at all. If it is someone who you hated playing against, it’s rather likely you’ll find that you’re even happier that he’s on your team. |
| What’s the craziest shot you ever hit in a game? In practice? | In all of my time in the League, I’ve never hit the halfcourt shot at the end of a quarter. Aside from not wanting to take the shot because of it’s effect on my three-point field-goal percentage, I’ve found that point guards like to blow upcourt as fast as they can with the ball in hopes of draining a Sportscenter highlight shot. One of my most thrilling shots was when I hit a game winner in Philly about five years ago. I was spacing the floor around the top of the key and everyone in the arena knew that Tracy McGrady was going to take the last shot. It was no surprise then when two Sixers ran at him to get the ball out of his hands. Since I was the closest guy to him, he flipped the ball to me and I caught on the run in perfect rhythm, took two dribbles and shot a runner from about 15 feet. I still remember seeing the ball hit the front of the rim and knowing I put a soft enough touch on it that it would roll right in. Running back down the floor to the bench as the Sixers called timeout to draw up on last play was one of the most thrilling moments for me as a basketball player. Everyone on our team was going crazy, hugging and high-fiving each other. Then Doc [Rivers] subbed me for the last play, saying they needed a better defender in the game. |
| Do you collect basketball memorabilia? | I’ve never been much of a memorabilia collector, although many times I’ve told myself I’m going to regret it once my playing days are over. In fact, I plan to start next year so that I can get as much stuff as I can for my son before it’s too late. I do have some signed balls, which do mean quite a bit to me. Two are from the times I appeared in the Three-Point Shootout during All-Star. Each contestant got a ball with the signatures of all of the other participants. The other signed ball I have is from the 1998 Draft, which has everybody’s signature who was invited to the draft lottery. Finally, I display all of the team photos I’ve collected from over the years, each with the signatures of the respective team members on the border of the photo. |
| What are some weird fan mail that you have gotten? | About 99 percent of fan mail consists of trading cards (with self-addressed, stamped envelopes) that collectors hoped to have signed and returned. Some are even kind enough to throw in some extra cards for me to keep. People generally might not know this, but the trading card companies don’t provide us with cards of ourselves, so the cards I have collected of myself have been from fans who have given them to me. I can’t seem to remember anything that stands out as too crazy, though. Maybe some solicitations for money that are obvious scams, but other than that, the content of my mail bin is quite dull. |
| Have you seen many people wear your jersey? | I can count the number of people I have seen with my jersey on with one hand. The teams only mass order jerseys for about four or five of the guys on each team. Those dedicated few who have donned Garrity jersey have had to go through special order. I can guarantee if you can get your hands on one, you’ll be the first on your block to sport the Orlando 8! |
From the Sept/Oct 2007 issue
