In the Big League for around ten years, between 2000 and 2009, around 8 points and 5 rebounds on average, without an All-Star cap or NBA title, Stromile Swift nevertheless remains a well-known name among NBA fans. Especially for his dunks, as powerful as they are aerial, in the mid-2000s!
Physical phenomenon of 2m08 and 100 kg, native of Louisiana, he finally arrived in basketball quite late. However, his genetic heritage lent itself to it, even though he was already 1m93 tall at 13 years old. Subsequently allowing him to slam his first dunk the summer before the third…
With T-Mac at the 1996 ABCD Camp
And then, it all really started with the Adidas ABCD Camp, the 1996 edition. The one during which a certain Tracy McGrady revealed himself to the world. Behind him, there was Stromile…
“I had just started playing, I was still a beginner but I was invited to ABCD Camp. I didn't know this camp and I even thought it was a camp for kids with a name like that.” recently narrated Stromile Swift in the Knuckleheads podcast. “The guy tells me Kobe Bryant did it. At the time, I didn't even know who Kobe was… But I understood that it was one of the best camps in the country, so I accepted. But he wanted to give me a plane ticket to New Jersey. I wanted to take a bus, I was terrified of taking a plane [rires] ! At the time, I was just starting out, no one knew me. This is where I made my name. I ended up on the same team as T-Mac. I had never seen such a talented player in my life. He had some incredible hot streaks, so much so that he eclipsed Lamar Odom who was supposed to be the star of the camp. […] On a counterattack action that he finished in windmill over the defenderwith the mistake, he set the room on fire, it was crazy! As for me, I was able to finish as number 1 among the “underclass” players, that’s where my name was discovered. At the same time, when I saw Mac and LO, I told myself that my dribbling was bad! I was still far from the mark [rires] ! »
Now well placed on the NCAA recruiter circuit, Stromile Swift will soon see observers arriving in front of his gate, near Shreveport. He initially leaned towards Michigan (for its Fab Five), then towards Georgetown (for its pivots)… but ultimately it was LSU who won the decision!
“Michigan was my first choice. As a kid, I skipped school to watch their NCAA tournament games. I was leaving at the bus stop, and I saw my mother leaving for work. And then, I came back to the house by sneaking through my bedroom window which I had left open [rires]. They made a strong impression on me with their Fab Five. I had Michigan but also Georgetown among my favorites. »
At home at LSU
In the purest tradition of university recruitment, Stromile Swift received an invitation to the local team's US football match. LSU's was simply above Michigan!
“I was invited to a college football game at Michigan, and they had Tom Brady and Charles Woodson at the time. It was a big atmosphere. But, that was nothing compared to what I experienced at LSU. The stadium was full and people were screaming in every direction. LSU was playing Florida, the No. 1 ranked team in the country. When we won, I found myself jumping on the field and running towards the players and holding on to the bars to celebrate the victory. Afterwards, my mother came to see me: 'But what happened to you? I've never seen you act like that [rires] !' I was won over. Plus, behind, we spent the whole evening and it was the guys from the football team who ended up taking me back to my hotel. I didn't even know where the basketball team was in the end. But after the night, I knew I was going to come to LSU. »
Under the spell of the atmosphere of the Tigers, and obviously more comfortable staying in his native state, Stromile Swift gradually progressed in his basketball, he who arrived on the Baton Rouge campus as a real project…
“My first match was only in January. Before that, I had been thrown to the wolves because I hadn't taken my ACT test yet [pour accéder à l’université]. It was complicated to manage and, to make matters worse, I played against Chris Porter's Auburn, who was a dunking machine, for my very first game. I was obviously stressed before the match but I played pretty well. I did well against one of the best teams in the country. It motivated me for the future because, the following summer, I really started to be more serious about bodybuilding and it paid off my second year. »
Drafted #2 in 2000
Leading LSU to the Sweet Sixteen, a result she had not achieved since 1981, Stromile Swift made a strong impression with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks on average, including an outing with 23 points and 10 rebounds against Texas. during the final tournament. So much so that he finished 2nd in the NBA Draft in 2000, behind Kenyon Martin.
“I didn't play much during my rookie season because I was behind Shareef Abdur-Rahim [qui était le franchise player et revenait doré des JO de Sydney]. But the player who really blew me away, and who I wanted to meet the most, was Kevin Garnett. I wanted to model my game on his but when we played against each other, he killed me! He was the major player on his team so the whole game went through him and he talked a lot. He was warming me up but I was only a role player, so I was there, leaving the announced game system to try to respond to him in our duel. [rires] “. »
Invited to the dunk contest from his second season, in 2001, while he admits today that he took advantage of each of his minutes to place as many dunks as possible to participate precisely, Stromile Swift became famous for his explosive dunks. And his celebration, a bird that flies away with both hands, as a tribute to his “high school clique”, with whom he started this tradition.
But, before being able to make a small career with no less than 43 million dollars in cumulative salaries, Stromile Swift was also entitled to the obligatory passage of “rookie duties”.
“I had Grant Long who was my veteran. A real old timer. But there was also Ike Austin, Tony Massenburg. These guys were fun, I could tell you stories about them. But since I was the only rookie on the team, all the chores fell on me. It wasn't anything amazing but I had to take care of the dirty laundry, unload and load the bus or go get the Krispy Kreme [les donuts]. I especially remember a training session that was particularly hard in Detroit. And afterwards, all the guys started kicking the balls to throw them into the stands. I didn't know why but I also took a ball and kicked it with all my strength… before realizing that it was up to me to go and get them [rires] ! But I stood up to them. They told me that if I didn't go get them, they were going to jump on me and prevent me from getting on the bus and on the plane. To which I replied that there would be at least one who would stand for the others if there was a fight. In the end, we did the training and straight after, I went to the bus without taking a shower. I had no intention of being abandoned in Detroit! »
Mentor of Pau Gasol in Memphis
In Tennessee, he will also have a little-known role as mentor to a young European, who will still leave his mark on the history of world basketball. A Catalan named Pau Gasol.
“Pau had his locker room right next to mine. He didn't speak English well yet, and I spoke in street slang. So we had trouble communicating at first, but we were like two fingers on the hand. He followed me everywhere. I helped him adapt. I made him watch Sanford & Son, I called him Julio, like in the show. He was so talented with the ball in hand. When he dunked on KG, I was almost jumping on his back because I was so happy [rires] ! He was super strong, at the level of the best without a doubt. His transfer to LA was the best thing for him because he was able to be recognized for his talent, with the titles to boot. »
Sent to Houston in 2005 (before returning to Memphis for two more seasons with the Grizz), Stromile Swift had high hopes. Firstly because he joined the team he supported when he was young, a fan of Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon. But also because the Rockets at the time were the hyper-talented (but ultra-fragile) duo T-Mac and Yao. In the absence of an NBA title, he was able to cross paths with the recently late Dikembe Mutombo.
“I was the new kid on the team so I didn’t know everyone and I kept a low profile. But on the plane, there was Dikembe with his headphones singing Biggie, word for word: 'They call me the Big Poppa', with his voice from beyond the grave, it was so funny [rires] ! No, but seriously, I've never seen this guy have a bad day. He always had a smile and made everyone laugh, even if we lost a lot of matches with Mac and Yao who were often injured. He's one of the funniest guys I've met in my life. An incredible guy. On the other hand, in training, he was forced to put protection on his elbows. Because he was inevitably going to send them in all directions and we didn't want more injured people than we already had. »
| Stromile Swift | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2000-01 | VAN | 80 | 16 | 45.1 | 0.0 | 60.3 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 4.9 |
| 2001-02 | M.E.M. | 68 | 27 | 48.0 | 0.0 | 71.1 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 6.3 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 11.8 |
| 2002-03 | M.E.M. | 67 | 22 | 48.1 | 0.0 | 72.2 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 9.7 |
| 2003-04 | M.E.M. | 77 | 20 | 46.9 | 25.0 | 72.5 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 9.4 |
| 2004-05 | M.E.M. | 60 | 21 | 44.9 | 0.0 | 75.8 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 10.1 |
| 2005-06 | HOU | 66 | 20 | 49.1 | 0.0 | 65.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 8.9 |
| 2006-07 | M.E.M. | 54 | 19 | 46.5 | 0.0 | 72.4 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 7.8 |
| 2007-08 * | All Teams | 56 | 15 | 50.9 | 0.0 | 67.0 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 6.1 |
| 2007-08 * | M.E.M. | 35 | 16 | 52.5 | 0.0 | 64.2 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 6.8 |
| 2007-08 * | NJN | 21 | 14 | 47.7 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 5.0 |
| 2008-09 * | All Teams | 19 | 10 | 42.9 | 100.0 | 50.0 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 3.3 |
| 2008-09 * | PHX | 13 | 9 | 36.6 | 100.0 | 53.3 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 3.0 |
| 2008-09 * | NJN | 6 | 11 | 60.0 | 0.0 | 45.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 3.8 |
| Total | 547 | 20 | 47.3 | 7.4 | 69.9 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 8.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
