Young players looking to carve out a lengthy NBA career would be wise to stick closely to New Orleans veteran Garrett Temple, who’s spent a dozen years in the league, among 13 as a professional player (he spent the NBA’s 2011-12 lockout season in Italy). When you add his 30 playoff games, the LSU product and Baton Rouge native has appeared in over 700 NBA contests since debuting with Houston in February 2010, two days after Temple’s beloved New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl.
The 35-year-old sat down with Pelicans.com as the subject of this week’s “24 Seconds” Q&A article, presented by Ibotta:
Pelicans.com: When did you know you were going to play in the NBA? Was there a moment you knew you were going to make it, or has it been a steady increase over time of getting better?
Temple: I think it’s a little bit of both. There was a moment when I knew I belonged in the NBA, and it was actually when I played summer league and then I got cut, but my first call-up to the NBA was with the Houston Rockets my rookie year, playing in the game and realizing, “I can play in this league.”
Then, when I got cut by the Miami Heat, the year after I came back from (playing a season overseas in) Italy, I really just had a great confidence about, “I’m supposed to be in the NBA right now.” Nine games in the D-League later, I got called up again by the Wizards and haven’t been back to the D-League since, and that was in 2012.
I think, steadily, during that process since then, though, continuing to get better at certain things that allowed me to stay in this NBA because the cliche is true, it’s easier to get in than it is to stay in. The amount of attrition through this league is a lot. I’m just blessed to have been able to stay pretty healthy and get the breaks that I’ve gotten.
Pelicans.com: For Trey Murphy, for example, his story was that he was a good player, but he knew he needed to get better at defense. So he went and played for Tony Bennett in Virginia. Is it that the kind of mentality you must have if you’re going to be a success in the NBA?
Temple: No question. You have to seek out people, whether it be veterans, whether it be coaches to talk to, figure out what your niche is. In the offseason, figure out things that you need to get better at and work at that. My story, I didn’t expect to be a 12-year NBA guy, but I steadily continued to take bits and pieces from people and put that work in. At the end of the day, work ethic, you can’t buy that. Somebody can’t give that to you. You’ve got to do it yourself. So I think Trey has that mentality. Obviously he’s shown that he wants to seek out being better at certain things, and that’s going to bode well for him in the league.
Pelicans.com: It’s the 75th anniversary of the NBA. Do you have an all-time starting five?
Temple: I’m going to go with Isiah (Thomas), Jordan at the two. I’m going to coach y’all to be all right together. Jordan at the two. We got LeBron at the three. And then at the four we need some shooting. You all are going to think I’m crazy. We got Dirk (Nowitzki) at the four. And then you got big fella. You got Big Aristotle (Shaquille O’Neal) at the five. That’s a tough squad.
Pelicans.com: Do you have an NBA moment growing up that sticks out in your mind?
Temple: I was a teenager by this time, but Derek Fisher’s shot (with four-tenths of a second left to beat San Antonio in the playoffs). That’s the first thing that pops into my mind. I remember him catching it, shooting it with the left hand, with 0.4 left. I was a Lakers fan at the time because of Shaquille. So wherever Shaquille was at, I was a Lakers fan being an LSU guy.
And I remember, Jordan’s shot, watching that against the Utah Jazz (in the 1998 NBA Finals), the crossover, boom. Not even really thinking is this his last time? Just being like, “Wow. That’s the game.” And his shot in his first round of that series (to beat Cleveland in the 1989 playoffs). Those three moments are fresh in my mind.