New York playground legend now in NBA Finals as key Mavericks assistant

NBA

By Stefan Bondy

DALLAS — When God Shammgod returns home to the people who observed his dribbling brilliance, they are surprised that he became famous for a move so low on his list of tricks: a backslide crossover built with a quick redirection that It is still known as “The Shammgod.” “

“It’s probably the worst move I’ve ever made in my life,” Shammgod told the Post. “In New York, they’ve seen so many other things I’ve done and they say, ‘Do they know you for that? With all the other things you were doing?

“And I laugh. She related it to 50 Cent. 50 Cent will always say that he made all this great music, but everyone just wants to hear ‘In Da Club.’”

It was fitting that Shammgod, now an assistant coach on the Mavericks’ NBA Finals, compared himself to a rap artist. As he acknowledged in an interview before the second game, hip hop shaped his life and career.

The influence was inevitable growing up in the ’80s and ’90s in Harlem, where his neighborhood friends included Mase, Cam’ron and Big L.

Shammgod was especially close to Mase, a quadruple-platinum-selling rapper in the late ’90s while working on the Bad Boy label with Puff Daddy and Biggie Smalls.

“I remember one night when Mase and I were so close we were arguing and I said, ‘Do you think you’re going to be Biggie Smalls?’ You’ll never be Biggie Smalls. This was before I met Puff,” Shammgod said. “And he was like, ‘Oh, you think you’re Isiah Thomas?’ You’re not Isiah Thomas. And then 10 years later, he’s Mase and I’m Shammgod.”

Shammgod starred in Providence, where his eponymous move was introduced to the masses during a 1997 game against Arizona.

But the point guard’s NBA career never took off after being selected 46th overall by the Wizards.

He believes the magic of dribbling was ahead of its time and that his New York City upset the coaches.

“He used to be ridiculed and benched in the NBA, ‘He’s dribbling too much, he’s dribbling too much,’” Shammgod said. “When I first got into the NBA, I left my second year, I was right before Jason Williams, White Chocolate and stuff like that.

“And I’m arguing. And they said: ‘He’s from New York, he’s arrogant, he’s conceited, he doesn’t want to listen.’ Because that is our representative. Now, 30 years later, I think he was right. Because now, if you don’t dribble like I do, you won’t be able to play in the NBA.”

Shammgod’s professional career was mainly spent abroad and ended in 2010.

He transitioned to coaching/coaching at Providence, where he was preparing Ricky Ledo for the NBA draft and was noticed by Mavericks director of player development Mike Procopio.

A few years later, Mark Cuban hired Shammgod specifically as a player development coach. He works closely (and appropriately) with another dribble savant, Kyrie Irving, whose father grew up in the same Bronx housing projects as Tiny Archibald.

Fortunately, Archibald was Shammgod’s physical education teacher in high school, becoming his inspiration to pursue basketball.

It’s a connection to New York City that Irving appreciates.

“(Shammgod) has been instrumental in helping me grow, enjoy the game every day and compete,” Irving said. “I feel like he’s just one of my uncles from Harlem, New York, there to give me some shit when I need it, but be honest all the time.”