BEST GAME EVER
Dan Woike asked NBA players to tell us about the best game in their basketball career. This week: Montrezl Harrell
MAY 28, 2010: Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions 29 points
As one of the early favorites for the NBA’s sixth man of the year, Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell changes games with his endless energy and tenacity. He helped push the Clippers to the postseason last season and is in position to cash in huge this summer when he’s an unrestricted free agent. But his “best game ever” wasn’t one that cemented his future payday. It was a game with a bunch of neighborhood friends on the campus of North Carolina that helped establish him as a big-time college recruit.
“It was a game when I was 16. I played in the Bob Gibbons tournament down at North Carolina — UNC Chapel Hill. We were playing against [future Tar Heel] J.P. Tokoto’s team. It was the semifinal game. I had a great game. My team was North Carolina Elite. It was probably the best game I ever had. I caught a crazy putback off the rim. It was one of those things where I bounced and just really took off. Right from the corner. If I would’ve missed it, I probably would’ve broken my arm. It was one of the craziest games, even if we ended up losing to them on a last-second tip in by J.P. There was so many people in there because he was one of those highly recruited guys. It was a great feeling to play there.”