Drafting dad

Many of this year's top picks had excellent guidance

Things taking their expected course, Darko Milicic, the 7-foot Serb, was beaming next to silver-haired commish David Stern after being named the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, just after LeBron James. The ESPN camera cut to Milicic's dad, who was in the audience flush with an I-don't-care-how-goofy-I-look-in-this-Pistons-cap pride after seeing his son realize a dream.

A few minutes later, the parents of wiry guard Kirk Hinrich grinned and hugged as their son took the stage after being drafted No. 7 by the Bulls. Straight out of Iowa, the Hinriches looked a bit out of place at Madison Square Garden. But for that moment, it seemed they were as happy as they'd ever been.

It would be easy to tell the beginning, middle and end of the story surrounding the 2003 draft with two simple words: LeBron James. But it would be remiss to overlook an intriguing subplot which unfolded that evening, one that debunks one of the most prevailing clichés in sports: The athlete -- particularly, the black athlete -- who never knew his dad.

Gloria James, LeBron's ever-present mom, is certainly the nation's cheerleading parent of the moment. But it was heartening to learn of the men -- the fathers -- behind many of the young draftees who achieved their goal of riches and fame on Thursday evening.

Chris Bosh, the No. 4 pick from Georgia Tech names his father, Noel, as the person he most looks up to in life. "I look at other people sometimes and they don't have a father," he said. "[My dad's] still here with me. ... He's just been there for me."

Dwyane Wade of Marquette, selected No. 5 by the Heat, told The Associated Press in April that he credits his father, Dwyane Sr., with instilling in him the unselfish attitude that has become his hallmark.

Last January, the Texas Longhorns' men's basketball Web site posted an article about T.J. Ford under the headline "A family affair". In the piece, T.J., who was selected at No. 8 by Milwaukee in this year's draft, said "My dad, my brother and I played ball everyday from morning till night. ... It was great growing up in a family that was so involved with sports, because they taught me so much."

And on it went.

Five years ago, Sports Illustrated published a cover story titled "Where's Daddy?" which called out several professional athletes -- most of them black -- for being absentee fathers to children born out of wedlock. That story still resonates with many athletes. Some despise the magazine for having running it; others use it as a benchmark for their own lives. During a recent television interview, Nets forward Kenyon Martin, when asked why he is so involved in his newborn daughter's life (as if he has to explain why), said, in part, that he didn't want to be in another SI "Where's Daddy?" article.

On Thursday, daddy was in the house.

The troubling reality is that too many young men are still being raised by their mothers alone. That is particularly true for young African-American men. More than a third of the seven million single-parent households in the U.S. headed by women are African-American, according to the U.S. census. That's more than 2.3 million homes. Our society gives the young men in these households little hope of becoming thriving contributing citizens, little hope of fulfilling dreams -- whatever they may be.

Not to read too much into this night of dreams, but perhaps we can glean some hope from the young men who arrived at this year's NBA draft with a father's arms wrapped firmly around their shoulders.

The dearth of black fathers is perhaps the greatest challenge of the African-American community, one that cannot be blamed entirely on black women or The Man. Today, two in three black children born in the U.S. are born into single-parent homes.

On Thursday, a new cast of young men stepped on to the stage as role models for another generation of aspiring athletes. But for the millions of men who still choose to become fathers rather than be fathers, the most vital role models that evening were the men behind the young men in the spotlight.

Roy S. Johnson is an assistant managing editor for Sports Illustrated. His "Pass the Word" column appears on SI.com every Friday. Catch Johnson on CNN Headline News every Thursday at 3:40 p.m. ET.

 

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