MEMPHIS – The court awareness and playmaking presence are still there for Mike
Bibby.
Judging by all that remain intact – Bibby’s clean-shaven boyish looks, the
feisty demeanor and the bulked-up yet seemingly sub-zero body fat percentage –
it seems Mother Nature and Father Time conspired to never inform the former NBA
point guard that two decades have passed.
The last time Bibby had ‘Grizzlies’ stitched across his chest, he was scoring in
bunches, dishing assists and, ultimately, steering the franchise into its
relocation from Vancouver, although he was traded to Sacramento the summer the
team arrived in Memphis.
Exactly 20 years after making the NBA All-Rookie team as the No. 2 overall pick
in the 1998 draft, Bibby was recently back in Grizzlies’ gear again. Only this
time, his game-night jersey was a coaching polo. And this time, he was offering
pointers, shagging rebounds and dishing wisdom during practices and games.
Bibby wrapped up his unofficial apprenticeship last week as a volunteer
assistant for the Grizzlies’ summer team that competed in the respective Utah
Jazz and Las Vegas summer leagues. Former players and coaches looking to sharpen
their coaching chops frequently latch on to teams during the summer to help out,
and that’s especially been the case the past two seasons with the Grizzlies.
For Bibby, who spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the
Grizzlies, the chance to reconnect in a meaningful way also comes amid another
transition for both he and the franchise. Bibby, 40, aims to eventually jump
from the prep coaching ranks into a college or NBA position. Since retiring from
a 14-year NBA career in 2012, Bibby has coached his high school alma mater,
Shadow Mountain, to championships in the Phoenix area and he’s also played in
Ice Cube’s Big3 league the past two seasons.
The chance to hook up with the Grizzlies was the product of a longstanding
friendship between Bibby and coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was promoted from the
interim role with the Grizzlies earlier this summer. One of Bibby’s former
teammates who stayed with Bibby’s family during their senior year in high school
ended up attending college at Oregon State, where Bickerstaff spent his first
two seasons.
Bibby and Bickerstaff remained in contact over the years, and when the
opportunity came to help out with the Grizzlies’ young players and new draft
picks in summer league, Bibby took advantage. He ended up working on an expanded
summer staff that included new hires in fulltime assistants Jerry Stackhouse,
Vitaly Potapenko and Kevin Burleson, who are all former NBA players. Bibby was a
volunteer staffer with ex-NBA guard Alan Anderson.
“I’m thankful to J.B. and give all praise to J.B. for giving me a chance to do
something like this when no one would,” Bibby said. “We go back to when I was
young and we were first going to college. Who knew something like this would
come along for both of us. I’ll always be in debt to J.B., because it’s good
experience to get out here and help these kids and help this staff as much as I
can.”
A common joke from commentators during national broadcasts of the Grizzlies’
summer league games was the team should instead suit up its high-profile
coaching staff to see how many games they’d win.
Bibby was just fine with subbing in during scrimmages in practice or game-day
shootarounds to run scout team plays. During an off day practice in Las Vegas,
Bibby was on the court going against young guards Jevon Carter and Kobi Simmons.
A week earlier, Bibby was the last assistant on the court in Salt Lake City
shagging rebounds and passing to guards as they pushed through post-practice
shooting drills.
Clearly, Bibby isn’t afraid to get his hands sweaty doing menial tasks for the
experience alone. His path into coaching has already been paved with success at
Shadow Mountain, which has won four state titles in the past five years,
including three championship appearances since Bibby returned as head coach.
This summer was another chance to continue to build on his coaching ledger.
Basketball and coaching is essentially the family business, with Bibby’s father,
Henry Bibby, having played and coached in the NBA – including a four-year stint
(2009-2013) as an assistant with the Grizzlies.
“Coaching is just in me,” Mike Bibby said. “My dad used to coach, and basketball
runs all through me. I take a lot of pride, as you can see, in coaching high
school. It’s on my own time. And to get here, we’re doing the same stuff (with
the summer league team) that we were trying to prepare our guys for in high
school. Kids at our school are learning NBA stuff. I love teaching and giving
back. I love working with young guys trying to find their way in the NBA and
helping give them a chance to succeed at this level.”
Bibby found plenty of success at the NBA level after guiding Arizona to the 1997
NCAA championship as a freshman. He averaged 14.7 points and 7.8 assists in 214
career games with the expansion Grizzlies before he found playoff success during
stretches with the Kings, Hawks and Heat.
Looking back, Bibby said he tries to draw from some of the tough lessons he
learned during the lean years in Vancouver. The win total improved each season
Bibby was with the Grizzlies, but they were a combined 53-161 during those three
years that preceded the move to Memphis.
“I know we were a young and inexperienced team, and it was a lot tougher back
then,” Bibby said. “We had some good guys. It’s just that our veterans back then
– I’m a rookie at 20 years old, and our vets were Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and he’s
21, and (Bryant) Country Reeves, who was 23, 24 years old. So, being an
expansion team was pretty tough. I think we overcame it, and the franchise is
still going hard.”
The Grizzlies are also headed in new direction philosophically. There’s an
increased focus on player development for young talent such as Carter, rookie
No. 4 overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. and swingman Dillon Brooks, who became the
first Grizzlies’ rookie in a decade to play all 82 games.
There’s also been a mission this offseason to surround franchise anchors Mike
Conley and Marc Gasol with versatile veteran role players with high IQs and
previous playoff experience. Including Monday’s trade that sent former
first-round pick Jarell Martin to Orlando, the Grizzlies have already parted
ways with six players from last season’s 22-60 team through either trades or
free agency departures.
From the coaching staff through the end of the roster, Bibby likes the changes
he’s seen. Should a chance to continue as a player development specialist open
up with the Grizzlies or the affiliate NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle, Bibby is
open to returning to the franchise where his NBA career began. There could also
be opportunities elsewhere around the league when NBA training camps open in
late September.
Landing a position as a college assistant, and eventual head coach, is also part
of Bibby’s pursuit. From the former NBA players who have landed on the
Grizzlies’ staff to former All-NBA star Penny Hardaway taking over at the
University of Memphis, there’s an encouraging blueprint developing in the city.
“That’s what I’m working now,” Bibby said of securing his next coaching
opportunity. “And that’s what I want it to eventually come to, whichever one
comes first, NBA or college, I’m willing to do. As you see, I have no problems
starting from the bottom. I’ve been out here rebounding for guys working on
their shot, doing other stuff. I have no problem with that. I’m a very humble
guy, and if anybody was to hire me, whatever they want me to do – if it’s hand
out water during the game, I’ll hand out waters during the game. That’s how it
goes. I’m willing to do anything and I’m still learning.”
And when he’s not on the court coaching or learning, he’s in a gym somewhere
lifting.
Oh, there’s no way Bibby was getting away without addressing the viral photos of
that herculean physique. Bibby is jacked these days. The sleeves on those summer
coaching polos contain him about as well as helpless defenders back in the day
when he drove to the basket.
How did Bibby get so ripped?
“I’m not even that big,” he shot back, almost dismissively. “I work out a lot
and I take a lot of pride in working out when there’s nothing else to do. High
school is out. I lift weights. I get to the gym at seven or 7:15 in the morning,
and I don’t leave until probably noon. I work out with weights probably three or
four hours. I do total body on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I do bands
Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
As a result, he’s become a bit of a social media sensation.
And he wants absolutely no part of it.
“What do you want me to say?” Bibby responded. “If I was a little overweight,
(people on social media) would have something (negative) to say. I don’t
understand how they, these people that hide behind social media, want me to be.
I’ve always been the type of person who doesn’t give two (craps) about what
people think about me. Never have. Never will. And that’s just me.”
A basketball bounced toward Bibby just as he finished that statement. That ball
is in his hands, much like his coaching future. Twenty years ago, Bibby was a
student of the game when he got to the Grizzlies.
Now, with two decades of playing experience and wisdom to offer, he’s eager to
keep teaching.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations
staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known
to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the
access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the
media.
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