A World of Difference - Part 2 of 3

There is nothing that brings a smile faster to his face than when World B. Free is visiting with children.
ALL-WORLD Free's Best 76ers All-Time Starting Five
Wilt Chamberlain (NBA: 1959-1970)	C
Julius Erving (NBA: 1976-1987)	SF
Allen Iverson (NBA: 1996-present)	SG
Bobby Jones (NBA: 1976-1986)	PF
Mo Cheeks (NBA: 1978-1993)	PG

By Julani Ghana

When it comes to balancing basketball and the community, few can do it better than former Sixer and NBA All-Star World B. Free. Despite his retirement from the NBA more than a decade ago, this former New York City playground legend is still scoring big-time points with thousands of fans in the Delaware Valley as the Ambassador of 76ers Basketball.

While preparing for the Eighth annual Summer Hoops Tour, Free took some time out to share his thoughts on today’s NBA and reflected on some of his own personal memories as a player. In this three part series, he also discusses why he feels so strongly about giving back to the community and how working with kids through recreational basketball has given him a great career off the court.

Part two of a three part series.

It’s no secret that you experienced some tough times growing up, including the unfortunate death of some friends and relatives. How have those experiences affected you, and what have you done to overcome those challenges?

My thing was my mom. I love my mom. I love dad too, but mom was the pillar. I saw her struggle and didn’t want to put her through any unnecessary heartache. I was no angel. I saw a lot of things happen. Drugs, murder, and other stuff. But my love for her helped me stay on the right path.

Are some of these experiences the reason why you have decided to give so much back to the community as the Ambassador of 76ers Basketball?

Yes, that is why I give back. I lived these experiences and kids want to know that you can relate to these realities. You only get a few minutes in speaking with them and if you are not in touch with them, you will lose them. If the room is silent when I am talking, I know I am reaching them.

The NBA has steadily become a young man’s game. How old were you when you entered the league, and what are your thoughts about young guys like Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and now, possibly Lebron James, passing by college for the NBA?

The focus of World B. Free's summer is the 76ers Summer Hoops Tour. This year the tour will make 42 stops in the Delaware Valley.

I don’t mind guys skipping college to get their money as long as they still get their education. The league suffers because it takes young guys three to four years to learn the game and find themselves. Some high school kids can’t make it because so much goes on too fast. They are no longer regular high school kids. They are dollar signs. Everybody is pulling at them. This really makes a difference. And then when they are not playing but sitting on the bench, this can be tough. In high school, they were the star but in the NBA, the veterans can exploit their weaknesses. They don’t always get the time to develop these weaknesses because in the NBA, you get paid to play defense. For some guys, they are unfortunately picked by losing teams, and it gets worse. So, it is a blessing to get the money but the league suffers.

People probably don’t realize that you were a college basketball star at Guilford College in North Carolina where your team won the NAIA National Championship. How did you go from schoolyards of the Big Apple to such a tiny college down south?

Actually it was Greg “Jocko” Jackson who influenced me. I looked up to him in Brownsville. He was only six-foot-one, but he could almost sit on the rim. He jumped so high, and I used to want to be like him. I was the No. 1 player coming out of NYC. I had offers for scholarships from all of the big schools. Greg asked me to come to Guilford College to help them win a championship. I had never heard of Guilford. Then he told me that they were not going to offer me a scholarship, but they would give me “love and support”. I thought Greg was crazy, but I agreed to let the Guilford coach come and meet my mom. I didn’t think he would convince my mom, but he promised her that they would give me “love and everything that I would need for a good education”. That was all mom needed to hear, and she sent me to North Carolina forgetting all of those big schools. It was the best decision I ever made, and I would not change anything if I had to do it all over again. And now after 25 years, we are finally going to get our NAIA Championship rings.

<< Part One | >> Part Three

WORLD B. FREE World B. Free officially retired from the NBA in 1989 after 13 seasons. His 17,955 career points are more than old school NBA Hall of Famers such as Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Kevin McHale, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, and Lenny Wilkens. Free was a member of the 76ers from 1975 through 1978 and then returned to the Sixers during the 1986-87 season after playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Diego (now Los Angeles) Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets. Eight times in his NBA career, he averaged at least 22.3 ppg for the season and was a Second Team All-NBA selection in 1979. In 1980, Free scored a career best 30.2 ppg and made his first and only NBA All-Star Team where he started in the backcourt with Magic Johnson. He finished his NBA career with an average of 20.3 ppg. If you are wondering where to find Free these days, look no further than perhaps the children’s ward at a local hospital or maybe a classroom at a nearby elementary school. If he’s not at either place, you will probably find him greeting thousands of fans before each home game at the Wachovia Center or “hooping it up”, full-court with a bunch of kids at the neighborhood recreation center or playground. Free still loves the game of basketball and is always looking to share his good fortune on the court or in the community. As a matter of fact, this summer Free will once again conduct nearly 40 free basketball clinics for the young people of the Tri-State area beginning in late June and ending in mid-August. At these clinics, kids will get the chance to hear about how to be a success as a player and in life from one of the NBA’s premier spokesmen.