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All-Star MVP

Lessons from Jellybean

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"Waiting for the Lord to rise...I looked into my daughter's eyes, and realize I'm learn through her..."

Common - Be (Intro)

I first met Nikki Teasley during the 2002 WNBA Draft. I was working with the NBA League Office in New York, and since I have always enjoyed women's basketball, I volunteered to work the event. Everyone knew Sue Bird would become the number 1 pick overall, but what we didn't realize was how much of an impact Teasley would have during the forth coming season.

My job that day was simple, once my player was drafted, I accompanied her to the media availability, and helped to answer any questions she or her family had. She entered the draft with a lot of negativity from the media, but I didn't think about any of that. I approached her with a clean slate and through that encounter we eventually became good friends.

Five years ago I was looking to break into the magazine industry as a journalist, so I interviewed Nikki for a story that I would later use as an example of my work. I'll never forget that day, as I was traveling home from New York to Philadelphia on the New Jersey Transit train. Since that train doesn't go into Pennsylvania, I had to catch a different train in Trenton, NJ. Once I found my seat on the connecting train...my phone rang. It was Nikki Teasley, and I was briefly unprepared. I stalled the conversation by asking her how things were going, as I pulled out my notebook and pen...before long I was ready to go, and the following is an example of hard work, and friendship.

Purple Rein

Born Michelle Nicole Teasley on March 22, 1979, she has excelled in basketball on every level. Basketball to say the least, she is exceptional, however; it is not the only thing she is concerned with not to mention good at. For example, if she were to ever think about another sport, billiards would be the perfect choice. Teasley navigates the cue ball across the soft green velvet with the same precision that she graces the hardwood floor giving the opposition migraine headaches. When asked who is M. Nikki Teasley, she replied “Michelle Nicole Teasley is more of the friendly type. Sweet, laid back, kind, and generous. I am just the everyday person next door. Nikki… on the other hand is the rough neck basketball player with a fierce game and determination.” All-Star point guard, pool shark, and the girl next door all rolled in one. She is many things, but most importantly she is history in the making, that is the future.

Teasley was selected in the 2002 WNBA Draft by the now defunct Portland Fire, with the 5th pick overall. Selected ahead of her were Sue Bird, Seattle Storm (first pick overall University of Connecticut), Swin Cash, Detroit Shock (second pick overall University of Connecticut), Stacey Dales-Schuman, Washington Mystics (third pick overall Oklahoma University) and Asjha Jones, Washington Mystics (fourth overall pick University of Connecticut). Sue Bird became the Rookie of the Year, while Swin Cash has emerged to become one of the premiere players of the WNBA. Dales-Schuman has added a nice one/two combination to All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw, and Asjha Jones has provided a solid all around performance. As for Teasley, she just so happened to get traded two hours later from the Portland Fire to the Los Angeles Sparks. By the end of the season she was the rookie with the bragging rights. Her team won the 2002 WNBA Championship over the New York Liberty in the best of three series 2-0.

Nikki had one thing on her mind when she was drafted after a stellar career at the prestigious University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “I was just happy to hear my name called. Just to hear my name was good enough for me. I knew Sylvia Crawley (San Antonio Silver Stars and University of North Carolina Women’s Basketball assistant coach 2000-2002), so going to that team [Portland] made me very happy too.”

The unique thing about the trade to the Los Angeles Sparks was that they had just won the 2001 WNBA Championship and they had the best player of the league in Lisa Leslie and at the helm of the Sparks ship is Head Coach Michael Cooper. Speaking of Coach Coop, “he is more than a coach to all of us, mainly me. He is a father figure to me. He does a lot for me not as a player but as a person. He is a player coach.”

“I watched Magic on ESPN Classic and I look at what he has done…”

Comparing this season to last year helps Nikki understand how far she has come. “Last year I was just coming in and getting my feet wet. I had to learn how to be a pro and I was becoming an adult and abiding on my own. This year I am just very confident, more than I have ever been in my career.” Exclaimed Teasley, as the sun has set on the Southern California cool and clear night, like the credits going up the silver screen at the end of a favorite movie. This is Hollywood right? Swimming pools and movie stars, not too mention a little magic. Not Magic Johnson of the famed Los Angeles Lakers but “Lady Magic”, Nikki Teasley as referred to her by Head Coach Michael Cooper, whom played along side Magic Johnson with the Lakers. “I watched Magic on ESPN Classic and I look at what he has done in comparison to me, and Coop (Coach Cooper) thinks that I am a mirror image of him because of my versatility and passing ability. I just pray that I can live up to it.”

Prior to the success of the WNBA she did not always enjoy the serenity that she has today. As a matter of fact many “experts” saw her as a problem child athlete with basketball potential through the roof. Proceed with caution was the warning. “I never shy away from my past. It has made me stronger. I was at a big university with even bigger classes than I was used to. A lot of things were building up inside of me, because I was quote on quote gifted as an athlete. I began not to want to play basketball or go to school.” After taking a year off from school entirely, she explains that, “taking a year off made me see how important basketball and school was. Besides I got a taste of the real world and it really helped me appreciate everything I had in school and sports.”

Ironic how this once “problem” became not only a savoir for her team but for the WNBA as a league. She has been very active within the community and on the basketball stage. Winner is more like it. Not only does she have a WNBA Championship but with 10 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals in the 2003 WNBA All-Star game she walked away with MVP honors in just her first appearance.

Many felt that Teasley arrived when she made the game winning three point shot in the 2002 WNBA Championship. The Sparks as a team and their management knew that she was something special way in advance. The winning shot was the icing on the cake. As Nikki recalls that day, she explains that “the play was designed for Lisa (Leslie) on the strong side of the post. They (New York Liberty) played great defense, I give them credit. Teresa Weatherspoon thought I was going to pass so she played in between Lisa and I, and I saw the clock and just shot it.” The rest is her success.

M. Nicole Teasley has her roots deeply planted in her family. As the girl of the family she has made everyone proud. She admits in her usual cool demeanor that “I have so much going on. I am focused on family. The ability to enjoy time away from the game and give back to the community is important. Autographs and speaking engagements make me feel special. I do not think about it often, but when I do think about the hope that I can give other young people, not just black people, but young people in general are a means to my happiness.” Hard work is always rewarded as you can see. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And if your coach assigns you to guard Nikki Teasley make sure you bring your best because you know that she will.