1:1 with Mike Bibby

Hi, I’m Zaza, and I got to cover The Straight Game podcast live show in Phoenix! The podcast has three hosts who are all basketball legends with ties to Arizona. One of them is Mike Bibby who went to Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, and even though he now coaches at Sac State, he still calls Arizona home.

Here’s my 1:1 interview with Mike Bibby:

Zaza: Congratulations on being inducted into the Arizona Hall of Fame!

MB: Thank you. It means so much to be in the record books. I’m happy and blessed.

Zaza: Is there one moment in your career that stands out?

MB: Getting drafted to the Grizzlies when they were in Vancouver… a long time ago. The best time of my life.

Zaza: Talk about the Western Conference Finals going up against Shaq.

MB: Yeah, we should have won. When we had him on our podcast, it was the first time we talked about it… 

Zaza: What about today… you versus Shaq now?

MB: He’s a little old and rusty. I don’t think he could get out on the floor and guard me, but he’d probably be able to back me down… so it’s a double-edged sword.

Zaza: I know you’ve got a big shoe collection. What’s your favorite pair to wear?

MB: I like the Jordan 11s. All black; I think the Cap and Gowns. 

Zaza: Who was your idol growing up?

MB: Surely Michael Jordan, but my favorite basketball player growing up was Jason Kidd. I was in eighth grade, and I remember he was the high school player of the year featured on the front of the newspaper. When my brother saw the paper, he told me I resembled Jason, so I took a liking to him.

Zaza: As a kid, what team did you want to be drafted by?

MB: Didn’t matter… I just wanted to play. I would have liked to play home for the Phoenix Suns, but it didn’t work out. There are surely pluses and minuses that come with playing at home… kind of glad I didn’t. But there was a potential trade going down with me and Nash early on because he was from Vancouver and I was from Phoenix, so it was going to be a swap. But they ended up not doing it.

Zaza: How does it feel being in Arizona?

MB: Arizona will always be my home, no matter what happens.

IG @mike_bibby_10

IG @straightgame.podcast

About Sports with Zaza

With purity, curiosity, and fearless questions, Zaza lives for interviewing pros and sharing the action from courtside clips to the sidelines. Follow his IG @sportswithzaza