.jpg)
If it wasn’t for Michael Jordan and his individual brilliance, Seattle Supersonics would have been an NBA Championship winning team. Sonics in the 1996 season were a force to be reckoned with. They had some of the most talented players in their roaster and at one stage were coasting to the finals. With Gary Payton as the point guard behind Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf, Sonics were a team that would go in every night, expecting to win. In an exclusive interview with Detlef Schrempf, the former Sonics forward, who also had stints with Portland Trailblazers and Indiana Pacers, talks candidly about the 96 ‘Season and even gives a shot at predicting the 2019/20 season:
GQ: Looking back at your career. In retrospect, how do you think it would have changed if you had the Supersonics had won that finals in 1996?
Detlef Schrempf: I’m not much of a guy of what ifs because I’ve made a lot of mistakes in his life. So I don’t want to go back and say what if I had won this. You see, there was another time with Portland that we should have been in the finals, probably wouldn’t have won it. But we lost the seventh game in the playoffs to the Lakers and I remember saying, don’t worry we’ll be back next year. But the truth is, it is not that easy. It is very hard to get back there. There are injuries, sometimes there is the chemistry. So like I said, I don’t think about the what ifs because that list goes on and on.
GQ: How would you describe playing with Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton?
Schrempf: We had a great time. You know, when you’re in a team that show up everyday and you’re expected to win, it is a great feeling. We knew every night that we could win, most teams can’t say that. We knew that a lot of teams were scared of us. We were up by 20 points in the first quarter because the teams were scared of how we played. It’s a lot of fun to play that way.
GQ: Do you think the Supersonics would have won a championship if Kemp had stayed longer?
Schrempf: They made some changes the following year. Shawn, Gary and I played together in 1997. I think then they made the trade, the lockout season. They broke up the team, wanted to get younger and just made a very bad trade and then the lockout happened. People didn’t come back the same way. I think that turned the Sonics downhill. We got Vin Baker who was not himself, he had a lot of off-court issues and you know we struggled that season and then the team kind of dismantled.
GQ: For someone from Germany coming to the United States of America, how would you describe the two cultures and can you give us a few highlights?
Schrempf: For me it was great, you know I travelled through Europe paying a few games as a teenager. But for me, coming to the States was a big experience. Everything was different, the experience, the culture in a way, not that much. The language definitely, the way you went about your daily life. Ultimately you know I wanted to be a part of another Basketball culture so for me it was great. I really enjoyed it. I also got lucky, because I went to a small high-school where I had a great coach and a great family and a brilliant basketball team that went undefeated. Everything fell into place for me.
GQ: Can you had to predict three things from the upcoming season, including the champions?
Schrempf: NBA Basketball is going to be really exciting (laughs). Okay this is really difficult. I’m going to go wild and say it is going to be Detroit in the finals from the East. How about that? Western Conference finals is going to be between Portland Trailblazers and LA Clippers. And the MVP is going to be Anthony Davis.
NOW READ
GQ Recommends: Raymond MTV India Music Summit
10 Tips and Tricks for Call of Duty: Mobile
MS Dhoni takes his Kawasaki Ninja H2 superbike for a ride
> More on Sports
