MILWAUKEE — "You know, it's just amazing to be a part of the organization that drafted you and have so many memories and still have so many friends," TJ Ford says.
TJ Ford returned to Milwaukee, a place he was drafted in 2003 when some thought Michael Jordan was going to buy the Bucks on draft night.
"I really missed it," TJ Ford says. "It's where I had my best fun and that first place, man, there's nothing like it when you get drafted."
Lance Allan asks, "That draft night we were talking about it. It was a crazy night. How aware were you of all the things that were swirling around the team?"
"Man, you didn't know who was ownership. Even kind of to this day there's rumors about who drafted me, who didn't. I'm not really sure. But I'm just happy that I was able to become a Milwaukee Buck."
His scariest moment? A spinal cord contusion suffered his rookie season.
Lance Allan asks, "Sadly I was here for one of the low points of your career when you got hurt. What was that like for you to mentally go through that and just to persevere and to come back?"
"Man, to think about it was crazy. To continue to fight through it. Being paralyzed multiple times. But like I said, for the love of this game of basketball, it meant everything to me and I gave it everything that I had," Ford says. "It's one of those things that kind of allowed me to be a lot more mature."
But these days Ford is known for this hilarious big shorts picture and loves the return of the purple jerseys.
"I'm glad they brought those uniforms back," Ford says. "Every year I got the legendary picture with the big long shorts that all the new rookies talk about, so for them to bring that back in the NBA is amazing."
Lance Allan asks, "Your legacy continues my friend because I don't know how many gifs, and memes, and whatever I've seen of you in those shorts. Do you appreciate that? Do you like that?"
"Of course!" Ford says with a laugh. "I haven't played in over 12 years, and for guys to still appreciate that and bring laughter every year. For guys that never really personally seen me play, from each generation, it's been great. It's been a blessing that that video happened because they didn't have my size in the uniform during that photo shoot so I wasn't missing that opportunity."
Lance Allan says, "I wish you still had those shorts!"
"I still do!" Ford exclaims. "I'm trying to get my oldest son to do a throwback but I gotta work him a little longer to try to get him to pull it off."
It's been so long since Ford was in Milwaukee, he didn't realize that the Bradley Center site, where he used to play, is currently a vacant lot.
