home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com		 ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

NBA FINALS: SPURS v HEAT


June 9, 2013


Chauncey Billups

David Stern

Jay Twyman


MIAMI, FLORIDA: Game Two

VINCE CELLINI:  Good evening, everyone.  I'm Vince Cellini of NBA TV and welcome to American Airlines Arena in Miami.  We're here today for a very special announcement that's being carried live on NBA TV and NBA.com and we'll begin by introducing the participants.
During his tenure as head of the NBA, the league has become the professional sports model in terms of league operations, public service and global marketing.  Please welcome NBA Commissioner David Stern.
(Applause).
Our next guest's father was a six‑time NBA All‑Star with the Rochester and Cincinnati Royals and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.  Representing his father Jack Twyman, please welcome Jay Twyman.
(Applause).
And finally, this five‑time NBA All‑Star, currently a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, back in 2004 he led the Pistons to an NBA championship, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, welcome Chauncey Billups.
(Applause).
We're also delighted to have with us today sitting in the front row NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver.
(Applause).
And we will hear from all of our participants in just a moment.  But first some background on why we are here, and it is to bring to light what is sometimes a forgotten yet extremely important story in NBA history.  It's a story of an extraordinary friendship among teammates, one that personified selflessness, exemplified brotherhood and transcended race.  It's moving story of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman, and began in the 1950s when both players entered the NBA as rookies with the Rochester Royals.
At 6'7" 232 pounds, Maurice Stokes possessed a rare combination of size, speed and strength.  Immediately imposed his will on the league.  He became the NBA Rookie of the Year and was a three‑time All‑Star.
It was in his last game of his third season when tragedy struck.  In an instant Stokes' life was forever changed after he suffered an on‑court injury that led to permanent paralysis.  Redefining what it means to be the ultimate teammate, it was Jack Twyman who immediately came to the need of his friend, became his legal guardian and advocate until Stokes' death in 1970.
And now here to make a very special presentation, we welcome to the podium NBA Commissioner David Stern.
(Applause).
COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN:  Believe it or not, I'm a little nervous here, so I'm going to read when I usually don't.
The relationship shared by Jack and Maurice is as profound an illustration of compassionate and unconditional fellowship between two teammates that the NBA has ever seen.  And what better way to honor the life‑long bond that developed between them by establishing an award in their honor that recognizes friendship and selflessness among teammates.
So today I am very, very proud to announce that the NBA will annually award this award, which will be called the Twyman‑Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.  We will get the opportunity to retell the story of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman on each occasion of the award's being given.
The award recognizes the NBA player who was deemed the best teammate, based upon his selfless play, his on‑ and off‑court leadership as a mentor and a role model to other NBA players, and his commitment and dedication to his team.
Before I present the award, I would like to present a replica of the statue to Jay Twyman, and thank him and his family for allowing us to share Jack and Maurice's story with all of our fans.  Come on up, Jay.
(Applause).
VINCE CELLINI:  Jay, would you come to the podium please and say a few words about what this means to you and your family.
JAY TWYMAN:  Thank you.  Thank you to NBA Commissioner David Stern, the NBA and to all involved in establishing this award to honor two great men and teammates, Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman.  Also, congratulations to Chauncey Billups as the first recipient of this award.
For my mother who is watching in Cincinnati, my sisters Lisa, Julie and Michele in the front row and all our extended family, the Twymans thank you for keeping the story of Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes alive.
My dad looked at his relationship with his teammate very simply as he said in an interview, "Maurice was on his own, something had to be done, and somebody had to do it.  I was the only one that was there, so I became that someone."
My dad was 23 years old at the time.  A newly married husband starting a family when he took on the task of being Maurice's legal guardian.  He had the full support of my mother, and they were united in this decision.  My dad took on all the financial responsibilities of raising money to pay Maurice's hospital bills for the next 12 years.  Those bills were in the range of 100‑plus thousand a year, and that's in an era when my dad's first contract was for $20,000 a year.  So it was a pretty ominous task.
With the help of the Kutsher's family, the players of the era came together for a benefit basketball game at the Kutsher's Resort in the Catskills.  The proceeds of the game went to help pay Maurice's bills, and the game continued on for many years after Maurice's death to help former NBA players in need.
Dad truly felt that he was the one who benefited most from the relationship.  He would visit Maurice nearly every day over that period.  Also, Maurice would come to our house most Sundays for dinner, which was not a small undertaking for transporting a 6'8" 250‑pound man in and out of the hospital.  Dad felt and we all feel that we gained so much from helping to care for Maurice.
And here is Maurice Stokes, he was at the top of the NBA, a world‑class athlete one day, paralyzed and bed‑ridden the next, reduced to communicating through blinking his eyes.  None of us can ever remember Maurice ever being down, and he always approached each day upbeat ready to fight for his recovery.
I remember a poster growing up that Maurice prominently had hung above his bed.  It read "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."  And that was his attitude.  He was never down.  And I think Maurice truly did feel blessed with all the support he received from so many, especially from our father.
Again, from my sister, my mother, thank you so much for this great honor to our father and to Maurice Stokes, and for keeping this great story of teammates and friendship alive, and congratulations to Chauncey Billups for being the first recipient.  Chauncey, I know my dad would have been proud.  Thank you.
(Applause).
COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN:  Is this where I get to award it to Chauncey?  Thank you.  Thank you.  Chauncey, come over here.
I can't think of a player who is more deserving and who embodies the virtues of this award than our first‑ever recipient.  He is a leader, a selfless player who has rightfully earned the trust and respect of his teammates throughout his career.  I am so proud to present the inaugural Twyman‑Stokes Teammate of the Year Award to Chauncey Billups.  Here it is, Chauncey.
(Applause).
VINCE CELLINI:  Chauncey, congratulations.  And if you would, say a few words.  Congratulations.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  Thank you.  Wow.  Wow.  First of all, I'm just very honored to be the first recipient of such a prestigious and great award.  I had the pleasure of meeting the Twymans.  As you guys know, I never had the opportunity and the pleasure to meet your father, but obviously he was a great man for the sacrifice that he made for Mr. Stokes.  And this is an unbelievable honor for me just to have my name alongside Mr. Twyman.  And I think it's awesome that the NBA would now start to honor him every single year.  Because I think even older players like myself to the younger guys need to know the story.  They need to know the story.
I myself, I pride myself in being a good human being and a good teammate, and obviously this is a Teammate of the Year Award, but I think more importantly, it's about just being a good person.
I think that there will be other recipients up here every single year that will be just as deserving, deserving as I am.  And you guys will be able to shine every single year.  Your father will be able to shine every single year, and Mr. Stokes as well and his family.
Thank you very much for giving the world to your father.  I'm sure the Stokes family feels the same way.  I'm so far removed from the situation, but I feel like I'm in it.  The story is the most unbelievable story I've ever heard in sports.  And I'm just glad that my name could be mentioned alongside as Mr. Twyman.  Thank you very much.
I want to thank my wife for always supporting me.  I played for, as you know, a couple of teams in my career.  Her support has never wavered.  That support is contagious as well.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.
(Applause).
VINCE CELLINI:  Congratulations, once again, Chauncey, on this tremendous honor.  And before we continue, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge Marc Mellon, the sculptor of this beautiful award.  He's in the front row.  Mark, stand up.
(Applause).
And now we'll open it up to questions from the assembled media.

Q.  Chauncey, you have had a lot of teammates, considering how many places you've played and how long you've played.  When you meet new players, what are the attributes that you look for to know whether a guy is going to be a good teammate?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  Well, first and foremost, I think that the main thing is for me to first show him how to be a good teammate.  I came in the league a while ago and I had some guys that were veterans on some teams that I played on that kind of taught me how to lead.  There were people who taught me how to study the game, how to dress, how to shake somebody's hands, look them in the eye.  A lot of things that my parents taught me, sometimes when you get to the NBA and you're a young kid, you have this fame and fortune, you forget some of the things that helped you get there.
So I think me, in my position, I just try to send some of those same messages and hopefully there will be some carry‑over.

Q.  Chauncey, when did you first find out about this story behind this award?  And what kind of emotions when you did hear exactly what this award was based on and what you are emulating here?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  I found out maybe a few days before you guys did.  But I consider myself to be an NBA historian, and I didn't know the details‑‑ the details of just what sacrifice Mr. Twyman made for Mr. Stokes.  As I began to read through it and follow it and do a little due diligence on it, it is very touching.
It is very touching that I can even be mentioned in that, because I know I have a family, I have a family, a wife, and I have three daughters, and I can only imagine the sacrifice that he made at a very young age to bring in a guy that was probably his competitor, and especially in that day and age when the racial division was so prevalent.
For him to make that sacrifice, it's unbelievable and it's the utmost sacrifice.  So for my name to be mentioned with his and anybody else going forward to be mentioned with his, I really don't feel worthy, to be honest with you.  It's kind of embarrassing.  I do feel like I'm a good teammate, but I haven't had to make that sacrifice.

Q.  Chauncey, this might be a difficult question to answer:  What is the biggest sacrifice you think you've made for a teammate?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  Man, I think the biggest sacrifice may be that I've made for a teammate is‑‑ there's been a few times, of course I won't mention names, I had to help a few teammates through some really, really tough family situations in a few different ways.  It's something that it caused me to go above and beyond what a regular teammate would do, but I never thought twice about it because I knew they needed it, and they respected me enough and looked up to me enough to ask me.
So I always try to be there for the guys.

Q.  For whoever can best answer this, how did this come about?  Whose idea was it?  What was the conversation?  Was it born of the Twyman‑Stokes story or the desire to honor teammates or a combination?
COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN:  It was born of the Twyman‑Stokes story, occasioned by Jack's passing, as we talked about it more and more.  It's been very meaningful to us in the office over the years.
I think the first summer I became commissioner I drove up to Kutsher's because I was remembering and was taken by the story itself.  I got to be friendly with Milt and Ellen, who recently died.  And it was such an important story, because we tiptoe around it, but the notion in or about 1960 or there about, of a white player caring for a black player was really something that was not‑‑ this was at a time when we probably weren't far removed from teammates being separated because some had to stay in different hotels and eat in different restaurants.
And it just dawned on us that this was a story worth retelling, because it was so compassionate and so very much at the essence, we'd like to think, of one man caring for another.  And so we decided that we would do it.  And if you're the boss, you say, okay, let's do this.  And here we are.  Kathy Behrens, Mike Bass and then you call up Marc and say, we need an appropriate‑‑ you look at this, it's extraordinary, of actually a likeness of Jack Twyman lending a hand and pulling up Maurice Stokes.  It doesn't begin to reflect the sacrifice of the Twyman family, but it's a beginning, and perhaps we'll flesh that out a little more in the retelling.
VINCE CELLINI:  Thank you very much.  I appreciate it.  We would like to thank all our special guests.  We'll now have a brief photo‑op on stage.  Jay Twyman and Chauncey will be available for one‑on‑one interviews.  Enjoy Game 2 of the NBA Finals this season.  And thank you for being with us.  Chauncey, once again congratulations for being the first Twyman‑Stokes Teammate of the Year Award winner.
(Applause).
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
VINCE CELLINI:  Good evening, everyone.  I'm Vince Cellini of NBA TV and welcome to American Airlines Arena in Miami.  We're here today for a very special announcement that's being carried live on NBA TV and NBA.com and we'll begin by introducing the participants.
During his tenure as head of the NBA, the league has become the professional sports model in terms of league operations, public service and global marketing.  Please welcome NBA Commissioner David Stern.
(Applause).
Our next guest's father was a six‑time NBA All‑Star with the Rochester and Cincinnati Royals and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.  Representing his father Jack Twyman, please welcome Jay Twyman.
(Applause).
And finally, this five‑time NBA All‑Star, currently a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, back in 2004 he led the Pistons to an NBA championship, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, welcome Chauncey Billups.
(Applause).
We're also delighted to have with us today sitting in the front row NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver.
(Applause).
And we will hear from all of our participants in just a moment.  But first some background on why we are here, and it is to bring to light what is sometimes a forgotten yet extremely important story in NBA history.  It's a story of an extraordinary friendship among teammates, one that personified selflessness, exemplified brotherhood and transcended race.  It's moving story of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman, and began in the 1950s when both players entered the NBA as rookies with the Rochester Royals.
At 6'7" 232 pounds, Maurice Stokes possessed a rare combination of size, speed and strength.  Immediately imposed his will on the league.  He became the NBA Rookie of the Year and was a three‑time All‑Star.
It was in his last game of his third season when tragedy struck.  In an instant Stokes' life was forever changed after he suffered an on‑court injury that led to permanent paralysis.  Redefining what it means to be the ultimate teammate, it was Jack Twyman who immediately came to the need of his friend, became his legal guardian and advocate until Stokes' death in 1970.
And now here to make a very special presentation, we welcome to the podium NBA Commissioner David Stern.
(Applause).
COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN:  Believe it or not, I'm a little nervous here, so I'm going to read when I usually don't.
The relationship shared by Jack and Maurice is as profound an illustration of compassionate and unconditional fellowship between two teammates that the NBA has ever seen.  And what better way to honor the life‑long bond that developed between them by establishing an award in their honor that recognizes friendship and selflessness among teammates.
So today I am very, very proud to announce that the NBA will annually award this award, which will be called the Twyman‑Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.  We will get the opportunity to retell the story of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman on each occasion of the award's being given.
The award recognizes the NBA player who was deemed the best teammate, based upon his selfless play, his on‑ and off‑court leadership as a mentor and a role model to other NBA players, and his commitment and dedication to his team.
Before I present the award, I would like to present a replica of the statue to Jay Twyman, and thank him and his family for allowing us to share Jack and Maurice's story with all of our fans.  Come on up, Jay.
(Applause).
VINCE CELLINI:  Jay, would you come to the podium please and say a few words about what this means to you and your family.
JAY TWYMAN:  Thank you.  Thank you to NBA Commissioner David Stern, the NBA and to all involved in establishing this award to honor two great men and teammates, Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman.  Also, congratulations to Chauncey Billups as the first recipient of this award.
For my mother who is watching in Cincinnati, my sisters Lisa, Julie and Michele in the front row and all our extended family, the Twymans thank you for keeping the story of Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes alive.
My dad looked at his relationship with his teammate very simply as he said in an interview, "Maurice was on his own, something had to be done, and somebody had to do it.  I was the only one that was there, so I became that someone."
My dad was 23 years old at the time.  A newly married husband starting a family when he took on the task of being Maurice's legal guardian.  He had the full support of my mother, and they were united in this decision.  My dad took on all the financial responsibilities of raising money to pay Maurice's hospital bills for the next 12 years.  Those bills were in the range of 100‑plus thousand a year, and that's in an era when my dad's first contract was for $20,000 a year.  So it was a pretty ominous task.
With the help of the Kutsher's family, the players of the era came together for a benefit basketball game at the Kutsher's Resort in the Catskills.  The proceeds of the game went to help pay Maurice's bills, and the game continued on for many years after Maurice's death to help former NBA players in need.
Dad truly felt that he was the one who benefited most from the relationship.  He would visit Maurice nearly every day over that period.  Also, Maurice would come to our house most Sundays for dinner, which was not a small undertaking for transporting a 6'8" 250‑pound man in and out of the hospital.  Dad felt and we all feel that we gained so much from helping to care for Maurice.
And here is Maurice Stokes, he was at the top of the NBA, a world‑class athlete one day, paralyzed and bed‑ridden the next, reduced to communicating through blinking his eyes.  None of us can ever remember Maurice ever being down, and he always approached each day upbeat ready to fight for his recovery.
I remember a poster growing up that Maurice prominently had hung above his bed.  It read "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."  And that was his attitude.  He was never down.  And I think Maurice truly did feel blessed with all the support he received from so many, especially from our father.
Again, from my sister, my mother, thank you so much for this great honor to our father and to Maurice Stokes, and for keeping this great story of teammates and friendship alive, and congratulations to Chauncey Billups for being the first recipient.  Chauncey, I know my dad would have been proud.  Thank you.
(Applause).
COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN:  Is this where I get to award it to Chauncey?  Thank you.  Thank you.  Chauncey, come over here.
I can't think of a player who is more deserving and who embodies the virtues of this award than our first‑ever recipient.  He is a leader, a selfless player who has rightfully earned the trust and respect of his teammates throughout his career.  I am so proud to present the inaugural Twyman‑Stokes Teammate of the Year Award to Chauncey Billups.  Here it is, Chauncey.
(Applause).
VINCE CELLINI:  Chauncey, congratulations.  And if you would, say a few words.  Congratulations.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  Thank you.  Wow.  Wow.  First of all, I'm just very honored to be the first recipient of such a prestigious and great award.  I had the pleasure of meeting the Twymans.  As you guys know, I never had the opportunity and the pleasure to meet your father, but obviously he was a great man for the sacrifice that he made for Mr. Stokes.  And this is an unbelievable honor for me just to have my name alongside Mr. Twyman.  And I think it's awesome that the NBA would now start to honor him every single year.  Because I think even older players like myself to the younger guys need to know the story.  They need to know the story.
I myself, I pride myself in being a good human being and a good teammate, and obviously this is a Teammate of the Year Award, but I think more importantly, it's about just being a good person.
I think that there will be other recipients up here every single year that will be just as deserving, deserving as I am.  And you guys will be able to shine every single year.  Your father will be able to shine every single year, and Mr. Stokes as well and his family.
Thank you very much for giving the world to your father.  I'm sure the Stokes family feels the same way.  I'm so far removed from the situation, but I feel like I'm in it.  The story is the most unbelievable story I've ever heard in sports.  And I'm just glad that my name could be mentioned alongside as Mr. Twyman.  Thank you very much.
I want to thank my wife for always supporting me.  I played for, as you know, a couple of teams in my career.  Her support has never wavered.  That support is contagious as well.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.
(Applause).
VINCE CELLINI:  Congratulations, once again, Chauncey, on this tremendous honor.  And before we continue, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge Marc Mellon, the sculptor of this beautiful award.  He's in the front row.  Mark, stand up.
(Applause).
And now we'll open it up to questions from the assembled media.

Q.  Chauncey, you have had a lot of teammates, considering how many places you've played and how long you've played.  When you meet new players, what are the attributes that you look for to know whether a guy is going to be a good teammate?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  Well, first and foremost, I think that the main thing is for me to first show him how to be a good teammate.  I came in the league a while ago and I had some guys that were veterans on some teams that I played on that kind of taught me how to lead.  There were people who taught me how to study the game, how to dress, how to shake somebody's hands, look them in the eye.  A lot of things that my parents taught me, sometimes when you get to the NBA and you're a young kid, you have this fame and fortune, you forget some of the things that helped you get there.
So I think me, in my position, I just try to send some of those same messages and hopefully there will be some carry‑over.

Q.  Chauncey, when did you first find out about this story behind this award?  And what kind of emotions when you did hear exactly what this award was based on and what you are emulating here?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  I found out maybe a few days before you guys did.  But I consider myself to be an NBA historian, and I didn't know the details‑‑ the details of just what sacrifice Mr. Twyman made for Mr. Stokes.  As I began to read through it and follow it and do a little due diligence on it, it is very touching.
It is very touching that I can even be mentioned in that, because I know I have a family, I have a family, a wife, and I have three daughters, and I can only imagine the sacrifice that he made at a very young age to bring in a guy that was probably his competitor, and especially in that day and age when the racial division was so prevalent.
For him to make that sacrifice, it's unbelievable and it's the utmost sacrifice.  So for my name to be mentioned with his and anybody else going forward to be mentioned with his, I really don't feel worthy, to be honest with you.  It's kind of embarrassing.  I do feel like I'm a good teammate, but I haven't had to make that sacrifice.

Q.  Chauncey, this might be a difficult question to answer:  What is the biggest sacrifice you think you've made for a teammate?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS:  Man, I think the biggest sacrifice may be that I've made for a teammate is‑‑ there's been a few times, of course I won't mention names, I had to help a few teammates through some really, really tough family situations in a few different ways.  It's something that it caused me to go above and beyond what a regular teammate would do, but I never thought twice about it because I knew they needed it, and they respected me enough and looked up to me enough to ask me.
So I always try to be there for the guys.

Q.  For whoever can best answer this, how did this come about?  Whose idea was it?  What was the conversation?  Was it born of the Twyman‑Stokes story or the desire to honor teammates or a combination?
COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN:  It was born of the Twyman‑Stokes story, occasioned by Jack's passing, as we talked about it more and more.  It's been very meaningful to us in the office over the years.
I think the first summer I became commissioner I drove up to Kutsher's because I was remembering and was taken by the story itself.  I got to be friendly with Milt and Ellen, who recently died.  And it was such an important story, because we tiptoe around it, but the notion in or about 1960 or there about, of a white player caring for a black player was really something that was not‑‑ this was at a time when we probably weren't far removed from teammates being separated because some had to stay in different hotels and eat in different restaurants.
And it just dawned on us that this was a story worth retelling, because it was so compassionate and so very much at the essence, we'd like to think, of one man caring for another.  And so we decided that we would do it.  And if you're the boss, you say, okay, let's do this.  And here we are.  Kathy Behrens, Mike Bass and then you call up Marc and say, we need an appropriate‑‑ you look at this, it's extraordinary, of actually a likeness of Jack Twyman lending a hand and pulling up Maurice Stokes.  It doesn't begin to reflect the sacrifice of the Twyman family, but it's a beginning, and perhaps we'll flesh that out a little more in the retelling.
VINCE CELLINI:  Thank you very much.  I appreciate it.  We would like to thank all our special guests.  We'll now have a brief photo‑op on stage.  Jay Twyman and Chauncey will be available for one‑on‑one interviews.  Enjoy Game 2 of the NBA Finals this season.  And thank you for being with us.  Chauncey, once again congratulations for being the first Twyman‑Stokes Teammate of the Year Award winner.
(Applause).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297