In this episode of The Matt Babcock Show, titled "My Life is Basketball," Matt Babcock shares how basketball has shaped his life and career. He reflects on the sport's evolution and influence on his family, from his father's and uncles' roles in the NBA to his journey as a scout and NBA draft analyst. Babcock offers insights into his scouting process, discusses his involvement with Damian Lillard's Formula Zero, and previews the upcoming basketball season.
Transcript from The Matt Babcock Show: My Life is Basketball, Nov 9, 2022
Matt Babcock: "In 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a PE teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, invented basketball. Initially, it was just a game created for a gym class. It was an activity for the students to do indoors to avoid New England's cold winters. Five years later, the first college basketball game was played when a group of students from the University of Iowa hosted a group from the University of Chicago.
"Basketball made its debut in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Then, in 1946, the NBA was established, and of course, the rest is history. Basketball has evolved into something I'm sure Dr. Naismith could have never even imagined.
"Not only has the game become wildly popular over the years, but many of its players have become so iconic that they are viewed as superheroes or mythical figures—players like Russell, Wilt, Jerry West, Dr. J, Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, and most recently, Giannis. Despite starting just as a simple game, basketball's popularity has made it a complex business with significant global impact, many intricate layers, and tons of money circulating in and around it.
"And for me, the game of basketball has been my life's primary focus, and it's taken me on a wild journey. I've had unique vantage points to see everything behind the scenes of the NBA and basketball worldwide, and as a result, I've learned about all of the inner workings. Although I grew up loving the game from a surface-level view, just like a typical fan, I've become obsessed with the business behind the game and how everything works.
"So, I'm going to continue diving deeply into the game I love, basketball. I'm Matt Babcock, and this is The Matt Babcock Show.
"I mentioned that basketball has been my life's primary focus. Let me explain. When I was born, my dad, Dave Babcock, was an assistant coach at San Diego State University.
"My uncle, Pete Babcock, was an assistant coach and director of player personnel for the San Diego Clippers. My other uncle, Rob Babcock, was the head coach at Phoenix College, a junior college in Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, my dad coached at various colleges until I was about 13 when John Calipari hired him as a scout for the New Jersey Nets.
"He only spent one season working with Cal in the Nets before joining the Milwaukee Bucks front office, where he still works 25 years later. My dad held several job titles, including vice president of player personnel and interim general manager. He currently serves as director of player personnel.
"Regardless of titles, my dad's primary role has always been identifying which players the Bucks should select in the NBA draft, and he's had a lot of success. Most notably, he advised the Bucks to choose Michael Redd with the 43rd pick in the second round of the 2000 NBA draft and Giannis Ananacumpo with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Despite being a second-round pick, Michael Redd became an All-Star and Olympian, and Giannis, well, you know, he's a two-time MVP and NBA champion, and he's just getting started.
"My Uncle Pete's titles with the San Diego Clippers in the early and mid-1980s were assistant coach and director of player personnel. However, since he was the highest-ranking front office executive, he essentially served as the general manager while also being on the coaching staff. Yes, the NBA has changed quite a bit since the early 1980s.
"The infamous Donald Sterling owned the Clippers during that time. When Sterling moved the team from San Diego to Los Angeles without league approval, which was extremely dicey, to say the least, my Uncle decided that the Clippers organization was not the right place for him. Therefore, he left the Clippers to become the number two in the front office of the Denver Nuggets. Despite being a step backward regarding his job's authority, it proved to be a smart decision as he was quickly elevated to general manager.
"After a few successful seasons with the Nuggets, which had a team that featured star players Alex English and Fat Lever, my Uncle was lured away from Denver to become the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, which was owned by billionaire Ted Turner, who is most known for being the owner and founder of CNN, TBS, TNT, among other TV stations and companies. My Uncle was the general manager for the Atlanta Hawks for a long time, and they had great teams with players like Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Smith, Mookie Blaylock, and Christian Laettner. In addition to being the general manager of the Hawks, my Uncle Pete started the NBA draft combine with Bobby Knight and served as its director for a while, and was on all kinds of impressive boards like the NBA's competition committee and Team USA's player selection committee. When I was a kid, my Uncle Pete was a big deal.
"My Uncle Rob entered the NBA in the late 1980s, worked in the front office for the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, and had a stint as the general manager of the Toronto Raptors. One of my favorite stories from my Uncle Rob was when he and the Timberwolves staff were scouting Kevin Garnett before his draft.
"Of course, back then, players could enter the draft right out of high school. My Uncle Rob had already evaluated KG and subsequently tried to set up for his boss, Kevin McHale, to watch him work out. From what he said, he had to be somewhat bold to convince him to attend, as McHale did not seem to think it was realistic to use the fifth pick in the draft on a high school kid.
"Nevertheless, my Uncle Rob convinced him to attend the workout, and supposedly, KG was off the hook. Following the workout, McHale asked Rob, 'Do you think we need to move up in the draft to get him?' Well, they took KG with the fifth pick, and as we all know, KG became an all-time great player. Unfortunately, my Uncle Rob passed away a few years ago after battling pancreatic cancer, but he was a terrific guy who had a great career.
"My cousins Chris and Nate Babcock, Rob’s sons, work for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets organizations. My relationships with each of them are strong. We're like best friends.
"My dad and his two brothers accumulated nearly 100 years of combined NBA experience, which I think is incredible. If you've followed any of my work before, you've probably heard me talk about my family and our history within the game. There's no denying that I'm very proud of my family's accomplishments.
"Still, the main reason I bring up my family's background so often is that I feel that for someone to understand who I am, they need to know my background, where I come from, and some of the things I've experienced because having grown up in my family significantly influenced who I am today as a basketball person. So, to say I was born into basketball, it's literally quite true.
"However, being born into basketball was just the start.
"Throughout my life, I've gone from being a college coach's son, an NBA kid, a player, a coach, an agent, a media member, a scout, and I've served as an advisor for many people and entities operating in basketball. So, I've already seen and done a lot, and it's been quite the journey up to this point.
"But you know what? The way I see it, my basketball journey has just begun. Well, basketball season is finally here again. And although I'm involved in quite a few different things, my main focus is scouting for the NBA Draft.
"I currently serve as the Senior NBA Draft Analyst for basketballnews.com, where I'm responsible for their rankings, an NBA Draft Big Board throughout the season, and then an NBA Mock Draft following the season leading up to the NBA Draft in June. To evaluate prospects properly, I watch a ton of film, but I also constantly travel to attend games to see NBA prospects play in person. This first week of the season, I'm scouting a few games that are drivable distances from where I live in Denver, Colorado.
"First, I'm going to Boulder, Colorado, to see UC Riverside play Colorado, and then I'm heading up to Laramie, Wyoming, to see Wyoming host Nichols State. I'm going to see Zyon Pullin from UC Riverside, and I was supposed to see Graham Ike from Wyoming; however, he's injured. Both of these players are members of Damian Lillard's Formula Zero, a community of top high school and college players led by Dame himself and his skills coach, Phil Beckner.
"And I'm an advisor for the group. It's a special group. We held the inaugural camp in Portland this past summer, but we keep in touch. The group's motto is character, hard work, and accountability. And I'm all in. It's not only an excellent way for me to get to know some of the top NBA prospects; the lessons it provides and the accountability it demands from its members have made me better at everything I do.
"I love it, and I'm proud to say I'm a part of Formula Zero. So, although the first week of the season is relatively slow for me, things will kick into full gear next week when I attend the State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. This double-header will see Kentucky face Michigan State, followed by Duke playing Kansas.
"I attended this event last year, which featured the same teams. However, it was at Madison Square Garden in New York City last year, not Indy. Kentucky versus Duke was the main thing that stood out from last year's event.
"Paulo Banchero was terrific for Duke and looked like a future number-one pick, which, of course, he did become. Oscar Tshiebwe was all over the place for Kentucky. I think he had about 20 rebounds, and of course, he never looked back the entire season as he earned College Player of the Year.
"He's back for Kentucky, and I'm hoping he'll carry the momentum he established last year. I've gotten to know Oscar personally over the last few years. He butted heads with Coach Bob Huggins while he was at West Virginia, and for a while there, I wasn't quite sure where things were going for Oscar, but he transferred to Kentucky, stayed mentally strong and positive, and worked his butt off.
"He's now making a boatload of money through NIL, and he's earned it all. I'm happy for Oscar, and honestly, I'm rooting for him. There is a place for him in the NBA.
"The last thing I'd like to touch on briefly today is the NBA stud rookie class this season. Paolo Banchero is already the Magic's top player. He is a dynamic offensive weapon for them and is not too far from becoming an All-Star.
"I'm not sure the Kings could have asked for much more out of Keegan Murray, who looks like he could develop into an ideal stretch four in today's modern NBA. Jaden Ivey's game is translating to the NBA seamlessly. As soon as Ivey gets an inch, or if he gets downhill, he's gone, and it is over.
"And my fellow Arizona alum, Benedict Mathurin, wow, he's been incredible. He's so tough, confident, and fearless. He's knocking down shots at such a high rate already. Hey, Ben, if you're tuned in, you're making our Wildcat Nation proud. Bear down!
"Well, that's all I have for today. Stay tuned for another episode next week, where I will discuss how I prepare my scouting schedule before the season begins. I'd also like to discuss some of the top prospects for the 2023 NBA draft and some of the players that caught my eye during the first week of the college season.
"I'm Matt Babcock, and this is The Matt Babcock Show."
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