TOM's Talks | Clarence Weatherspoon

number retired. Dubbed by the Philadelphia Media, Baby Barkley, Weatherspoon missed only four games in his first four years and played all eighty two three times. And he was a pump banking double double machine. Let's hear from Spoon. Welcome to another edition of Tom's Talks. And here we're with another great former sixer, Clarence Weatherspoon. He spent six years with the seventy sixers in the mid nineties. And Spoon, great to have you you join us from Mississippi. Sounds

like life. It's good you and your wife Hazel raised three great kids. And what's everything like for you right now as you're working through this pandemic and everything that's going on in our country. Well, you know, just trying to stay healthy and I stay blessed. Uh you know, my family is doing well, and uh, you know, it's just like you say, with the COVID nineteen and all the social changes that that's in awareness to social changes

that have been happening. So you know, you're just trying to just trying to stay healthy and uh you know, and and wishing everybody to uh, you know, to stay healthy and become more aware or what's happening. Uh, and what's going on right now, and there is quite a bit going on in our country. It seems like there's a huge moment and a huge movement for change. Growing up in a little town like Crawford, Mississippi, in the late seventies and in the eighties, what was that like

for you? Well, you know, I think I got a chance to to to have an advantage. So I was the youngest of thirteen kids. So my older brothers and sisters they went through, uh you know, changing up, the segregation of schools, uh, the busing to schools and stuff. You know, I still a bus but growing up, I walked to our local elementary school, but doing high school.

I was bus to a high school, so you know, you don't think about those things as a kid, but as you become grow and become an a notte, you see the difference in those things, and uh the difference and the educational level of educational opportunities and stuff. But it's it's a it's a process that I think our state has been working through and getting better and better. It's still changes that need to be made socially and

and and and being more inclusive to everyone. Uh so, but I think, uh, you know, during that time, like I said, I was I was the youngest, so I had a chance to not experiences as much as my older siblings and stuff. But you know, you become aware. You know, you're catching a five thirty bus to be plus across town to a different different school and stuff.

So high school so it's different. You notice the difference when you become an adult and you grow to become an adult for you to be back at your alma mater. You're the only player that's ever had their jersey retired with the Golden Eagles. Obviously a tremendous player, they're a Metro Conference Player of the Year at three times and now to be a part of the coaching staff and working with your son who's a player there, that must

be special. Yeah, you know, getting a chance to go back to Southern Myths to be a part of the coaching staff and plus getting a chance to work with my son. It's been a great, great experience for me, you know, a learning experience. So you know this going into my fifth year old staffs so but you know it's exciting at the same time, you know, and and you know, I'm just glad to be still around basketball, learning, teaching and just growing with the sport. And you work

with him at Ridgeway High School. What's it like coaching your son, Well, you know, it's just like you know in any h anything else. You know, from pee wee all the way through. You know, you don't want to show favoritism anything anything like that. You just wanted to, you know, try to instill the valuable work ethics and uh and and let him work through all the Kingston and growing growing pains, you know. But still on the

other side, you're still a father. But you know you want to see your son or your children do you know, as well as possible. But you know, it's a it's a process, but you know it's enjoyable. But you know, getting a chance to work with him and all all our student athletes, it's you know, it's been a pleasure for them. And now I'm sure all that having been said, there's part in the back of your brain like, man,

this is great. Look at my kid out there, right, I mean, you must really enjoy it too, well, you know, you know, it's just the part that you're giving a chance to see him live out his dream and some of his experiences. So you know, uh, you know, one thing about this, it brings so much, you know, so

much enjoyment to you. So for me getting a chance to see him, getting a chance to be out there, getting a chance to compete in, the chance to grow in, the chance to you know, just work through and becoming a young adot himself. You know, but the game of

basketball allows you so many of those opportunities. Now, when you left Mississippi and Southern specifically, you were drafted ninth by the Sixers and traveling and moving to Philadelphia must have been quite a transition for you as a young man. What do you recall from that that move from being a college player, not only to the pros, but as

I say, to a big Northeastern city like Philadelphia. Well, you know, it was it was a learning process you had to go through, and uh, you know they're just getting just getting used to the interstate system, you know, all the ends and out of the system in there. But you know, once I got in early and I found found the home, found a place to stay. You know, I had traveled so much with international basketball and stuff, so I had You've been used to being in big,

bigger cities of different places and stuff. So uh, you know, I think that with the staff and everybody to help with that transition, you know, after a month or so, it became became much smoother for me. So you know, it was it was a great experience for me. I really enjoyed my time with the Sixers, and I really enjoyed, you know, the city of Philadelphia and the Delaware Ever,

so the Sixers had just traded Charles Barkley. The Philadelphia media before you even came to Philadelphia had dubbed you the Metro's barkleye the Metro Conference, and then when you got here, at times they referred to as Baby Barkley obviously that's a huge compliment and that Charles was one of the great players and talented players in NBA history. But what did you think of that nickname and how

did you take to that? Well, you know, definitely, you know Charles, you know, was one of my role models growing up, coming up, coming from Mississippi. You know, you from Alabama, played at Album, so you had followed him, I had followed him all the way through. So getting a chance to come to Philly and follow him, and you know, it was a great respect and you a

great challenge. But you know, one thing I tried to do earlier on was trying to establish myself as a player, you know, because it's the one thing the hardest thing in the world is to try to emulate or be someone else, especially trying to be a superstar winning superstars

of the game. So you certainly did establish yourself. I mean, you average sixteen points a game as a rookie, and then in those second and third years you had you know, like seventy five double double statistically, very durable if I'm not mistaken. In your first four years three those first four years, you played all eighty two games and missed only four games. So you were there every night and you racked up numbers and both rebounding and scoring and

contributed quite a bit. Is that how you remember it? Yeah, you know, My thing was always to come out and play hard, give give one hundred percent effort, and uh, you know, enjoy the game. You know, I enjoy playing the game. And uh you know, like I say, the city and the team and the organization that gave me opportunities. So my job to come in and tried to learn as much as I could from from the staffs and

my teammates and play hard and play every night. And that's what I tried to do, to come out and be a consistent, solid, uh you know player, and uh you know, and I think I tried to do that every night. Right, So you're you're the first year I was here, twenty five years ago, Stackhouse was drafted and you played with Jerry John Lucas was the coach, and

the team only won eighteen games. But the following year they drafted Iverson and the team had made the move for Derek Coleman the previous year, and now you got some talented players. Johnny Davis as the coach. I'm sure your shots went down a little bit with Allan and Jerry in terms of your field goal tims. But what do you remember from now mistaken el had been here

your fourth year in the NBA. Well, you know, once you add uh, you know, talent to a to a team, and especially a talent like Jerry and uh and Uh Alan and you had traded for it, Like I said, DC and those guys, you know, the SHOT's gonna go down. But the thing about you know, how I looked at it was, you know, if you're gonna if you're gonna win and win big and you add talent, you got to diversify your game. You got to circrifice, you got to be a team player. And I think that's that

was part of my makeup. You know, I wasn't worried about shots. I want to win games, you know, having the chance that win and that that was all what I was about, having the chance that winning. And you know, and you know Ai, all those guys, but Ai, especially Man. I really enjoyed Alan and then being a part of that and you know, and I'm glad to see him, you know, down the line lead the team to a chance to play in the final. So you know, Uh, you know I was there at the beginning that I

had of but you know, things work out different. But he eventually I did and you know, and uh, you know, pulling for those guys get Alan, Like you obviously knew he was talented and being the number one pick out of Georgetown, but when you actually started playing with them and he started racking up numbers, did he opened your eyes a little bit? Well? You know, like I said, Alan showed that he was super tough, tough as nails,

you know, uh for for for a smaller guard. You know, he had all the quickness, the ability and stuff, but he had a mindset that he's going to come out there every night and compete, get knocked down, push shove whatever. You know, Alan was gonna gonna pop right back up and uh and bring it and bring it to you. So you know, that's that's what I enjoyed about it, you know, you know, just being just watching that and

watching his broth to be a super competitor. Always was a competitive but you know, like I said, for some the pounding and the stuff he went through his first couple of years in the league, you know, I think Alan set a tone for you know, for the league for a lot of guys because he was one of those young guys who took that whip and he took the physicality and showed that smaller guards can league teams.

And now you look at the league, everybody got a little quick guys who turned and perform stand in the pain shooting three. So you know, I think Alan definitely was a trancesetter with that. We'll have more of my conversation with Clarence Weatherspoon in a minute. In this time of social distancing, Novacare Rehabilitation is offering physical therapy from

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Clarence Weatherspoon. People probably forget and you would seem to be an unlikely candidate, but you were in the dunk competition. The year was nineteen ninety three. Harold Minor, the lefty out of Miami who went to Southern cal won the dunk competition. That must have been a pretty cool experience

at All Star Weekend. Yeah, you know, getting a chance to go to All Star Weekend, especially you know as as as a rookie and uh going there and seeing all the All Stars is something that you describe to.

But I think that was doing the fifteen the anniversary, I think also with some of the greatest players in the history of basketball was there in South Lake City, So you know, it was a great experience, and you know, it's just it's just one of those situations where you just see it and you see the history and all the greatness that was there at that time. And and then getting a chance to compete at the in the dunk contest, you know that that was that was that

a big moment for him. That's probably pretty cool. So then Larry Brown takes over and he tried to trade you in the off season to Boston. It didn't work out because the player Roger didn't pass his field physical. Eventually you get traded to the Warriors, and then you started another part of your career, if you will. Golden

State Miami Cleveland, the Knicks. How did that last part, the second part of your career and out from your perspective, Well, I think I think it you know, it wasn't really good for me because, like I say, when coach Brown came in, it was it was it was a situation where he was building the team, putting fits and pieces together, and like I say, as you see they went on and had a chance to play for world championships, so you know, you know, definitely a veteran coach that was building.

So you know, you know, that's part of sports. You know, guys put pieces that anything fit and do. But with me being traded out the Golden State, he gave me a chance to play on the West Coast to see different styles and and teams more often. But it also was doing a free agent year, so it gave me a chance to be a free agent and choose where you want to get a chance to play and go and uh and I chose to go down to Miami

and U and that was my first playoff experience. So like I say, that led to having a playoff situation in Houston at the end. So uh, you know, that's what you want to do coming into the league. You want to develop as a player. You want to be a good player, you want to be a consistent player. But every player would tell you he want a chance to play in the playoff because that is the biggest stage for the NBA. And you know, playing for World

Championship is the ultimate, ultimate opportunity. So you know, I think, uh I got a chance to do that my later years of my career. So you know, I think everything worked out for me and and I was extreamly proud of my career and happy I had the opportunity to play in the game playoffs. Spoon, you were for your position, forward and undersized player, and you were known in many respects. One of my former uh, well, I love chat Walker when he played both here in Philadelphia and for the

Chicago Bulls. But you used a series of pump bakes, and you had to be crafty because you scored the ball. Not everybody can score double figures on a routine basis, like you did. Speak to that and try to you know, trick the opposition and using all those pump bakes to get your shots off. Well, you know, from from from high school all the way through college, you know, I was I was learning to play in traffic, and so when you play in traffic is angles, pump fakes, quickness

and explosion. But once I got you got the Philly, you know, I just worked with that within my game. And you know, like I said, he was able to learn and continue to learn to play in space. So when your career ended, you got into us producing a little bit and tell me a little bit more about that aspect as you began to begin life after basketball. Well it started, uh when I signed with the Nicks as as a free agent, you know, being in New York,

you around, Uh that's you know the entertainment Meca. You know, with with with entertainment music, so you made a lot of contacts and stuff and never a lot of new people and stuff. So uh during that time, you know music, uh guys, rappers, seniors, artists and stuff. So he gave me another idea of you know, coming back when I got retired and uh you know retired, He gave me,

you know, some ideas and stuff. And anytime you see guys who who working and having a chance and half talent, but sometimes they don't have their resources or the outlet and sort the contact. So you know, um, once I retired, I had more free time to talk and meet with guys. And what I end up happening, I was able to put those guys in the right places and put them in front of means and contacts, and then we end them having a couple of songs that start generating buzz

in the South and encounter kept going from there. Now I circle back to your career for a little bit because I just remember in our times traveling together, you were a nervous flyer, right did that make it a little difficult to travel in the NBA for as long as you did? Well, you know, you had to get used to it. Just say, you know, it's just like

moving to the East Coast. You have to get used to it, you know, coming from you know, from from Southern Miths and our conference we flew, but you know it's nothing like eighty two games schedule in half of those games is on the road. So you're either gonna be flying, uh, you know two or three times a week is in different situations. So but you know, as you know, as I got older and stuff you got,

I got more comfortable with it. But you know, starting out, you know, being on being on that many different flights and constantly on flight going and catching flace. You know, it was. It was something I had to get used to. One of the other things we did. Because the nets were still in the meadow lands. We often, almost always, unless we were coming from someplace else, we bust up there and we would stop and sell Philadelphia for pizza and hogis, and the late Lenny Oaks would be putting

sodas and all that stuff on the bus. Remember you and I were there once and all that were left for chips. And it seems in the granted you traveled on as you said, chartered aircraft, but sometimes it was

much smaller than that. Uh, like I said, loading up with pizza and hogies from South Philadelphia, Oh definitely, you know, you know, bringing up some some some good farm memories of uh you know, the staff and travel you know, I would, like I say, meaning right there, exit four and the Turnpike, jumping on the bus, ending up to the Middle Lands, end up to New York for games and stuff. You know, that was good times and stuff.

And uh, you know, Lenny was one of those guys I was real fun of and all and all those guys that um you know in a uh that was part of the staff at that time. So you know, like I say, it was a great experience for me coming from a little small town, Mississippi, but getting the chance to be on the East coast right there in Philly, Jersey,

New York area. So you know, it was it was, it was a great experience for And now that you're back in Mississippi to be in basketball and to be you know, college basketball with your team, that must be pretty special at this phase of your life. Yeah, it's it's it's it's a new challenge, but it's an exciting challenge. You want to you want to try. You know, when we was there, we had really good teams. You know,

we had two really good matchups with the South. One year they beat the South for the in T Championship in New York, and the next year up in the u NCAA tournament. Uh you know, Uh, Doug and Lino and those guys, they they got revenge on us and they handed to us in the NCAA tournament. So you know, it just it was just one of those situations where you know, it just worked out that way, and uh, you know, now you want to get back to that level.

You want you know, just working and UH recruit, trying to get guys to again tell the story that you know you can win at Southern Missing and UH and have that excitement and playing on the biggest stage. So that that's that's that's the part I like doing. One of the other things you did is you had basketball camps over the span of a dozen years in both Brazil and Germany, taking the game to other parts of

the world. What was that experience like, well, again it was it was based off friendships in UH in contacts. So again, like I said, Tournai Leo he Um, he introduced UH myself and UH him and Fred Fred Carter was going over. So you know, they asked me what I, you know, wanted to get involved with it, and I end up liking that, you know, and it gave me a chance to take my family on trips and stuff

and show them different parts of other world. Again, like I say, basketball being a blessing and so many ways. So you know, I think Tony had family or wife and stuff was from that from Europe and stuff. So when he gave me the opportunity, you know, I you know, I you know, I jumped on it and UH and uh, and it just lasted for you know, ten or twelve years of doing basketball clinics in Europe and I was able to go to Brazil taking the Brazil and stuff.

So they kept me, uh you know involved with basketball and kept the fire basketball burning even though I was doing different things, you know, traveling uh international with the game gave me a chance to stay involved. Man, you follow the NBA right now, What do you think of

the Sixers with Indeed and Simmons and Harrison company. Well, you know, I knew being I meant being uh down in ban Rouge and stuff and uh so, and but I think the process as they was calling it, that the Sixers went through that situation and like you said, getting draft picks and getting pieces and I think now it's in turn where they got guys who fit a lot better and uh definitely and being in Joel it

was a it was a big part of that. But you know, I think they've had great pieces through trades and the draft, and I think they really got a chance that they can stick together and grow and uh, you know, because the Eastern Conference it's competitive, but you know, with those guys being so young, I think they got a window where they really can uh push push the threshold in the East's food. It's great to see. I

so much appreciate your time. I wish you the best and thank you for being a part of the podcast. All right. Thanks for having me to bringing break old memories and uh again it's uh you know, it's always been a pleasure and uh you know, to be a part of the seventy sixties family and organization. So again, thanks for having Thanks for listening to Times Talks with me Tom McGinnis on the seventy six Ers Podcast Network. Check for new episodes every weekend.