Atlanta Hawks: More to Stevenson than SpongeBob socks
DeShawn Stevenson reacts to hitting a 3-pointer during a game against the Pacers at Philips Arena in November.
Vivlamore reporting from vacation. Here is the feature story on DeShawn Stevenson that will run in the Thanksgiving Day print edition of the AJC.
DeShawn Stevenson was a sight to behold as he left a recent Hawks workout. The veteran guard walked down a near empty corridor in the bowels of Philips Arena wearing a dark hoodie and sweat pants pulled up to his knees.
How else was he going to show off his bright yellow SpongeBob socks?
A vast collection of outlandish hosiery is just a part of what makes Stevenson the most unique character on the Hawks roster. A tattoo of Abraham Lincoln on the center of his throat is part of his vast collection of body art and piercings. His on-court persona comes to life with his signature ‘goggles’ gesture following a made 3-pointer.
Stevenson knows how to enjoy the business of professional basketball.
“I like to have fun,” said the veteran, acquired by the Hawks in the Joe Johnson trade with the Nets. “You see when I’m out here playing with the guys (following practice), I’m a jokester. You have to be serious but at the same you have to bring some fun to it.”
Where to begin with what makes Stevenson tick?
The socks: Those began with a way to amuse his young daughters. The girls like to wear crazy socks and one day Stevenson donned a pair. The family enjoyment was enough. Now, no trip to the mall is complete without the purchase of a new set.
Stevenson said Anthony Morrow and rookie Mike Scott have gotten into the act because of him. They each politely decline such a notion.
“No man, I already had my funky sock deal when he came to New Jersey,” Morrow said. “He was probably doing it before me because he’s old. I’ll pay homage but I did that on my own. I started that trend with my era.”
Stevenson is still the one to top, according to at least one. Kyle Korver noted that Stevenson ‘crushes’ all such fashionistas.
DeShawn Stevenson got a tattoo of Abraham Lincoln on this neck, just part of his body art collection. PHOTOS BY CURTIS COMPTON
The tattoos: That has become an addiction. Stevenson spends his summers getting inked – major body parts at a time. He said he will spend 12-13 hours in a session with his artist in Orlando getting work done on his arms, back, neck and more. The tattoo artist even makes house calls.
“They are used to me,” Stevenson said. “I spend a lot of money on tattoos.”
The Lincoln portrait was not his first choice. Stevenson let Gilbert Arenas, then a teammate with the Wizards, know his intention to get a tattoo of Martin Luther King Jr. Arenas did so first. Stevenson settled on Lincoln for “all the things he did for us.” He added a pair of 5s on each side of the image, as in a five dollar bill, to avoid confusion for admirers of the work.
“It hurt,” Stevenson said simply in describing the process of getting the tattoo in such a location.
The gesture: That has taken on several forms. Early in his career, Stevenson would place his hand over his eye after a 3-pointer. When he played for the Mavericks, where he won an NBA title, he altered the move. He now forms a circle with his thumb and index finger leaving three fingers extended. He will move the circle to his eye and after a few seconds snap it away as a salute. It caught on and continues.
The move was not always appreciated early in his career.
“Me being in the league for 13 years now, people know I’ve got gimmicks,” Stevenson said. “They tend not to feed into it but when I first started, it kind of (ticked) some guys off.”
Stevenson, who is also active on Twitter, is often referred to as 13 by his younger teammates, a reference to his number of years in the league. The 31-year-old has played for the Jazz, Magic, Wizards, Mavericks and Nets before joining the Hawks this season. His career started as the 23rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Jazz straight out of high school.
Stevenson has become a valuable on-court presence for the Hawks. Despite his aging knees, coach Larry Drew turns to him as a defensive presence at the guard and small forward positions.
“I’ve always admired his game from afar, just the fact that he knows who he is,” Drew said. “He doesn’t come out and try to do too much. From a defensive standpoint, that is his strength and that is who he is. I like that he brings that to the table. My biggest concern was how healthy he would be and how healthy we would stay. So far, he has been really good for us.”
- Chris Vivlamore
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404 comments Add your comment
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:17 pm
Hey Sautee, I already qualified the too much hand quote!!!!! Heheheheheh
sameba
November 23rd, 2012
10:19 pm
Whatever reason is, Al’s midrange shot will be very important against teams like Clippers tomorrow. He might not be allowed to freely move around the rim…
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:20 pm
Woody down 27?
He probably kicked the lawn chair?
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:24 pm
Memphis going to beat LA at home.104-96 with 18 seconds left!
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:26 pm
The Clippers will smother Al’s jumper. Their bigs are very mobile..
Pick and roll, or slip the screens and roll in for layups and dunks all night…
But Al and Josh have to go quick!
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:27 pm
Knicks down 25?
Oh the Humanity!
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:30 pm
So Memphis has defeated the Spurs, Clippers, Knicks, and the Lakers?
Have they surpassed OKC? Will they be in the WCF this season? Wow!
Slimjr
November 23rd, 2012
10:35 pm
Knicks lose by 28!
Carmelo goes for 37
Harden goes for 33
Asik goes for 18 and 14, Wish we had him…
Jason Kid with a -29…Sheesh
JaeEvolution
November 23rd, 2012
10:41 pm
Memphis lost to the Clippers, and beat OKC.
Our top two free agent choices for next year both had bad games tonight, Dwight especially. Anytime you play 40 minutes and grab only 4 rebounds as the best big man in the game something has got to be wrong, not to mention he was limited again in shot attempts like in Sacramento.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 23rd, 2012
11:17 pm
131 points in regulation? Word?
uga-brave
November 23rd, 2012
11:41 pm
Al horford is so much bettert then Josh. not even close.
doc
November 23rd, 2012
11:52 pm
Our faux fan was not saying the same thing as josh put up good nimbers against the wiz now was he?though josh almost let the game get away. That game was only to deride al who was first to say he has to get better at the stripe. Now which crcket chirps first on al’s performance saying it doesnt mean anything unless he does it tomorrow? Just win baby, all you’se guys, said like a yankee.
Need to check on progress in houston. Do we have a problem here? Stay tuned.
doc
November 23rd, 2012
11:58 pm
Just saw it. Guess the avg defense against for the knicks is going up steadily. Oh the humanity. Really 28? If the hawks get trounced like that which cricket chirps first to get rid of LD?
Which cricket was chirping how bad the hawks would be and how bad a defensive coach LD is during preseason? Hate it for ya. What were the stats Najeh was pointing out earlier?
Kidd doing his best bibby impersonation?
doc
November 24th, 2012
12:13 am
Classic woody, beat by 28 and he says it is on me, not rebounding nor playing defense. How many times will that refrain play in nyc before a writer asks the tougher questions?
Mookie Blaylock
November 24th, 2012
12:20 am
I dont know what you guys are seeing that makes Teague so much better than Harris. They’re both very quick, but Harris attacks the basket harder, passes better, his shot looks better, and he can actually knock down clutch free throws. He’s also made an all-star game.
Teague doesnt automatically deserve more minutes than Harris. It should be whoever is hot on the particular night or at that point in the game. Harris averaged 16.5 PPG the final month of last season. Please stop writing this man off as a scrub.
Mookie Blaylock
November 24th, 2012
12:28 am
The God Almighty, Unbeatable Knicks stand there….just 1 game ahead of our “rebuilding” Hawks now…
O'Brien
November 24th, 2012
12:29 am
Slim,
Knicks took 39 3pt-FG. 39! (although they made 17). And how does a team score 103 pts, but only 3 players in double figures?
O'Brien
November 24th, 2012
12:30 am
Doc,
al and josh cannot struggle at the foul line and lou cant struggle to get into the lane and finish ir it will be a long season..
I was thinking the same thing. Remember, Al missed a FT in the playoff game against Boston that would have won it. He is a career 75% from the line, but this season? 50%. Josh is a career 67%. But this year? 40% from the line. Do we need to bring Mark Price back?
I have no confidence that either of thEse guys could make a FT to tie in the final seconds.
O'Brien
November 24th, 2012
12:31 am
*I think Al’s FT against Boston would have tied it…
O'Brien
November 24th, 2012
12:32 am
If DF is serious about competing this year, then he will make a move between now and the trade deadline to bring in a guy who’s NBA skill is rebounding.
W.R. Terrell
November 24th, 2012
12:41 am
4-12, 5 TO’s 2 stls 2 blks and 8 assists are the stats on the “Smoove”. LD did the right thing and let him rest on the pine the majority of the 4th quarter. The danger with the “Smoove” is that he learns slow. I will say that he is giving the ball up to the guards more and passing up on some of the shots that are out of his range but he still has a prob letting the game come to him.
His team mates are beginning to play around him which has everyone moving, maybe this wanna be star is beginning to get the message who knows. His stats speak for themselves and on a nightly basis he is not as consistant as he needs to be. Al is playing, JT is finding him and the “Smoove” could be such an asset if he just played ball. He really needs to understand that his game is not outside but inside. Somebody pass that on. The game was entertaining and fun to watch, go HAWKS.
W.R. Terrell
November 24th, 2012
12:43 am
The Mookie is on point about Devin Harris
Ken Strickland
November 24th, 2012
12:50 am
MOOKIE BLAYLOCK-What are you smoking? JTEAGUE/DHARRIS
FG% 48.7/39.2% FT% 94.1/66.7, 3PT% 38.9/33.3, RPG 2.6/1.9, APG 6.4/2.3, SPG 1.6/.8, PPG 13.3/6. Now tell me, what do you need besides a higher basketball IQ to think Devin is a better PG than Teague and deserving of more mins?
EmirS.
November 24th, 2012
1:02 am
LOL @ Mookie.
Kens got you on that one. I was going to go check the stat comparison myself, but something told me it might have already been done. And sure enough….
EmirS.
November 24th, 2012
1:15 am
This game is exactly what everyone was waiting for. Horford had a blow out game and now the “Hawks don’t need Josh” chants start. And vice versa. It is true that, together or separate, they will not lead us to the ECF let alone the Finals. However, they can work well off of each other and that’s about it.
Our schedule has been favorable. But we have beaten a good Thunder team and a decent Indiana and Portland team. Looking ahead, our schedule shows promise. Our hardest games will be pretty much the whole month of January and March.
Here’s a question though. I find myself really bored watching the Hawks. Even when we are winning, has anyone else gone through this?
Mookie Blaylock
November 24th, 2012
1:19 am
There are several things that influence “stats,” such as one’s role on the team, how many mins per game he plays, etc.
What I have to go on is the eye test, and when Harris does see the court, he’s attacking the basket harder and making better passes.
I saw him make him some clutch free throws with the game on the line that Teague probably would have bricked. He’s made an all-star game, has Teague? Oh, that was years ago right?
Sure, but Harris averaged 16.5 ppg the final month of last year. Has Teague ever averaged that many ppg during a months time?
I’m not saying at this point in their careers, Harris is better, but Teague doesnt just automatically deserve more minutes every game. It depends on who’s hot on the particular night. If Harris continues to play the way he played these last couple time games (which the final month of last season indicates he still can play at that level), then you cant say Teague is always a better option than him.
Mookie Blaylock
November 24th, 2012
1:29 am
I like Teague and Harris, I’m just saying that whoever gets more mins between the two should depend on which ever one of them is having the better game. This gap between how good Teague is and how much a bum Harris has become isn’t neatly as wide as many like to make it seem. It’s not like Teague possesses some special skill set that Harris doesnt also have. I think Harris has more stones than Teague in the clutch though.
Mookie Blaylock
November 24th, 2012
1:30 am
I mean, c’mon. Didnt AJ Price just abuse Teague off the dribble against Washington?
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
1:35 am
Whether you want to admit it or not, Teague turned out to be a very valuable player we acquired for free (draft) and that is rare for this franchise. He also has become a very valuable trade chip should it ever come to that.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1419628-tracking-the-jeff-teague-prigress-the-atlanta-hawks-have-been-waiting-for
Mookie Blaylock
November 24th, 2012
1:44 am
I said I’m cool with both Teague and Harris. It’s just that sometimes on here, when comparing Teague and Harris, you’d think someone was comparing Steve Nash in his prime to Royal Ivey. In reality, it’s not the much of a difference…I just think Harris is more aggressive, has more confidence, and is more clutch. This will be valuable at the end of several games, so it cant just be a given that Teague should close out all games. Nah, not necessarily.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 24th, 2012
1:48 am
I’ll let Ken beat you over the head with stats — all I’ll say is, watch the game flow. When Teague is in, the Hawks build and maintain leads. When Teague sits, the other team eventually gets around to making a run. LD has experimented with playing Harris and Lou together with the 2nd unit to try to mitigate Lou’s inability to play point guard and it hasn’t really worked.
In terms of quickness, Harris is close to Teague’s equal. In terms of drawing fouls, Harris may be slightly better, in large part because Teague doesn’t really know how to sell contact as well as Harris yet. In man to man defense, both have had ups and downs. When it comes to everything else — passing, setting up teammates, shooting, forcing turnovers — Teague has been far better than Harris.
Even when Harris was an All Star he was never a great shooter or passer — his game was mostly driving inside and drawing fouls at a higher rate than nearly everyone else in the league. Never a high assist or high percentage PG. Teague’s eFG% and assist rate this year are both better than Devin’s in his All Star year.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 24th, 2012
1:50 am
Here are the Hawks’ plus/minus stats for this season. Look where Teague is in relation to the other two Hawks who play PG minutes.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 24th, 2012
1:54 am
And here is Harris’ All Star season compared to Teague’s season this year. Harris’ only real edge is FT attempts.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
2:25 am
“Asik goes for 18 and 14, Wish we had him…”
You can bet Danny Ferry will be handing out poison pills like Jack Kevorkian next offseason, but there won’t be a bargain center like Asik available. We will be a season too late.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
2:25 am
Imagine Asik on this team. He would finally give us a defensive presence in the middle and let Horford be the soft stretch 4 that he is.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
2:29 am
The difference between Devin’s All-Star season and Teague this season? 4 field goal attempts per game. With Teague’s superior fg% he could be close to matching Harris’ ppg average while contributing similar assists and fewer turnovers. Where will those 4 FGA per game come from.
MORE MINUTES LAME DUCK.
Rusty
November 24th, 2012
2:34 am
Anyone who thinks Harris is in JT’s class is either very stupid or crazy,JT is way better &he is on the way up while DH is on the way down.
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
2:49 am
Mozgov could be our Asik especially if we poison pill the contract. Denver is almost in the same salary situation as Chicago was when they had to let Asik go. I know Mozgov isn’t the rebounding machine that Asik is, but his numbers in limited time have been very good not to mention he is huge like Asik and can take up the lane. If you give this guy minutes for once I think we could have ourselves a similar situation to when Gortat was traded from Orlando to Phoenix and became a very productive center.
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
3:06 am
I don’t know why more people don’t see the value in this kid, he doesn’t even play in Denver though I can’t really fault them because Denver has good centers, but he can be really good if given a chance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMNF-FqCh2A
Blocks shots, rebounds and runs, mid range shot.
sameba
November 24th, 2012
3:40 am
JaeEvolution:
We already have Petro. Hawks are not in a need to collecting trash from other teams
2 FOR JOHN DREW
November 24th, 2012
3:45 am
Hawks are the hottest team in the league …. GO HAWKS …… and take all of us w/ you lolol
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
4:29 am
“We already have Petro. Hawks are not in a need to collecting trash from other teams”
You would compare a guy that has been in the league 7 years and is what he is, a scrub, against someone who in limited minutes has shown he can have vast upside if given a larger role? That is very disrespectful.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
4:35 am
Jae I think you are onto something here. Mozgov is way more offensively polished than Asik. He’s just not as strong and doesn’t have those quick feet that make Asik such a force on defense. But you’re right, Ferry could pick Denver’s pocket on this one. The Carmelo trade almost didn’t go through because the Knicks didn’t want to include Mozgov.
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
4:39 am
Look at Gortat and Asik who were both playing around 15 MPG behind two good Centers and could never get ample playing time but produced in that time. Mozgov puts up similar numbers to them when they had limited roles. Yeah, and I’m sure Phoenix and Houston are kicking themselves after trading and signing for 7 footers who showed they could block shots, rebound, and put up numbers if given the minutes…
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
4:43 am
This is good stuff Jae… I didn’t realize he was going to be a FA. I’m excited about this. Question is, do we still try to sign Zaza if we steal Moz.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
4:44 am
David West also UFA.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
4:45 am
As is Dalembert.
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
4:46 am
“Jae I think you are onto something here. Mozgov is way more offensively polished than Asik. He’s just not as strong and doesn’t have those quick feet that make Asik such a force on defense. But you’re right, Ferry could pick Denver’s pocket on this one. The Carmelo trade almost didn’t go through because the Knicks didn’t want to include Mozgov.”
Buddy if you think about it now there aren’t many big men threats out East. Bynum maybe if he ever gets healthy but Mozgov has gone toe to toe with Bynum before (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQo00oczkyQ) and held his own. Hibbert/Lopez are slow footed Noah and Chandler maybe KG could give him some trouble with their activity, but he can hang. Denver doesn’t play him right now which is confusing because they held up the Melo trade for this guy, like you said. If not in a trade I feel the FA period could be a bargain for this guy, because if given the minutes he can definitely play.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
5:09 am
As is Brandan Wright.
Buddy Grizzard
November 24th, 2012
5:11 am
Now this is interesting. Al-Farouq Aminu will be a UFA after this season. Wouldn’t you love to have this Norcross HS alum as your starting SF right now?