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 24th, 2012
1:10 pm
Here’s a complement for Larry.He is starting to become one of the best coaches at calling a great offensive play out of a timeout that scores the ball with ease in seconds!
Way yo go LARRY DREW!!!!!
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
1:11 pm
[to]^^
the hawks is the word
November 24th, 2012
1:15 pm
@Slimjr the hawks had played the thunder, heat, rockets, and pacers(who are surprisingly disappointing this season)
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
1:21 pm
7-4 is more than most of us expected in the preseason after 11 games..KenS. was the lone voice who expressed a very good season coming up..
keith
November 24th, 2012
1:34 pm
Derrick Williams is a Scrub!!! I do not want that dude on my Basketball Team. He has no athleticism. He is a 4 trapped in a 3s body. JUST SAY NOT TO D. WILL!!!
keith
November 24th, 2012
1:40 pm
I have confidence that a line-up of the following will move us past Boston to number 3 behind Heat and Knicks:
C/PF-Pau Gasol
C/PF-Al Horford
SF-Kyle Korver
SG-Lou Williams
PG-Jeff Teague
Missed opportunity with Josh Howard. He would have been an ideal 3 which would have allowed us to start Korver at the 2.
ag
November 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
Slim, I Stacy jumper was horrible. I think Al scored on a lot of hustle points and cutting to the basket. Josh should also pattern his game the same way. He needs to stop shooting all those jumpers. No more than 3-5 jumpers from game.
ag
November 24th, 2012
1:54 pm
Slimjr., a lot of us picked the Hawks to do well. I knew we would be better because of Al and Lou > Joe and Marvin. Even ESPN the Magazine picked them 2nd.
sameba
November 24th, 2012
1:58 pm
ag, one cannot all the time do cutting to the basket. Eventually, tems will find a way to deal with that. Being one-dimensional is a disadvantage…
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
1:59 pm
Well, this team won’t be blowing too many others out. That said, not a bad game.
Interesting to see the offense going through Al Horford. Don’t know that this can be done every game, . He did respond excellently, though. Teague with a NICE game. korver continues to prove his worth.
I’m sure glad midrange shawty can pass it and defend…
keith
November 24th, 2012
2:05 pm
I hope we can re-sign Kyle Korver long term. This guy is our Ray Allen. We need to show him the money! Once we establish a player in the post permanently, Kyle Korver will flourish. He could average 18-20pts per game.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
2:06 pm
The idea that Josh and Al can’t have “good games” together is maybe not the issue that folks think it is. Then again, maybe it is. Might coaching and play design influence this? When LD decides to go big, this prety much means Josh or Al is going to not be in the best situation production-wise.
Thing is, nobody can claim the usual BS for last night – Horford started at center and ZaZa only played 13 min because Al was beasting. Josh was at his natural position all night…so….
sameba
November 24th, 2012
2:09 pm
Hawks desperately need good tall SF to be well balanced. Then Korver can play his SG position and be even more productive. Center position is not that urgent – it can be filled later…
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
But let’s see what happens against the Clippers…my guess is that if the Clips are on their game, NONE of our guys will truly shine….maybe Lou gets to do his thing. I’m sure all the Jamal Crawford fans are getting wet in their undies already. Heh…
keith
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
IMO, long term, the only players on this team who we need to keep around are Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Kyle Korver, Ivan Johnson, Lou Williams, and John Jenkins. The rest can go.
sameba
November 24th, 2012
2:16 pm
Big Ray;
I am afraid so called matchups vs Clippers are not in our favor…
ag
November 24th, 2012
2:18 pm
I’m sure all the Jamal Crawford fans are getting wet in their undies already. Heh
lol Big Ray… the game will be packed because of JC. Maybe the crowd should sing “We want you back”
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
2:23 pm
Point taken ag..Tonight will be a huge test at home.. Josh and Al need to play big!
Teague against CP3? That should be entertaining to watch..
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
2:27 pm
The Hawks need to find a way to shut down JC1! A must that task is[yoda's voice]. Maybe zone up?
Deploy a box and one at the start of the game ?Hmmm
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
2:32 pm
Ag,
Yeah, lol. Jamal would not help us where we need it most…and having him and Lou makes no sense. I have nothing against Jamal, but on a young team in transition from what they were to what they will be, I can’t blame Ferry for going with a younger scoring guard with a tradeable contract. We caught hell trading Marvin, same would not happen with Lou if it became necessary, but I’m thinking Lou was brought in to stay at least a year or so because of his scoring ability.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
2:32 pm
Enter your comments here
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
2:34 pm
Sameba,
Josh may actually have a chance to shine. Blake Griffin is a nasty offensive talent but he has work to do on defense and if you think about it, he is not used to facing guys with extreme athleticism.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
2:36 pm
Lol@Slimjr….boy u crazy. Gonna be hard to stop Jamal…..stopping him while also dealing with CP3? We might need some of whatever it is that Ken Strickland has to remain positive….
sameba
November 24th, 2012
2:38 pm
Big Ray:
I also think Josh must play against Griffin. But I am afraid LD will assign Horford to him. This is very likely as LD might choose to start with a big lineup. As much as I am Zaza’s fun, I prefer him not to start today’s game because of the above mentioned matchups.
sameba
November 24th, 2012
2:40 pm
^fan
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
2:47 pm
Josh with the ball in his hands appears to be out of sink with himself.
He’s rushing everything which creates difficult shots and forced turnovers..He appears to be extremely uncomfortable down on the blocks or in the paint at this time..
One thing you cant teach is finishing around the rim: either you got the gift or ya do not. Guess which side Josh falls on?
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
2:52 pm
HahaHa Big Ray.. Yes the plate is full tonight for sure..Think about it, KenS. has been extremely positive frrom the word go about this franchise! I give him a lot of credit and yes he’s beat my azz up on here a few times so I respect his input even more…LOL!
Najeh Davenpoop
November 24th, 2012
2:52 pm
Lou and Jamal are likely going to be matched up a lot head to head. So far Lou has been nothing more than a poor man’s imitation of Jamal. I hope he is up to the challenge in this one.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 24th, 2012
2:57 pm
I was a little skeptical about this Asik-Mozgov comparison, but there is more to it than I previously thought. They are pretty similar across the board, main difference being that Asik is a significantly better rebounder. Mozgov isn’t going to be the defensive difference-maker Asik is, but he can definitely make the kind of leap Asik has made if he is given more minutes somewhere.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
3:08 pm
Sameba,
I don’t envy LD when it comes to those decisions. Clippers have a lot more talented/useable size. And yeah, there is such thing as useless size. Just look at last night’s game. Mullens and Haywood are 7 footers are they not?
On the one hand I can see LD wanting to put Horford on Griffin because he is heavier and stronger than Josh. On the other hand Griffin is so quick and has mad hops…this means you want Josh on the job. I see potential foul trouble for Al…
And then you still have to deal with that other jumping jack – DeAndre Jordan. When ZaZa is in the game he can put a body on him I guess…or a forehead if necessary.
sameba
November 24th, 2012
3:22 pm
Big Ray, you are talking right things of course, but then what would be your starting frontcourt? Who you think should start 2night? I cannot get it from your last post…
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
3:23 pm
Najeh,
That matchup is not in Lou’s favor. Speakung of Lou, what’s he being paid? You have to figure that a poor man’s Jamal is exactly what he was meant to be…
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
3:40 pm
Slimjr,
I hear ya, bro.
LD still doesn’t know what to do with Josh, and it shows.
I know we have guards/shooters and what not, be we have to establish an inaide presence. Josh trumps Al in this department… when he can get it in his head to stay down there for a while . Al is not as quick on his feet (but not slow)and is less elusive than Josh.
lD should be finding ways to get Josh the ball as he cuts towards the basket. Or find ways to isolate him in the post. And then he should convince Josh to keep at it. But this isn’t what LD does. Either that or Josh isn’t listening. I say it’s both, but that’s gonna fall on the coach.
Josh has one 20 point game this season and is shooting a low 42 percent. That smells of too many long shots and too few short ones. Design and decisions, I’m afraid.
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
3:46 pm
out of [sync]^^^^^^^^
doc
November 24th, 2012
3:54 pm
five mil a year bg ray. think it is a four yr contract
sameba
November 24th, 2012
3:56 pm
Do not understand all the fascination about this below average, injury prone center Mozgov. So are those coaches in Denver so unprofessional that cannot see what a future great star they got? Amazing…
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
3:59 pm
Sameba,
Not sure there is a winning combo, lol.
I’d go big in the frontcourt early just to try and keep from getting beat like a drum on the boards. Harris at SG…he’ll be opposite Willie Green. Counter with Stevenson as soon as Jamal starts roasting Harris.
That leaves Horford on Griffin and ZaZa on DeAndre…and Smith on Caron Butler…
Or you could leave ZaZa on the bench and let Smoove handle Blake while Horford contends with Jordan while Korver gets Butler. I don’t like any of it…
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
4:01 pm
[compliment]^^^^^^^ darn it..I’m multitasking .Not a good idea.. lol
sameba
November 24th, 2012
4:03 pm
Big Ray:
….. I don’t like any of it…
——————————————————————————-
Precisely!!! And here we are, that was my original point
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
4:07 pm
Doc,
Yep…about half what we used to pay Jamal…so we’re getting our money’s worth I do believe.
LOL@Slimjr….
Big Ray
November 24th, 2012
4:08 pm
Sameba,
Yeah…I know. LOL
ag
November 24th, 2012
4:24 pm
Big Ray, don’t expect to see Stevenson
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
4:28 pm
I’d rather let Horford try to guard Griffin then Josh can do what he does best, leave his man and use his quickness to challenge or try to block Griffins shot attempts on the help defense..Let ZaZa bang with DeAndre Jordan. Ivan the great will back up any of the bigs who are troubled by excessive fouls..
Let Teague play at least 42-45 mins…He has plenty in the Tank..
Trivia: Did you know that Teague can out bench AL? Hmmm.This dude is very strong. Play his azz a bunch of minutes tonight….
This will be a fantastic win tonight at Home!
Slimjr
November 24th, 2012
4:32 pm
CP3 cannot stop Jeff Teague’s incredible quickness off the dribble. He could have his way?
Bigs must roll to the rim as Teague generates opportunities all night long..
keith
November 24th, 2012
4:33 pm
Jamal Crawford should be an Atlanta Hawk 2-day. Cheap a… Ownership!!!
High-sider
November 24th, 2012
4:55 pm
After his 26-point, 13-rebound performance against the Bobcats last night, Al [Horford] was quoted as saying, “You can’t stop ‘The Boss.’” Then, I said to myself, “Al [Horford], you know that [phraseology] is just too “dope” [and street and urban] for you; that [vernacular] ain’t even your style.” Somebody, please “hip him [Al Horford] up on game.” [SMH]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djlfsfJ_sfA
keith
November 24th, 2012
4:56 pm
Anxious to see how our frontline plays against Jordan and Griffin. IMO, Josh and Al are the keys to this game. If we rebound, box out, do not allow any second chance points, we will win this ball game. Al Horford needs to attack the same as he did against the Bobcats. No jump shots at all by Smooveless.
Stephen A Smith of ESPN stated that the Clippers are better than the Lakers right now.
keith
November 24th, 2012
5:05 pm
This game will be a real test for coach Drew. How will he manage his bench 2-night? If he is smart, he will play Lou and Morrrow early, Ivan should get about 20-25 minutes 2-night!!! Hope he starts Zsa Zsa 2-night.
JaeEvolution
November 24th, 2012
5:06 pm
“Do not understand all the fascination about this below average, injury prone center Mozgov. So are those coaches in Denver so unprofessional that cannot see what a future great star they got? Amazing…”
He has suffered minor injuries yes, look at his game log he has never missed a large amount of time and even that is deceiving because he also got a lot of DNP-CD. Also George Karl has known to have a love jones for less skilled players and substitution patterns that would put LD to shame. He starts Koufos over McGee as an example and they pretty much split the 48 minutes.
Melvin
November 24th, 2012
5:37 pm
How would you all like adding Jeff Green to the team next summer? He may be a bad fit in Boston and they may be willing to move him this summer….