Pistons guard’s story is one for Hollywood
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Horace Jenkins’ tale is worth telling, even if he won’t score a point in the NBA playoffs because he is not on Detroit’s active roster.
Pistons guard Chauncey Billups knows it well – and is awed by it.
“It’s an unbelievable story,” Billups said. “He persevered through a lot to get to this point. He’s 30 years old, and he’s a rookie. He has a unique story that I think he needs to share more with everybody and just give a lot of people inspiration.”
When Jenkins became a father at 19, he dropped out of Union County College in New Jersey after the 1993-94 season to provide for his son, Hakim. He made about $15 an hour as an electrician.
“It wasn’t a tough decision because I didn’t want to put that responsibility on anybody else. I had to step up and be a man for my son,” he said. “I remember those days vividly because I got shocked a lot while I was trying to figure out what I was doing.
“It allowed me to take care of my son, but also made me realize that it wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I still wanted to play basketball.”
When the company moved, the native of Elizabeth, N.J., wanted to stay close to his son. So he got a job working for a postal service, making $11 an hour.
Jenkins was playing in a summer league when a coach from William Paterson gave him a chance to play Division III basketball not far from home in 1998.
“It was destiny,” he said. “There’s not a shadow of doubt in my mind.”
Jenkins averaged 23.7 points over three seasons and was disappointed when he wasn’t taken in the 2001 NBA draft. But the 6-foot-1 guard kept his dream alive by playing in Italy for two seasons and for one in Greece, where the Pistons noticed him last year while keeping an eye on a previous draft pick.
“Once again, it was destiny,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins’ agent called him last summer to let him know Detroit wanted to sign him to a one-year contract worth $385,000.
“When he told me that, I was driving back in New Jersey, and I said, ‘Hold on. Let me pull over,’ ” Jenkins said. “It all hit me.
“I thought about all the obstacles I overcame. My back was against the wall a lot of times, but I never gave up. I felt in my heart that I would make it here, and my persistence paid off.”
Jenkins, who averaged 2.8 points in 15 games this season, became one of the NBA’s oldest rookies. Antoine Rigaudeau was 31 in 2003 when he played 11 games for Dallas, making him the oldest player to make his debut since the NBA and ABA merged for the 1976-77 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“I got a chance to fulfill a dream and I’ll cherish it the rest of my life,” Jenkins said. “Hopefully it’ll show my kids that you can do anything you want if you put your mind and heart into it.”
While the Pistons make their run toward defending their NBA title, Jenkins will be near the end of the bench likely wearing slacks and a dress shirt. During practices, he’ll try to help Billups and Detroit’s other guards get ready for the opposition.
“A lot more kids can learn from his story than some of the other stories we hear about,” said Joe Dumars, Detroit’s president of basketball operations. “The guy has fought the odds, kept working and got a chance to be a part of a contending world championship team.”