The Kevin Gamble Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Monday, May 9th, 2005
Everyone who has played for the Celtics seems to have a favorite story about
the great Red Auerbach. What was it like to meet him for the first time,
and do you have a story that stands out?
I
remember when I held out for my contract. The Celtics always have a dinner
in the Quincy area for the media – the old Celtic players always come out.
It was around the time when the players started pulling down million dollar
contracts, and stuff like that. I was mainly a scorer who played solid,
fundamental defense, and Red just couldn’t understand how a guy who didn’t
rebound could make a million bucks [laughs].
Before games he would come in the locker room and talk about the days when he coached, and some of the guys that he coached. Guys would be getting ready to get their ankles taped, and of course Red is on the taping table telling those old stories, and you couldn’t get your ankles taped [laughs]. So you’ve got to listen to the stories before the game, and time is clicking, and you have to wait for him to get those stories out. But for him to come in and sit and talk, that means a lot. Especially to some of the younger guys. He would come in and give you encouragement – he’d tell you to relax and just shoot the ball, and that really made you feel like you were a part of something special – but most of the time he would come in to tell his stores and show off his rings [laughs].
Let's talk life after basketball. What have you been up to in the years
since retiring from the NBA?
I’ve
gotten into different businesses. Right now I own an Athlete’s Foot store,
which is primarily an athletic shoe vendor. We see basketball shoes –
Nike’s Air Force One, the adidas line, pretty much all of the brands. I’ve
got some real estate; I’ve got a few buildings that I lease out to business
people. And I just finished up my third year as head coach of the
University of Illinois at Springfield. I’m just having a good time, and
trying to get some experience in coaching. We’re starting that program from
scratch – they’ve never had a basketball team at the university, so we’re
trying to build something from the ground up.
Final
Question: You’ve achieved great success in your life. You are universally
respected and admired by many people, both inside and outside of the NBA.
If you could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what would that
be?
Work
hard. If you have a dream, don’t let anything get in your way. Do it the
right way, because there are no shortcuts to success. It takes hard work
and dedication – some people like the quick fix, but there is no quick fix
out there.
