I broke into the NBA in 2005 \u2014 the same year Chris Paul did.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s still running the point. I\u2019m passing the torch.<\/p>\n
After 20 seasons covering the NBA \u2014 17 as a full-time beat writer \u2014 my run is over.<\/p>\n
The young fellas have got next.<\/p>\n
Readers of Money Talks already know: I\u2019ve got a new story to tell<\/a>. And I\u2019m all in.<\/p>\n But for more than two decades, NBA writing was the dream, the career I had coveted since my senior year of high school.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t just lucky; I worked my tail off for it.<\/p>\n At Norfolk State, it was the school paper by day, newspaper internships by night.<\/p>\n A year after graduation, a lucky break landed me my first NBA writing gig.<\/p>\n In the fall of 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf South, forcing the New Orleans Hornets to relocate to Oklahoma City. I was a first-year reporter in Akron, Ohio, when I got the call that changed everything.<\/p>\n \u201cHow would you like to cover the NBA?\u201d <\/p>\n The voice on the other end belonged to Mike Sherman, then the sports editor of The Oklahoman, and still the best editor I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n The paper needed an NBA writer, and I became the chosen one \u2014 tasked with chronicling the dawn of a new era in my home state.<\/p>\n Paul was the prized rookie for the displaced franchise, officially renamed the New Orleans\/Oklahoma City Hornets during their two-season stay.<\/p>\n Seven months after scalping a ticket in the last row at Cleveland State\u2019s Wolstein Center to watch Paul\u2019s final collegiate game, I found myself forced to shift from superfan to neutral sportswriter.<\/p>\n The sudden reality blew my mind.<\/p>\n The NBA beat became my world. I threw everything at it, and it gave back more than I could\u2019ve imagined.<\/p>\n I covered three franchises in two cities: the Oklahoma City Thunder for seven seasons and, for the past eight seasons, the Chicago Bulls<\/a>. I pestered six head coaches, four general managers and hundreds of players with probing questions.<\/p>\n Over my 17 full-time seasons alone, I consumed 1,394 NBA contests. That\u2019s 66,912 minutes of gametime, not including overtime sessions \u2014 a sportswriter\u2019s fiercest opponent.<\/p>\n Paul was the first star player I covered, but there were plenty of others: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.<\/p>\n I navigated other larger-than-life moments, too.<\/p>\n In 2008, I interviewed Shaquille O\u2019Neal, learning that his favorite peanut butter is Smuckers\u2019 Goober Grape.<\/p>\n That same year, I had a sitdown interview with Yao Ming. Well, he sat, while I lobbed questions as he ate a sub sandwich that looked pedestrian in those massive hands attached to his 7-foot-6-inch frame.<\/p>\n In 2012, I covered LeBron James\u2019 first NBA championship.<\/p>\n In 2013, I ended up in Westbrook\u2019s most famous meme<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2014, at the All-Star Game in New Orleans, I met my all-time favorite player, Anfernee \u201cPenny\u201d Hardaway.<\/a>\u201d It was one of the few times I was truly star struck and ignored all journalistic decorum.<\/p>\n In 2017, I authored my first book<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2019, I stood four feet from Michael Jordan outside the Bulls\u2019 visiting locker room in Charlotte. We actually made eye contact \u2014 the kind that screamed, \u2018Don\u2019t even think about it, kid!\u2019<\/p>\n That\u2019s OK. I\u2019ve interviewed Magic and Larry. Shaq and Chuck. Kobe and LeBron. Steph and Dirk.<\/p>\n The late, great Bill Russell even scolded me once, raising a hand to block my photo attempt before sternly putting me in my place.<\/p>\n After two unforgettable decades of deadlines and datelines, I\u2019m walking away from the game I\u2019ve always loved.<\/p>\n Now, I\u2019m choosing presence. I\u2019m choosing my true purpose.<\/p>\n I\u2019m choosing to tell stories on my own terms, and to reclaim the time I once gave to the grind.<\/p>\n Many have asked me what\u2019s next. One social media follower asked where I\u2019m going. I resisted replying, \u201cbowling with my daughter,\u201d which, in that moment, was the honest truth.<\/p>\n This transition lets me do just that. It brings the balance I\u2019ve been chasing.<\/p>\n Another reality? I\u2019d rather talk about Bitcoin more than basketball now. I\u2019ve evolved \u2014 and that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve moved from the Bulls beat to an editing role, working with a team of talented editors who make the product better in every way.<\/p>\n I\u2019m grateful to my company for working with me through this transition.<\/p>\n And to everyone who\u2019s read a story, shared a link, listened to a podcast, or let me into your basketball conversations, thank you. You helped make the dream real.<\/p>\n But now I\u2019ve got a different goal.<\/p>\n Yet again, I\u2019m in lockstep with Paul \u2014 the future Hall of Fame point guard who recently announced next season will likely be his last. Paul ranks second all-time in assists and steals, trailing only Utah Jazz legend John Stockton in both categories. But like me, he\u2019s chasing something better.<\/p>\n \u201cI love to play basketball,\u201d he said<\/a>, \u201cbut I love my kids and my family more.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ve found fulfillment beyond basketball.<\/p>\n Darnell Mayberry is a sportswriter based in Chicago and is the author of \u201c100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.\u201d He loves his daughter Parker, money and the Minnesota Vikings. You will find his column, Money Talks, each Saturday on cleveland.com<\/a> and Sundays in The Plain Dealer.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I broke into the NBA in 2005 \u2014 the same year Chris Paul did. 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