CHARLOTTE – Veteran Grizzlies guard Garrett Temple projects much taller than
6-foot-6, especially when boosted by the historic shoulders on which he’s stood
to reach this point in his journey to leadership.
As the league All-Star Game returns to Charlotte later this month, Temple is a
little more than halfway through his three-year term as a vice president of the
NBA Players Association. And All-Star Weekend is always a reminder of how much
the league, overall, and its players in particular have thrived.
There’s also plenty of work to be done to keep the game’s current and former
players moving forward. That’s among the reasons Temple looks forward to his
time off the court when he helps to institute programs for players who range
from league superstars to end-of-the-bench reserves as they prepare for life
after the game.
But when Temple looks to the past, he sees the extraordinary foundation his
father and grandfather established as contributors to the civil rights movement
in their native Baton Rouge, La. – and beyond.
Garrett Temple #17 of the Memphis Grizzlies arrives prior to a game against the
Utah Jazz on November 12, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Joe
Murphy via Getty Images.
“The things they had to withstand to accomplish everything they did – that’s an
example to me every day,” Temple said as February’s Black History Month opens
with the Grizzlies in Charlotte on Friday to face the Hornets. “My grandfather
taught my dad how to be a leader and my dad taught my older brothers and me to
be independent thinkers. That’s what I learned early on in the face of peer
pressure. I’m not going to fall into trends. If you’re not a follower, you’re a
leader.”
Leadership and communication skills are as much a part of Temple’s arsenal as
the defense and shooting touch he hopes to rekindle when he returns from nagging
injuries that have sidelined him recently. Temple will likely miss Friday’s game
as he continues to rehab from a shoulder sprain, but has increased his
conditioning and activity the past few practice sessions, which included Friday
morning’s team shootaround.
The value of Temple’s role has always extended beyond the basketball court. And
paving the way for African-American progress in his native Louisiana has long
been the family business.
Three generations ago, Collis Temple Sr. completed his undergraduate degree from
Southern University in Baton Rouge and hoped to stay in town to pursue his
Masters at Louisiana State University. Despite an impeccable academic record, he
was denied entry amid 1950s Jim Crow segregation practices.
“The state’s biggest university wasn’t willing to take him, but the state was
willing to pay his tuition to anywhere else,” Garrett Temple said. “So my
grandfather ended up getting his Masters from Michigan State. This is the same
man they came to when they wanted his son to be the first black player at LSU.”
Seven years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress, the governor
of Louisiana was among those who recruited Collis Temple Jr. to become the first
African-American basketball player at LSU. It was Collis Sr.’s forgiveness and
grace that opened the door for not just his son and grandsons to be scholarship
athletes at LSU, but also broke barriers for generations to come.
Collis Temple Jr. enrolled at LSU three years after Martin Luther King, Jr. was
assassinated in Memphis.
“We were in quite a bit of a turbulent time,” Collis Temple Jr. told NBA.com
last year. “Particularly in the south, so it was quite a challenge. It was
interesting, and at the same time, a really challenging time.”
Nearly 45 years later, Garrett Temple was elected by his NBA peers to work
alongside LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and others to steer players
through another dose of social justice challenges. The NBPA has addressed issues
ranging from recent police brutality and discrimination to establishing programs
and resources to assist disadvantaged youth in NBA cities.
Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets and Garrett Temple #17 of the Memphis
Grizzlies talk after the game on January 23, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, TN.
Photo by Joe Murphy via Getty Images.
Last month, during the Grizzlies and NBA annual Martin Luther King, Jr.
Celebration Game events, Temple was at the Lorraine Motel site of King’s
assassination as part of a panel discussion on the intersection of race, sports
and society at the National Civil Rights Museum. Later this month, Temple will
be among the NBAPA’s executive committee attending All-Star Weekend for meetings
on league developments.
“My role is to inform my teammates and inform the rest of the league what’s
going on,” Temple said of his responsibilities. “We have conference calls about
once a month, and we talk about key issues to address in the winter and summer
league meetings. I take a lot of pride in that.”
Temple’s leadership on and off the court is what attracted the Grizzlies, who
traded to acquire him last summer from Sacramento in the final year of a
contract that expires after this season. Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff said
the team is getting everything – and more – that was expected from Temple, who
got off to the most productive start of his career before struggling with
injuries in recent weeks.
Yet it’s been Temple’s ability to shoot straight with his teammates as a veteran
voice in the locker room that has resonated in Memphis.
“He’s consistent, just as a human being,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s not up and
down like the NBA season goes. Every day, he’s the exact same person. So in good
times and bad times, you know you can count on him. He’s going to give you the
honest answer. The other thing is just how unselfish he really is. He doesn’t do
anything except for what’s best for the team’s interest. His story as a guy who
doesn’t give in, who’s been cut, been through the NBA ringer and yet has found a
way to persevere – those are all qualities people can look up to and people can
trust.”
Take basketball away from Temple, and he’d still likely be a national leader on
the corporate, economic, social or political scene. Adding basketball to the
equation only makes Temple’s role and responsibilities more essential in today’s
NBA as he helps players plot their course for tomorrow’s life beyond the court.
Temple points to NBPA programs that offer current players offseason training and
opportunities to explore front-office management roles, coaching and
broadcasting.
“A lot of guys around the league call me asking how to get in touch with people
so they can get into those programs,” Temple said. “One thing overlooked and not
widely understood is the type of programs we offer while they’re playing and as
they’re retiring, so they can make successful transitions.”
Garrett has been raised on the Temple family legacy of service and sacrifice.
Like grandfather, like father, like son.
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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