Scoop B Radio: NBA Legend Derrick Coleman Discusses Surprising His Mother With College Degree

NBA veteran Derrick Coleman stopped by Thursday’s Scoop B Radio.

Coleman, the first pick in the 1991 NBA Draft by the then-New Jersey Nets out of Syracuse University was 12 credits short from finishing his coursework and on the verge of signing a five-year $15 million contract, something unheard of for a rookie in the NBA at the time. Coming from a family with a large military background, he was the first in his family to attend a major university. To his mother, going to college was a major event and she was not trying to hear anything otherwise. In the words of Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy, Derrick had some ‘splaining to do.

“As parents you always want what’s best for your children as far as education,” Coleman told me by phone. “But my mind was made up.”

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Although Coleman went to the league, he always promised his mother that he’d go back and finish school. Twenty five years after making that promise Coleman, completed those 12 credits and earned his sociology degree from Syracuse. A fourteen year NBA veteran, Coleman began taking online classes during his second stint as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the early 2000s.

”As a basketball player you have idle time on your hands,” he said. “It really wasn’t that hard for me though because I’ve always been an avid reader.”

Check Out Derrick Coleman Through The Years

Not everyone needs a college degree, but everyone needs an education and access to opportunity. When it comes to athletes, many have negative connotations about their academic abilities and accomplishments, especially in regards to athletes of color. Coleman, like many other former pro athletes (of color), have debunked those misconceptions and myths.

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Brandon Robinson

Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson is a managing editor and columnist at RESPECT Magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @ScoopB and Instagram: @Scoop_B. As a 12 year old, he was a Nets reporter from 1997-1999, co-hosting a show called Nets Slammin' Planet with former New Jersey Net Albert King and Nets play-by-play man Chris Carrino. He's also been a writer and radio host at CBS and a staff writer at The Source Magazine. He's a graduate of both Eastern University and Hofstra University. You can catch him daily on the Scoop B Radio Podcast. Visit ScoopBRadio.com to listen. For inquiries and to contact Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson visit ScoopB.com