SACRAMENTO, CA— Last week the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) awarded Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) the Regional Legislator of the Year Award during their 45th Annual Legislative Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Each year, hundreds of African American legislators, along with advocates, policy experts, corporate executives, and community leaders, attend NBCSL’s premier event to discuss policies addressing the nation’s most pressing issues affecting African Americans. This year for model legislation, Senator Bradford submitted Senate Joint Resolution 7, which calls for the destruction of illegal FBI surveillance tapes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Senate Bill 796, which authorizes the County of Los Angeles to return the beachfront property known as Bruce’s Beach to the Bruce family.
“This year, it was my honor and distinct privilege to serve as Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus,” Senator Bradford said. “In everything I do and in every bill I introduce, my role and my responsibility is to pick up the baton from where our predecessors left off. I stand on the shoulders of giants who championed African American issues for the state and nation long before I was born. I am honored and humbled to be recognized for this prestigious award by President Billy Mitchell and my fellow NBCSL members. I commend NBCSL’s efforts to enrich the lives of African Americans and collaborate with them to tackle the social, educational and economic challenges facing our community.”
SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Title VI American Indian Education program is proud to have been able to bring back Family Culture Nights for the 2021–2022 school year.
Family Culture Nights are geared towards Native American students and their families, but all SBCUSD students and families are invited to attend and learn about Native American culture with hands-on activities.
“Family Culture Nights started as a way to help our Native students connect with their cultural heritage and find pride in their traditions,” said Cindra Weber, an education assistant IV/Native American Culture and descendant of Lakota nation. “And it’s also an opportunity for everyone in the school community to learn about and appreciate the rich cultural traditions of the Native people of not only this area but from across the country.”
Family Culture Nights feature free events and hands-on activities on most Thursday nights from 6–8 p.m. at the SBCUSD Professional Development Center (PDC). Upcoming Family Culture Nights are January 13, 20, and 27; February 3, 10, 17, and 24; March 3, 10, and 17; April 7, 14, 21, and 28; and May 5 and 12, 2022.
Call the Indian Education office at (909) 473-2076 for more information.
LOS ANGELES, CA—- The cast of “ILU America” (Land of America) grace the red carpet at their world premiere on Saturday, December 4th at the Culver City Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. Stars from the film who were in attendance included Producer Director Taiwo Oduala, Actress Doris Simeon, Actress Mistura Asunramu, Actor Femi Brainard, and Actress Rosemary Huff.
ILU America (Land of America) directed and produced by Taiwo Oduala is an African full length feature foreign language film with suspense, intrigue, emotion, love, and action fully subtitled in English. An indigenous emotional classic reality story of an immigrants’ ordeal and survival. The film is a groundbreaking adventure full of humor where the film’s pessimist, Ade, is forced to discover the meaning of resilience. Despite the obstacles and hardships along the way, his mission is to obtain citizenship in a land he was not born in, so he may see his dream come true.
ILU America (Land of America) cast members include leading actors Taiwo Oduala as Ade who also directed and produced the film and Actress Doris Simeon as Stacy. The film actors also include Adebayo Salami as CEO, Bayo Bankoleas as Tolu, Ayo Mogaji as Ade’s Mom, Mistura Asunramu as Mary, Femi Brainard as Jydo, Shina Ayooyinlola as Ade’s Friend, and Israel Ogunleye Alayo as Drug Guy.
Celebrity talent in attendance included Anthony Bless (Tyler Perry BET+ “Ruthless”; Paramount Pictures “Shooter”), Michael Adegoke (15 Time USA Show Dance Champion), Actress Montana Jacobowitz (Amazon Prime “2Real4U”), Actress Gloria Garauya (ABC “Grey’s Anatomy” & How To Get Away With Murder”), Actress Samantha Bailey (CBS Soap “The Young and the Restless”), Actor Jax Malcolm (CW Network “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”; FOX “The Other Side of the Door”), Abiola Azeezat (Headwrap Designer for Beyonce in The Lion King), Actress Nitu Chandra (Mandalay Pictures “Never Back Down: Revolt”), Actress Deana Moelle (Falcon Pictures “State of Consciousness”) and many others.
Sponsors for the film premiere included Oduataj Productions & Entertainment Inc., Top Dreams Universal, Sweven Culture, Indie Vision Films, Culver City Film Festival, Strictly Industry PR, Hollywood and African Prestigious Awards, Madam Omolara Okunubi, Melody Bar & Grill, Cinemark, Advanced Protection Services, and JW Express.
It’s over! We need to understand that. There is no shortage of fire and brimstone to be found in the Bible. [Revelation 21:8]. It’s clear from the opening pages of Genesis that there is a wrath of God, which abides on every ungodly man. For it is written, “God is angry with the wicked every day.” [Psalms 7:11].
What does this mean for us? It serves to remind us that we need to take the words of the Lord to heart! What He says will happen, will happen. What He promises, He will do. Do not trifle with your salvation. Be like the wise virgins in [Matthew 25] and prepare, because I tell you like a tidal wave, judgment is heading towards us.
Yes, there’s a time when God says, “Enough” to a nation. There’s a time when God says, “Enough” to an individual. God gives grace, He gives mercy, He gives space to repent, but when man is living in rebellion to God, God will not continue forever to give him space. When God draws a line, when God says, “That’s it!” It’s over! Period!
I tell you, it is frightening when the trumpets are sounding, when the alarms and the warning bells are ringing aloud, but yet, you will not take heed, nor believe His word. Just as in the days of Noah, people are ignoring the warnings even with destruction right at their doors. Why? God says, because you rather believe a lie and trust in the arms of mere man and follow after the things of this world which are temporary, than to trust in Him and follow after the things which are established eternally, in His Holy Word.
Therefore, He says, “Enough is enough! All that are unjust, let them be unjust. All that are wicked, let them remain wicked. Do not think that I come to bring peace, but I will come with a sword [Matthew 10:34] with fire and fury and will judge the wicked and all who follow and trust in the idols of this world.” For there are only a few, a small remnant who will hear and take heed to My warnings and will run to Me for true safety.
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins,” [Isaiah 58:1].
You have a decision to make. If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, then heed [Mark 1:15]. “The time has come…the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” “Because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” [Mark 13:35-37].
Then the Lord said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”‘ I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. [Jeremiah 15].
Oh, when the Spirit of the Lord says, “Enough is enough! It’s over!
“Weep for yourselves and for your children.” [Luke 23:28].
Please join League of Women Voters Riverside for a conversation with California’s Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber on Saturday, December 11 at 11 a. m. Secretary Weber was appointed California Secretary of State by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2021. She is California’s first Black Secretary of State.
Weber was born to sharecroppers in Hope, Arkansas during the segregationist Jim Crow era. Although her family moved to Southern California when she was three years old, her family’s experience in the Jim Crow South has driven her activism and legislative work. Her most notable legislative achievements have focused on education, election polices, and criminal justice reform.
Secretary Weber will share her plans to improve California’s election processes, ensure election access for all citizens, and enhance voters’ knowledge of their crucial role in creating a better democracy.
Please send your questions to lwvriverside@att.net and we will be sure to include them in the discussion.
Ammie Hunter, an Adelanto Elementary School District Board of Trustees member who founded a local nonprofit aimed at helping low-income women, died Tuesday.
The district did not disclose a cause of death in a statement but said it was sudden and unexpected. She was 58.
“Ammie was a caring and thoughtful community leader who spent her time and energy for the betterment of our school district and the community,” said AESD Superintendent Kennon Mitchell.
A district spokesperson said Hunter’s family was not ready to provide a statement.
Hunter, who formerly used the last name Hines, was elected to the board in 2018. She served the residents of Region 2 in the southeastern part of Adelanto, which covers Gus Franklin Jr. STEM Academy, Melva Davis Academy of Excellence, and West Creek Elementary.
“She was a loving parent and student advocate. We will miss her caring nature and insight as well as her friendship,” said Board President Christine Turner. “On behalf of the entire school board, I extend our deepest condolences to Mrs. Hunter’s family, loved ones, and the entire High Desert community.”
Her election win roughly three years ago garnered some controversy after a group of district teachers sent a letter to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters who expressed concerns about past legal troubles.
Records show Hunter had a welfare fraud conviction from Los Angeles County in 1999 and a string of traffic infractions in this county between 2006 and 2018, the Daily Press reported.
Hunter described the conviction as a “total misunderstanding” and questioned at the time why the Adelanto District Teachers Association’s political action committee hadn’t sent the letter until three weeks after the election.
“I’m not ashamed or embarrassed about talking about my past,” Hunter said. “If anybody had a question, I would have welcomed those discussions.”
She founded the nonprofit, Another Level for Women, in 2010, which the organization says is “dedicated to providing financial, emotional, and educational support services for women in our community, particularly extremely low-income women with children.”
According to the nonprofit’s “About” section, Hunter’s struggles as an unemployed mother seeking out community resources inspired her to start the organization.
Hunter also served on the boards of several other nonprofits, including the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County and the High Desert Food Collaborative.
The collaborative is a partnership of food providers that started in 2016 and is currently composed of 91 agencies, said Dawn Quigg, Hunter’s colleague on the collaborative’s council.
Quigg said her friend and “treasured partner” was there from the beginning.
“We valued her wisdom and passion for caring for others and will miss her deeply,” she said.
Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.
In June, California launched the nation’s first Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans this year.
The nine-member committee was established to meet the requirements of Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, which California Secretary of State Shirley Weber authored and introduced in 2020 when she served in the Legislature.
Gov. Newsom signed it into law September 2020.
“This is a debt that is owed, just because it hasn’t been paid doesn’t mean it goes away,” said the newly elected chair of the California reparations task force Kamilah V. Moore.
At the task force’s first meeting on June 1, Moore’s colleagues elected her the task force chairperson.
“It stems from President Lincoln’s promise to give emancipated Black people 40 acres and a mule,” Moore told California Black Media.
“But that failed with Johnson coming in after Lincoln’s assassination and taking all of that back, leaving my ancestors to fend for themselves in a country that facilitated their demise through discrimination,” she said.
As the task force chair, Moore, 29, aims to use her knowledge of domestic and international human rights to help guide the reparations push for African American descendants of enslaved people who live in California – and, perhaps, across the country.
Moore, an attorney, earned her law degree at Colombia University in New York City. Her specialization, she says, was the study of reparations.
Although she practices entertainment law in Los Angeles, Moore says she is determined to ensure that the task force proposes a package that is in accordance with international standards for reparations.
“I hope that the reparations package that comes out of this comports with international law standards,” said Moore.
With her deep knowledge of international law, Moore hopes that reparations for African Americans in California will follow the international guidelines provided by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. The recommendations based on the United Nations Charter offer basic protocols on reparations for victims of gross violations of international human rights law. However, the violations need to be acknowledged by the UN and other actors on the global stage. Unfortunately, the transatlantic slave trade is yet to be acknowledged as a gross violation of international human rights law, consequently, the United States is not obligated to compensate African Americans, Moore points out.
International human rights law states that reparations must be administered in five forms namely restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition.
“The package must include all five forms of reparations under international law, not just one, two, or three, but all five would be the ultimate success,” Moore explained.
“The challenge is making sure that it is as comprehensive as possible. I know compensation is a tricky issue,” she said.
The members of the task force are collaborating with the California Department of Justice and several researchers to set guidelines for who will be eligible to receive reparations in the state.
According to data compiled by the Pew Center, there are 46 million people in the United States who identify as Black. That research shows that Generation Z, people born between 1997 and 2012, make up 35 % of the total Black population. Another 23 % are Millennials, people born between 1981 and 1996.
Moore believes it is important for young African Americans to include their voices and perspectives in the conversations about reparations, especially since census data reveals that they make up the majority of the Black population in the US.
“There are more millennial and Gen Z Black Americans than there are Black baby boomers and people who are from the Silent Generation. So, America is increasingly becoming younger and younger. But, you know, that’s not necessarily reflected in our politics,” said Moore.
“It’s important for us to have a voice, not a marginal voice, but we should be at the center of these conversations, taking the advice and insight and working alongside our elders,” she said.
According to Moore, her experiences growing up in Los Angeles, ignited her passion for social justice. She was involved in various community service projects as a teen and young woman.
While studying at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) she worked with other community organizers in the University of California (UC) system to campaign for all UC schools to divest from private prison corporations and companies that do business with them. She was among the student leaders who passed a resolution that organized for UC to sell its shares in Corrections Corporation of America to security and prison management companies.
During her time at Columbia Law, she challenged the Academic Vice Provost to offer courses on reparations. Moore worked with the university’s human rights clinic to introduce classes on reparations taught by professors and experts in the field.
Moore followed up on her interest in human rights and her track record working and organizing in her community with a Master of Law degree in international criminal law from the University of Amsterdam. Her thesis focused on reparatory justice for victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and their enslaved descendants who suffered numerous atrocities and centuries of legal discrimination.
Moore acknowledges that, for some activists, there is fatigue and impatience when she and other advocates push the country to do a deeper study on reparations. But she emphasized that a research study is an all-important first step.
She and the rest of the reparations committee intend to use the power of persuasion to help build enough public interest and support that will strengthen the legal argument for reparations across the US.
“I acknowledge the hesitancy because I have reservations, too. How many more years do we need to study? We see the writing on the wall. There’s ample documentation of the harms, but in order for the recommendations or the proposals to be as comprehensive as possible, the study has to be as well.” said Moore.
Before joining the task force, Moore worked with several public figures to facilitate public discussions about reparations held on Club House, the popular new audio-only social networking platform.
“It was a great opportunity to democratize the conversations around reparations and make it more accessible to folks because in the past 30 years or so it’s been mainly discussed in political and academic circles,” said Moore.
The young attorney is optimistic that African Americans from different backgrounds will contribute to conversations about reparations because “you don’t have to be an expert to join something new,” she said.
Hometown hero and undefeated professional boxer Darious “D-Active” Harris was inducted into the Rialto Hall of Fame November 20th. He was honored by the Mayor, Members of Congress and City of Rialto for his success in boxing and humanitarian efforts in Rialto and beyond.
In November, just one day before his 31st Birthday, Harris hosted a successful turkey drive through his nonprofit organization Never Stop Grinding Impact.
“I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish at our turkey drive; we gave away over 300 turkey, 900 boxes of food, and over 100 COVID-19 vaccines were administered to those in Rialto and our surrounding communities. Remember, when we all work together the community is impacted positively,” said Harris.
Harris’s hope is that he inspires other athletes to get involved in the efforts to support their communities as well. His organization will be hosting a toy giveaway at Carter High School in Rialto December 22nd from 12-5pm.
SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) Foundation will receive more than $200,000 in new grants that will be used to support first-year students, provide scholarships and cover the cost of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exams.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians awarded a $100,000 grant for Valley-Bound Commitment, a program that aims to reduce economic barriers that may deter academic success. Since 2008, this program has covered enrollment fees and textbooks costs for hundreds of low-income students from local high schools during their first year at SBVC.
“San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a transformative partner for San Bernardino Valley College and Valley-Bound Commitment students, providing almost $2 million to support the program over the past 13 years,” SBVC Foundation Director Mike Layne said.
Edison International has granted the SBVC Foundation two awards: $50,000 for the Clean Energy Hybrid and Electric Vehicle (EV) Technician program and $25,000 for STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) scholarships. Students in the EV Tech program learn the skills necessary to enter the electric vehicle and clean energy field, where technicians who know the latest technology are in demand.
This is Edison’s 11th year working with SBVC to provide scholarships to students pursuing careers in STEM fields like computer science, bioengineering and mechanical engineering.
“For students who begin their studies at SBVC with an economic disadvantage, these grants help to improve training and create scholarship opportunities that represent a lifeline to higher-wage jobs and career advancement opportunities,” Layne said.
An additional $25,000 grant from SoCalGas will make more scholarships possible. This award will provide 20 $1,000 scholarships for economically disadvantaged students enrolled in alternative fuels classes or taking alternative fuels certification exams, and $5,000 to promote these courses and sponsor the SBVC 95th Anniversary Gala.
A $15,000 Careers in Aviation Project grant from Wells Fargo will help aeronautics students soar. SBVC’s Aviation Maintenance Technician Certificate is designed to prepare students to qualify for the Airframe and Powerplant Certificate, which is issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and allows recipients to perform 100 hours and annual inspections on aircraft. The Wells Fargo grant will cover the cost of the Airframe and Powerplant Certificate for low-income students.
To learn more about the SBVC Foundation and how you can help, visit sbvcfoundation.org.
Since he arrived to the NBA as the No. 1 pick in 2017 for the Philadelphia 76ers, there has been so much misreported about Markelle Fultz.
Fultz went through two tumultuous years of misinformation by the media and fans, conspiracy theories, unfounded rumors, criticisms and internet jokes, and he was labeled a bust by people who are paid a king’s ransom on ESPN — namely Stephen A. Smith, who called Fultz “the biggest bust in NBA history.”
But what actually happened is quite the opposite. Fultz wasn’t a “bust.” He was dealing with an injury that is not only untraceable by an MRI, but also rarely (or hardly ever) seen in basketball players. In spite of all that, he was still trying to play through the pain because of his love for the game of basketball, and it’s something that he does, in fact, regret doing.
I spoke with Fultz on my podcast, “The Rematch,” and the Orlando Magic guard opened up on everything that happened with his shoulder and finally put all of the incorrect rumors to rest. Below is a snippet of our conversation:
Etan Thomas: You mentioned your shoulder. You injured your shoulder, and you initially tried to play through it and not tell anybody about the injury, right? Am I correct?
Markelle Fultz: “Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.”
Etan Thomas: So walk me through that process because people don’t really understand how it works sometimes. And I’m sure the pressure of being No. 1 was a contributing factor to why you wanted to play through the injury. But walk me through that process.
Markelle Fultz: “Yeah. Well, a lot of people just don’t know my love for the game. Growing up in the area I grew up, you have bumps and bruises. But that’s where it becomes a business, taking care of your body. And me being who I am, loving the game so much, I feel like, although my shoulder was messed up, I feel like I can still contribute to the game and help my team win. So I wanted to go out there and just compete and have fun with the game. And also, it’s my first year. And I think that I did a poor job of communicating to my agent and my family what I was feeling, instead of just going out there and trying to compete without expressing what I was feeling. And all I was doing was making it worse. But when I realized that certain situations weren’t going my way, I knew I had to speak up, and I had to do what’s best for myself.
“And I think that was the toughest part about it, because I felt like I could still play and contribute to my team, but I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t 100%, and it wasn’t what was best for the team. So I took that time and tried to figure out what was going on. And I went to go see certain doctors and started that rehab process then. But I think the biggest thing I learned from that is just taking care of my body, and communicating what I feel to not only my agent and my family, but also trainers and stuff like that.”
Etan Thomas: So how long were you in pain before you told anybody?
Markelle Fultz: “Actually, my shoulder started hurting before training camp [in my rookie year]. But I just thought it was from how much work I was putting in, from me shooting so much that my shoulder was just sore. So I tried to work through it. I’m going in the gym, shooting thousands of shots, trying to shoot through it. And the whole time, I just continued to make it worse. But again, the mindset that I had, I’m just trying to grind. I’m trying to continue to work through these issues, and not knowing that I’m making it worse. Again, I’m just kind of being young and being selfish, I would call it, in a sense, not understanding my body. And I think that was a big part of it. And again, once I communicated, I started to get the help that I needed. And I started to work and rehab, and it started to get better.”
Etan Thomas: You mentioned you learned how to advocate for yourself. I want you to go a little bit more detail with that. And speak up because still, a lot of people don’t really understand how it works with team trainers and team doctors, and how a lot of times players have to speak up and advocate for themselves. Just go into a little bit more detail about that point.
Markelle Fultz: “Yeah. And this is no knock on any team or anything like that, but it’s a business, at the end of the day. And sometimes, again, it’s a long season, so you have bumps and bruises. And sometimes, some people play through it, some people don’t. Everybody’s body is different. So especially not knowing a person and not knowing the situation, if you don’t communicate and advocate for yourself, you never know what could happen. And it can be something as small as your toe hurting. But what I’ve learned so much about my body is your body compensates. And we’re so good, as athletes and as humans, that if we’re trying to do something, our body’s going to find a way to do it. So it might not be the right way, but we can do certain stuff and hurt ourself, in the long run.
“And so my one thing would be: try to be in tune with your body as much as you can. And [it could be something] as small as your toenail hurting. I mean, you always get this phrase of ‘You’re soft’ or you’re whatever. But what I’ve learned is I’d rather overcommunicate about how my body’s feeling and still be able to work out. I still want to work out, but I’m going to let you know, ‘Hey, my big toe’s hurting. Hey, my right hamstring is feeling like this today. My knee’s feeling like this.’ So they can start to know that you’re caring about your body, and you’re documenting certain stuff, so you don’t end up compensating and hurting yourself in the long run.”
Etan Thomas: Yeah, well, it’s interesting. You go to different gyms, and they could be even as young as high school. And you see phrases on the wall like “Pain is weakness leaving your body” and stuff like that. And I hate that. I do, because it puts the wrong mentality into players, to thinking that them being injured is somehow their fault, like they’re not being tough enough to play through an injury. And I just personally cannot stand that mentality at all.
Markelle Fultz: “Yeah. And I think that’s how I kind of grew up. Not in a bad way. But growing up, I’m playing through whatever. I don’t want to be soft. I want to show that I’m tough. But when you get to a certain point where your body is your brand… Your body is your car, so you need to take care of that thing like it’s a Ferrari. You hear phrases like that, but it’s true. You have to take care of your body.
“You have to get the right recovery. You have to get the right sleep. If not, it’s going to end up hurting you. It might not hurt you right away, but down the road it can give you certain side effects. Or you never know, it can lead to something happening right away. But there are also freak accidents that happen. But I think that’s the one thing that I would recommend to any player at any age, is just communicating about your body. [That] doesn’t mean that you have to sit out of a drill, but it can start to put an awareness on people’s mind. You can start to document certain things. And you’ll have a better understanding, going forward, of why you do what you do.”
Markelle Fultz’s story is a great example for all younger players on fighting through adversity, having the right mentality, ignoring critics and perseverance. His testimony is something every young athlete should hear. Powerful interview #TheRematchhttps://t.co/25vHkql1Rjpic.twitter.com/LpHu9jQxfG
Etan Thomas: But I think that sometimes a player does have to sit down. A player does have to say, “Okay, I can’t go. You’re going to talk bad about me. You’re going to tell…” So I use the example a lot with my son about Robert Griffin III. So when RG III first came to D.C., my son was the biggest RG III fan on earth. And then I took him to… you know when they have the open scrimmages? So he met him, and RG III was cool with him. And they took a picture, and he’s been the biggest RG III fan forever since then. And you remember that game where RG III was limping out there? And so, I’m watching that game with Malcolm. And he was like, “Why is he playing? What is he doing? He’s going to injure himself,” and so forth. This is what a young Malcolm is saying.
And sure enough, in fact his entire career, the trajectory of everything, went downhill from there. And then you saw the trainer say, “Well, I didn’t tell him to go out there.” Nobody wanted to take responsibility. But it should be the trainer’s job to tell you that you are going to hurt yourself more if you continue playing. And that’s the problem that I personally have with a lot of NBA trainers. I’m not throwing anybody in particular under the bus; this is a league-wide issue. They’re employers of the team, and they want to do what’s best for the team, not what’s best for the player.
Markelle Fultz: “Exactly. And that’s where it comes back to a relationship. So you have to have the certain people in your corner that’s going to always keep it real with you because at the end of the day, like I said, your body’s your brand. And it’s about the longevity. It’s different if it’s Game 7 in the playoffs or the championship, and you’re sacrificing for that. What I’ve also learned is rest is a big part of recovery, and getting the right amount of rest. Some days you got to go hard, and some days you have to not do anything at all. I mean, you can do some light stuff. But I think you hit it right on the head. Some people’s mind is set for the team. Not everybody has your best interest [in mind]. You have the best interest for yourself. So I think that’s why it’s huge to communicate how you feel to whoever it is — whether it’s your mom, your dad, your trainer, whoever — and do what you feel is best because you know your body the best.
“Nobody else can tell you how your body is supposed to feel, how your body feels at that time. And I think that’s where I learned how to advocate the most for myself. And I’ve gotten more respect from a lot of people when I do that. And again, it doesn’t mean you’re soft. It’s just being smart about certain things. But at the same time, you do have to push yourself in certain limits to be able to… It’s going to be certain days where you’re sore, and you still have to push through. That’s part of it, but it’s a difference between sore and hurt. So just trying to learn… The sooner you start to communicate certain things, you start to learn what’s pain, and what’s okay to work through and what’s not to work through. And that’s where I think I’ve learned the most. I’ve learned how to identify what’s going on in my body, and understand what I need to do to make that feel better, or if I need to take rest or if I need to go get treatment.”
Etan Thomas: Yeah. I mean, I always heard the saying that there’s a difference between being injured and hurting. So sometimes you’re going to have to play through being hurting. That’s just part of being an athlete. But being injured, you need to sit down.
Markelle Fultz: Exactly.
Etan Thomas: So, I want to ask a few specifics. I remember seeing some videos of you, watching you play and seeing your different routines on the free-throw line. And I just wanted to ask: Was that when you was trying to push through it? Was it part of the rehab? So there was one where you would kind of pat the ball like this, and then shoot it. And then there were some where you would go up and it would be kind of like a hitch, kind of. What exactly was going on?
Markelle Fultz: “Yes. So what a lot of people don’t know is, what TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) is. It’s a nerve… It’s when your nerves are getting pressured on, and you can start to lose feeling in your hands. So at the time when I was playing, I still had TOS. I wasn’t diagnosed with TOS. I still was working through certain shoulder stuff. But again, with my love for the game, I still wanted to be out there.
“And another thing people don’t know, TOS is not diagnosed through a MRI, CAT scan. It’s very hard to diagnose TOS, which is a big part of why, in the beginning, I kind of thought that nothing was going on. And I just thought it was my shoulder, because when I got MRIs and I got the scans, I didn’t see anything that was going on. But I had to continue. So I went from shooting 40% in college to coming into the NBA…. It’s so funny, people were like, ‘He changed his shot.’ Like, what would I change my shot for? There’s no reason. So that was one of the funniest things that I heard, then I used to hear all these rumors about me being injured on a motorcycle, but that’s another story.”
Etan Thomas: Oh, man! There were so many different rumors about you… They got the story wrong so many times. I heard so many different stories.
Markelle Fultz: And that’s what was the funniest thing because to me… I never went out to address it because I didn’t care about that. Again, my main focus was getting back on the court, doing what I needed to do. But some of the stuff I used to see, I used to be like, ‘Yo, that’s crazy that somebody actually believes that.’ But it also taught me another thing: You can’t believe everything you read, right? But yeah. So pretty much what people didn’t know is, so when I was going… The whole thing on my shoulder, when I would try to shoot, it almost felt like I had a too-small suit jacket on. So I would go, try to go up, and it felt like somebody was almost holding my arm there. I would try to move fast, but I felt like I couldn’t move fast. So what I ended up doing is continue to try to shoot on it. I ended up building up more and more pressure on my shoulder where I’m not using… where I’m starting to hinge my shoulder up. I’m starting to use the wrong muscles, and I’m building bad habits.
“But what people don’t understand is I’m out there playing, still. Still trying to shoot, still doing this. I was still making free throws. I wasn’t very high percentage, but I was still making free throws. And so the first thing, when I would go up sometimes, I would lose feeling in my hand. And so, that’s the reason I’d double clutch, because I would get here and I wouldn’t feel like the ball was in my hand. But when I’d come up, my feeling would come back because the way it is — when I’m going through a certain motion — my muscles are pushing on my nerve, which is cutting my feeling off. And when I go through, it releases off the nerve, and that’s when I would get my feeling back. So when I would do the double clutch, it was because when I would get here, I wouldn’t feel the ball in my hand. So it was no way I was shooting if I don’t feel like the ball [was] in my hand.
“So I would go up a little bit and it would come back, so I would just come from here and shoot the ball. And so when I went to practice, I’m like, ‘Alright, that’s not working, so let me try something else.’ So another thing I tried to do was, this wouldn’t have me holding the ball. So the desensitization of just moving the ball back and forth until I get into where I get feeling, which is right here, then I can just shoot. I was fine shooting from here. If I had just caught the ball here and shot up, it was perfectly fine. So that was why I went to that because I was just trying to be more efficient at the free-throw line. I didn’t care what people were saying. I was just trying to get my flow in. So when I got to where I needed to go, I can just shoot the ball fine. But again, that was another realization of me compensating. And I said, ‘Markelle Fultz, you don’t need to compensate. You need to get healthy.’
“And another instance where I talked to my agent, I just told him I have no problem playing. I just feel like I want to be myself so I can just go out there and play without thinking, just playing my game, be who I am. And so, that’s where it kind of went from. But just a lot of repetition of shooting the wrong way, it just builds bad habits and it builds your muscle memory wrong. And so, that was the biggest thing, trying to get back to… And I’m still working on it now. It’s something I’m always going to have to work on. It’s just trying to get my brain to process the ball being over my head the same way. And it’s something that is a everyday grind, but I’m enjoying it. I feel way more comfortable now, and I feel the improvement. And again, I know my body, so I know what I need to work on.
Listen to the full episode of Markelle Fultz on The Rematch here.
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