Marcus Camby’s Toronto Raptors tenure was short, but memorable nonetheless. The second overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, Camby was named to the all-rookie first-team and went on to enjoy a 17-year career in which he led the league in blocks four times and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007.
I caught up with Camby ahead of Thursday’s Campus Pass event in Saskatoon, Sask. On Thursday, he will be at the University of Saskatchewan between 4 and 5 p.m. local time to meet fans as the 2016-17 NBA season rapidly approaches.
Here, in Part 1 of a two-part interview, Camby talks about the lifelong bond he’s formed with a childhood idol, the rapidly changing landscape of basketball in Canada, and his next career (…which may surprise you).
Your number has been retired at UMass, though I think it’s safe to say that whenever your alma matter is brought up the first name that comes to mind is Julius Erving, who, for my money, is still the coolest man alive.
Well, we agree on that. He was an idol of mine growing up. Everything about him—the way he played the game, the way he carried himself off of the basketball court. We were bound together by our school, and when I see him it’s all love, he always takes time to come and share some words with me. We have a lifelong bond.
What was it like the first time you met him?
I remember I was playing in the NCAA tournament—I forget where—and he walked past and we all froze, like, ‘Wow, there goes the Doctor!’ In our household my mom loved him so much, she used to watch the 76ers. I grew up in Connecticut and the Celtics would play pre-season games in Hartford and my mom always made sure we got tickets when they would play Philadelphia so we could go and see him in person.
Yeah, I remember being at a Joe Carter charity event. Sports legends everywhere, Hall of Famers from every sport. But when Dr. J walked into the room everybody’s head turned. It was like they were kids again. Everyone was a fan.
[Laughs] For sure he’s that guy. Before Michael Jordan, Dr. J was the guy.
You were tasked with guarding Tim Duncan in the ’99 Finals, and had to defend every great big man of your era. Who was the hardest matchup for you?
Oh, definitely Shaq. He gave everybody a lot of fits. In my earlier playing days I was rail-thin, really skinny, and only played the centre position because of my height. Back then Shaq was still in his prime and was a tough guard for everybody. I remember facing him during my rookie year. They roll out the welcome mat for you in the NBA, and then it’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, you’ve got Shaquille O’Neal tonight. Good luck.’ But it was fun, I welcomed the challenge, but he was definitely the most dominating player I played against.
He recently just said that he barely scratched the surface of what he could have done.
It’s true. He was dominant on the court but off the court as well. You know, he was a rap musician, making movies—
Can’t forget Shaq Fu.
For sure, there were all these other things. So imagine if he just concentrated on basketball? There would be no doubt who the greatest basketball player would be. But he’s a great advocate of the game. I haven’t met one person who says they don’t like Shaq as a person. He’s an important figure in the league who commands a lot of respect.
Thinking back to your rookie season, it’s hard to imagine how different the landscape around the Raptors and the basketball environment in this country was when you joined the team out of the draft in ’96 compared to today.
It’s night and day. With Toronto itself being a hockey town, it took a long time for people to gravitate to the team. They would show up to watch the visiting teams they had seen on TV—Chicago Bulls, L.A. Lakers—and we didn’t have a polished product on the court because we were still new. We had never played together before and here we were trying to jumpstart an organization.
Fast-forward to today and you think about that scene outside of the arena, Jurassic Park. It feels like there are 20,000 people out there! And those people weren’t trying to get into the SkyDome back in ’96. I think you can point at the way the game is growing globally as a whole, but also how that team has been assembled. Masai [Ujiri] has done a great job of putting that roster together. I know Masai very well because I was with him in Denver, and I always saw that he had it in him to be a great executive at this level. I’m excited for the organization and the team. They’re really the ones who gave me the opportunity to get into the NBA so I’ll always root for the Toronto Raptors.
After Toronto, you went to the Knicks. Now all of a sudden you’re only a couple of years into the league and you’re teammates with Patrick Ewing. How much of an influence did having someone of that caliber have on you?
Patrick Ewing was an icon. I grew up on Big East basketball, so every time on TV they were showing Georgetown, and I’d always watch Ewing and John Thompson on the screen. But to see him in person, how hard he worked every day, including before and after practice, he was a role model not just to guys like me but also our other young players like Latrell Sprewell and John Wallace, who also played with me in Toronto. He was also a role model for other veterans on the team, guys like Larry Johnson.
Larry Johnson was the best teammate I ever had. He always made you feel good about yourself, and had an open-door policy. You could talk to him about anything, and he basically showed me the ropes in the NBA. As I progressed in the league I always credit my maturity to Larry Johnson. He was special.
That’s interesting. I think he gets somewhat forgotten these days compared to other stars of his era.
Right, it’s true.
Are you surprised that someone like Ewing, who’s been an assistant on NBA benches for awhile now, hasn’t gotten a chance at a head-coaching gig yet?
I’m definitely surprised because, like you said, he’d been an assistant coach for so long. And he’s paid his dues in the NBA, a top-50 player all-time and a Hall of Famer. You’d think someone would have given him an opportunity. But there’s time. He’s still young and still has a passion for the game. In due time he’ll get his opportunity.
I know you’re enjoying your retirement, but have you ever thought about getting into coaching yourself?
I’ve been asked and have had a couple of opportunities to get into that field. But I want to be a school principal. I was an education major, and I just feel that my skill set can be utilized not just on a basketball court, but in working in the classroom with young kids growing up today. That was my dream, to be a principal. Basketball was second-nature because I always played it, and grew really tall during high school and ultimately dedicated myself to the sport. But, yeah, my dream was always to be a principal.
Wow, that’s incredible. Obviously it’s really important to be able to impart on kids how important their education is, and to play a role in that. Principal is more of an administrative position though, right?
Yes, it is. Of course I would like to get into teaching, too, and then later on transition to being a principal and the administrative side. But definitely the education field is where I want to be in.
Check back on Sportsnet.ca for Part 2, in which Camby talks about the progression of the centre position in today’s NBA, and digs deep on a number of notable ex-teammates, including Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, and the evolution Kyle Lowry, whom he played with for one season in Houston, where Camby currently resides.
Remember, you can catch Camby Thursday at the University of Saskatchewan as part of the NBA’s Campus Pass series. Meet Marcus, participate in shooting games, and have your picture taken with the Larry O’Brien trophy. The best part? It’s free.