Getty Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins
Reggie Evans has the duality of being both likable and honest. A thirteen year NBA veteran, Evans spent 13 seasons in the league with seven different teams and homeboy was a rebounding behemoth.
He’s also one of the most quotable.
Earlier in his career when Evans was a member of the Seattle Sonics and missed taking a urine test, he laughed off the suspicion of any foul play by telling reporters, “I’m just cleaner than clean. I’m Cleaner than Pine’-Sol.”
Where they do that at Reggie? Where on Earth did you get such a phrase?
“In the neighborhood,” Reggie Evans told me on the Scoop B Radio podcast.
“Man we got all kind of little phrases we be saying. You know, you got my mom who jokes a lot and clowns a lot. One thing about us we are some down south people, we’re some country people. So when you really get down into the roots of how deep the country goes and growing up on the dirt roads.”
“You’ll be having so many uncles and cousins that’ll be talking. They say the most slickest things that you’ll be crying and laughing. You’re hearing your grand daddy saying so much stuff that it comes natural. You just have to be around us and we say some off the wall stuff and it gets to be so funny but it is also catchy.”
A 6’8 power forward forward, Evans went undrafted in 2002.
The Pensacola, Florida native attended Coffeyville Community College in Kansas before transferring to the University of Iowa where he led the nation in free throws attempted, free throws made and double-doubles. Evans also led the Big Ten Conference in rebounding in 2001 and 2002 and was named Big Ten Tournament MVP in 2001, second-team All-Big Ten in 2002, and Honorable Mention All-American in 2001.
I first covered Reggie Evans during the 2012-13 season, while I was a staff writer for BrooklynFans.com. That season was special because it was the Brooklyn Nets’ inaugural season in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Evans stood out to me because he was passionate about defense and grabbing rebound and he was quick too!
He also seemed to influence Brook Lopez. “To be honest with you when I got to Brooklyn; you can even ask Brook this, but I told him: ‘you are going to make the All Star [team]this year,’” he said.
Lopez would be named an NBA All Star during the 2012-13 season. He also participated in the Shooting Stars Challenge. “I told him: ‘your toughest opponent is going to be me in practice,’” said Evans. “Everything worked out in his favor,” said Evans. “Brook is solid. Brook to me he isn’t soft.”
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Lopez was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason and is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Evans was traded to the Sacramento Kings during the 2014-15 NBA season. While there, he backed up all star forward, DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins’ game is special. A 6’10 forward, Cousins can create his own shot, push the ball on the fast break, out-rebound centers and dish the no-look pass better than your favorite point guard.
Cousins is now a member of the Golden State Warriors.
While on Scoop B Radio, Evans weighed in on the difference between Lopez and Cousins in practice.
“Brook was tougher,” said Evans.
“You know what is so crazy? Brook was tougher, but you’re talking about practice.”
“DeMarcus, when those lights came on, that popcorn came on,” said Evans. “You know you would have gotten this 30 something and 15 rebounds guaranteed with DeMarcus. You can stop Demarcus in practices and stuff, but in game time [situations] you aren’t stopping him. I have to pick Brook as the tougher guard in practice than in game time. You aren’t going to stop Demarcus period.”