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Bobby Motus
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Saturday, March 11, 2017
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THE 1992 NBA Draft had Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Christian Laettner as the top 3 picks. Notables among them were Tom Gugliotta, Jon Barry, Jim Jackson, Doug Christie, Robert Horry, and Lattrell Spreewell.
The Chicago Bulls drafted Matthew Todd Steigenga at #52 in the second round, a 6-7 forward from Michigan State. He excelled in high school basketball while playing for South Christian at Grand Rapids where he was named Mr. Basketball. He was on the McDonald’s All-American HS All-Star Game and won the slam dunk contest during that event. He played four years at MSU and was a starter during his last three years averaging double figures. Matt is 17th all-time on the Spartans’ scoring list.
He never played for the Bulls that season but instead played with different CBA teams, in Spain and in Japan until 1997. Supporting Chicago’s chase for a second straight championship, he called front office on April 11 asking for tickets to Bulls games. “I had nothing to do, so I thought I’d come down to Chicago and be a fan.”
By some chance Matt became Michael Jordan’s favorite so since the 1992 Draft up to that moment, he was still on the Bulls’ radar. Team manager Jerry Krause did not give him tickets but instead gave him a 10-day contract the following day.
Because Toni Kukoc was having foot problems, Chicago, as per league rules, was allowed to sign a player as a substitute at any time before the playoffs began. Steigenga became a backup small forward and played a career total of 12 minutes in two NBA games, scoring three points with three rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block. He never played again but joined the team in practices until their title run. Perhaps in recognition of his efforts, Krause awarded Steigenga with the 1997 championship ring.
The year before, another obscure Bull won a ring. Jack Haley was drafted by Chicago in 1987 but after playing for a season, was seen with several teams until he found his way back to Chicago. He only played a game for the 1995-1996 72-win Bulls because of injuries but nonetheless, he also earned his championship ring.
Because he was close to Dennis Rodman, Haley was sometimes referred to as the Worm’s babysitter which he disliked very much. He died on March 2015 of a heart disease.
The LA Lakers drafted Sun Yue from China in 2007 as their 40th pick. Playing only 10 games with a total of 28 minutes and 5 points to his name, he earned his diamond studded title ring when the Lakers won during the 2008-2009 season.
The most recent champion without breaking a sweat is Sasha Kaun. With a total of 95 regular season playing minutes with Cleveland, he got his ring by riding the bench and promptly retired thereafter. Selected by Seattle in the 2008 Draft, Kaun was on the 2008 NCAA champions Kansas Jayhawks. The 6-11 Russian went home and played professionally until 2015 when he hooked up with the Cavs.
Kaun is a member of Russia’s 2012 Olympic bronze medal and together with Timofey Mozgov, are the first Russians to win NBA titles.
Many stars struggled and endured for decades just to win that elusive championship. Sadly, fate is not on their side. Legends like Dominique Wilkins, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash and Reggie Miller have outstanding NBA careers and have played the most number of minutes. They had received numerous individual awards but missed the most coveted of all. They gave their all but couldn’t show any ring.
Matt Steigenga, Jack Haley, Sun Yue and Sasha Kaun. They were at the right place at the right time.
NBA Trivia : In his prime, Elgin Baylor led the LA Lakers to the championship eight times and lost every time. Seven of those loses were from the Boston Celtics. He retired in 1972 and the following year, the Lakers won the league title./PN
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