The pale specter of Mike Dunleavy resembles a frightful ghost in pigment alone. The 6-9 wing out of Duke nicknamed “the Natural” doesn’t usually inspire a lot of dread in opposing players, but maybe he should. That’s because teammate Taj Gibson recently told the Chicago Tribune‘s K.C. Johnson Dunleavy was a “gangster” for riding the subway.
Most know Dunleavy as a sweet-shooting Coach K product, but he’s turned into a study in fundamentals during his decade plus time in The Association. While he hasn’t ever gotten enough run, or produced enough in a box score to warrant an all-star bid, his hard-nosed style of play is a favorite of Bulls teammate Taj Gibson. Taj harkened back to his chance encounter with Dunleavy late at night on the New York City subway as evidence of Dunleavy’s “gangster” ethos.
Via the Chicago Tribune [subscription required]:
“He takes hard fouls on guys,” Gibson said. “I love that about him. He’s not afraid.”
Gibson’s opinion of Dunleavy the person had been formed positively by an anecdote Gibson hilariously shared earlier this season. A high school-aged Gibson ran into Dunleavy riding the New York subway alone at night. Gibson said Dunleavy, already in the NBA, gave him a head nod.
“You don’t really see NBA players on the train, especially at night,” Gibson said in early January. “That’s how gangster he was.”
Dunleavy made headlines earlier this season when he continued to beef with DeMarcus Cousins. After Boogie called him a “scared clown,” the son of coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. played it cool in response.
But riding the New York City subway isn’t gangster, sorry Taj. We’ve lived in New York for over five years, and we’ve ridden the subway thousands of times; we are not gangsters. Neither are the estimated 5 million plus riders who push and shove their way onto a subway car in a typical work day.
Mike Dunleavy might be a lot tougher than people know, or give him credit for, but his appearance late at night on a subway platform — while cool, in that he’s not afraid to mix with the proles — doesn’t initiate him in a gangsta rite of passage. If it did, then we really need to get a Tupac tat stat because we’ve been riding the subway for a while now.
(Chicago Tribune; H/T PBT)
Is Mike Dunleavy a gangers for riding the NYC subway?
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