Nuggets rookie forward Gary Forbes is making a name for himself after arriving at training camp as a relative unknown. The former Atlantic 10 Player of the Year started four times early in the season while filling in for injured big men Carmelo Anthony and Nene, and he entered the weekend averaging 5.4 points despite playing just 12.2 minutes per game. Using Nuggets.com as his forum, Forbes will periodically share his thoughts on life as an NBA rookie.
Jan. 14, 2011
I’ve always been confident in my ability to play basketball. Just ask anyone who knows me: my brother, my parents, my closest friends. I think I was about five years old when I started telling them I was going to play in the NBA.
It wasn’t easy. I spent a few years playing overseas and in the D-League, but my patience and hard work finally paid off when the Nuggets gave me an opportunity to compete for a roster spot out of training camp last fall. I signed what’s called a non-guaranteed contract and then made sure I did everything I could to prove that I belonged in the league.
I knew that my contract was only guaranteed up to a certain point in January, but I stopped worrying about that around Christmas. I honestly didn’t know the exact date (Jan. 10) until someone told me last week.
I pretty much put everything in my own hands by listening to the advice of my big brother Anthony. He’s one of my biggest supporters, and he told me that if I kept working hard, getting to the gym early and being the good-character type person that I always have been, everything else would fall into place.
Sometimes it’s still hard to fathom that I’m living my dream, but at the same time, I know I’ve still got bigger things to accomplish.
Believe me, I didn’t work this hard to be a one-year wonder.