Andre Emmett obviously made a big impression at the BIG3 Combine back in April, because 3’s Company made him the second overall pick in the draft. And he’s backed up that faith, playing MVP-caliber ball and helping his team reach the BIG3 Championship Game this Friday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (8 p.m. ET on FOX). Last week, Emmett scored 25 points in the playoff win over the 3-Headed Monsters, playing in his hometown of Dallas. Before coming to New York for the title game, Emmett filed this BIG3 diary:
When the BIG3 was in Dallas last year, my hometown friend (and former New Jersey Nets teammate) Kenyon Martin was trying to get me into the league. I tried, but I didn’t have the paperwork in and it didn’t go down. So while I was playing in Korea earlier this year, I made sure I had all my paperwork in. Signed every document I needed to, made it to L.A. for the Combine. Killed it. Got drafted.
And here we are.
Playing in the BIG3 has been great. Every city has been awesome. Not only on the court, but off the court, too. We do a lot in the community. A lot of guys are using this platform to reach kids. It’s awesome what Ice Cube is doing. Top to bottom it’s been a great experience.
And it doesn’t suck that my first year in the league will end with a trip to the championship game!
Our team has gotten better and better all season. Except for DerMarr Johnson, we’re all first-year players. So we were learning everything on the fly, learning to play with each other. Our coach, Michael Cooper, has done an outstanding job bringing us together.
Mike has been great. Think about it. Both of these coaches in the title game – Coop and Nancy Lieberman — have won so much in their careers. So they’re just bringing that winning mentality and giving it to us. I shoot Coop a text every day and say, “Thank you, man.” He’s been great, allowing me to do my thing.
And we love hearing him talk about his “Showtime” days with the Lakers! That’s probably what we talk about the most. He’s great.
The first three or four weeks of the season, I was coming off the bench. I was new to it, so I was trying to find my rhythm – where to go, what to do, how to play. And then Coach Coop came to me and said, “Hey, do your thing. Whether it’s scoring or making plays for your teammates.”
He gave me that responsibility and I’ve owned it. Ever since then, I’ve been turning it up every week.
The high point, of course, was last week in Dallas. It just so happened the playoffs were in my hometown. In the playoffs, you have to take it to another level. And playing at home definitely helped me do that.
It’s been a long way off since the last time I played at American Airlines Center. I played there when I was in college at Texas Tech. In my short stint in the NBA, I played there as well, but it’s been years. I don’t even remember the last time.
I had plenty of family and friends there. And it was great that we got about 150 kids from the city at the game.
I thrive off of the hype. I hear all the hype about other players on other teams, while I’m not getting the same recognition. Last week, I just channeled everything into that game, and we came out victorious. And now it’s time to win a championship.
Oh, man, I’m locked in. Three’s Company is locked in. And we know Power is, too, so we’re gonna have to bring our “A” game. Power has been solid and locked in the whole year. I can say that about that team for sure. But 3’s Company – we’re locked in, too. It’s gonna be exciting. I’m looking to walk away with the trophy.
Maybe we can give Coach Cooper a little “Showtime” Friday night in Brooklyn!
