HoopsHype.com Interviews

Jamario Moon: "I have a better chance of winning the dunk contest than Barkley of becoming Governor"
by Jorge Sierra / February 15, 2008

Do you remember where you were exactly one year ago. Was it the CBA, Mexico...?

Jamario Moon: It was in the CBA. I was with the team they have in Albany, New York. I was playing for Micheal Ray Richardson and the Albany Patroons.

What kind of money does one guy make in a league like that?

JM: You know what? I made the max. That was $800 a week. So you know, I thought I was living large. But it was all good. I was surviving. It was just another step I had to take to be where I am right now.

You were off the NBA radar for many years after leaving college. Was it that you were still not good enough or is it just that they were not paying attention?

JM: I just had to be put in front of the right people. Then the people from Toronto came around and they gave me a nice shot. I just did my job and they kept me.

How important was the role of Micheal Ray Richardson for you?

JM: Micheal Ray Richardson was big. By him being an All-Star, this guy really told me the things that I needed to do to get where I wanted to be. Once he told me that, I changed a couple of things in my game, started to work hard on the defensive end of the court and good things happened. I thank Micheal Ray Richardson a lot.

You're probably getting a good contract pretty soon. Do you think about that a lot?

JM: No, I'm just trying to do what I can do right now to help the team get wins. This summer we'll start working on contracts or whatever.

The dunks you're going to do in Saturday's contest are your own ideas or somebody else's suggestions?

JM: They were my own ideas. No, wait, I had some suggestions from one the assistant coach and from a couple of teammates. So I may pay my respects and do one of the dunks they told me about.

The Youtube video where it seems like you're jumping from way behind the free-throw line... Is that hoax or what?

JM: Like I had told everybody, you gotta be there to see it. You will have to watch it on TV or watch it live and see what happens. If I have to pull it out, then I will pull it out.

Charles Barkley said you have no chance to win the dunk contest. What do you say about that?

JM: Aww, you know what? I have to tell you... I have a better chance of winning the dunk contest than Charles Barkley has of going back to Alabama and become Governor. I tell you right there.

Jorge Sierra is the editor of HoopsHype.com

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