Nick Piccone
“He played in the game,” is probably one of Tim McConnell’s most overused phrases this season. As far as his son, TJ, it might be one he’d soon like to forget. And it sounds like he has the drive and motivation to make people remember who he is.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a feature story on McConnell, who grew up in the area. He went to Chartiers Valley High School, which is in Allegheny County. He’s a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Hall of Famer, and only the second point guard ever in the league to make it to the NBA.
And he also had to pay $10 to get into XFINITY Live! recently because he didn’t have a ticket stub to prove he was at the game. Or, you know, playing in it.
T.J. McConnell had just finished a recent game with the Philadelphia 76ers when he and his father, a few family members and some friends decided to visit an establishment within walking distance of Wells Fargo Center. T.J. was first to the door when a worker announced there was a $10 cover charge, but free admittance with a 76ers ticket stub.
“He played,” said Tim McConnell, pointing at his son.
The worker still wanted $10.
“No, you don’t understand. He played in the game,” Tim McConnell tried to reason.
No matter. It was $10.
Such is the respect these days for a 76ers player.
Tonight marks the final game of T.J. McConnell’s rookie season in the NBA. Thursday, he will wake up from the dream. Or nightmare. Or both.
OK, so maybe the worker knew who McConnell was and just didn’t care. But, that’s pretty harsh. If it’s not Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel or Joel Embiid, I’m not sure anyone in the city would notice if a Sixers player was out on the town. I’d make the same statement about the Phillies. It’s not really meant to be a joke. It’s honestly what’s likely to happen. I barely noticed Braydon Coburn when I was out on the town one night. And when I realized it was him, I was filled with an undeniable, raging lethargy. That’s just how it is sometimes.
The Sixers continue to be a laughingstock to the league and everyone who covers it. Fair or unfair. But, for McConnell, he doesn’t like to be looked at as a joke. Despite playing on a team that will go down as one of the worst in NBA history, McConnell is still taking lessons and learning from the people around him in order to try and have a successful and long career in the NBA.
Playing in the NBA — and playing for the 76ers — for someone such as McConnell, it’s like eating lobster dipped in vinegar. You make the promised land (only 71 rookies played in the league this season), just to lose more games in one season than eight years of high school and college combined. McConnell lost a total of 51 games — 14 at Chartiers Valley, 28 in two years at Duquesne and nine in two years at Arizona.
Oh sure, who cares about losses when you’re making a half-million dollars playing basketball? The minimum NBA salary is $525,093. But this sure isn’t easy for someone who has won as much as McConnell.
“It’s nice to get a paycheck to play the game you love,” McConnell said. “But I don’t think people have a clue how hard it is to make the NBA, and to stay there is even harder. Then you’re only able to win 10 games; it’s really tough.
“But I look at it like a learning experience. It’s tough losing, but at the same time I’m getting valuable minutes on a team and learning a lot of valuable things. … For the most part, we get treated pretty well [in Philadelphia], but I’m not really recognized that much because I just look like a normal guy. Everyone is pretty nice, except for a jerk here and there.”
Good outlook for TJ. Valuable minutes despite 10 wins. Learning many things in the NBA despite 10 wins. It’s a testament to this team’s coach that he can continue to preach to these guys valuable lessons. Whether they truly take them in or not, well, that’s another story.
Read more on the McConnell piece here.