Lance Stephenson relishing second chance in return with Pacers
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
Lance Stephenson sat on the bleachers as his Indiana Pacers teammates finished shooting in downtown Los Angeles.
The acoustics in this particular gym were especially loud. Each dribble resonated with a thud. Every time one of his teammates shouted "mine" or "I got it," the words boomed as though they were spoken into a microphone.
For Stephenson, it was the most beautiful of symphonies.
As sweat poured down his face, he imagined how he'd feel if this type of scene could become a permanent part of his life. Stephenson, who signed a second straight 10-day contract with the Pacers last week, was out of the league for two-and-a-half seasons. Now, there's a real chance he could have a home for the rest of the season with the franchise that selected him as the 40th overall pick in the 2010 draft.
"I'm praying," the 31-year-old guard told FOX Sports. "I'd be very excited. All of the things that I did to get to this point — never giving up, actually, a team really believing in me and believing in what I did to help the team — it would feel like I got drafted again."
For Stephenson, the past few weeks have unfolded as though they were scripted in a movie.
In his first home game with the Pacers, a nationally televised broadcast on Jan. 5 against the Brooklyn Nets that got a ton of buzz because Kyrie Irving was making his season debut, Stephenson stole the show.
He was so anxious that he couldn't sleep the night before the game. But after he came off of the bench, he scored 20 straight points in the first quarter on 8-for-9 shooting in just over five minutes en route to a 30-point performance in 32 minutes.
"I forgot about Kyrie returning," Stephenson told FOX Sports, flashing a wide grin. "I was like, this is my return, man."
In the Pacers' next game, he had 16 points and a career-high 14 assists to lead his team to a win over the Utah Jazz.
"That game was more fun because I felt like I was making the team better," he said.
Over the past few weeks, Stephenson's phone has been flooded with text messages. Seemingly overnight, he clawed his way out of the depths of irrelevance and back into the spotlight.
As the Omicron variant has swept through the NBA, Stephenson is one of the many players who have benefited from the league's new hardship exemption, which has allowed teams to sign temporary replacements while players are sidelined due to COVID-19. Stephenson is now on his third 10-day stint, following his first with the Atlanta Hawks in December.
His splashy ascension has inspired other players who fell out of the league to wonder if they could do it, too. Some of them have even contacted him.
"Mario Chalmers, he wanted to come back," Stephenson told FOX Sports. "[Clippers player development coach] Wesley Johnson was even thinking about it. He was like, 'Man, what made you stick with it?' Evan Turner reached out. Guys who feel like they can play when they're not playing right now."
Stephenson went from being a star on the rise during his four seasons in Indiana from 2010 to '14 to playing for seven teams in five seasons. After playing for the Lakers in 2018-19, he slipped out of the league.
Stephenson knows this is his chance to live out his dream again.
So far this go-around, he has impressed Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who says Stephenson has infused the team with some much-needed energy.
"He's brought attitude, humility and appreciation," Carlisle said. "He has a fearlessness and a joy with which he plays that has always really connected with our fans."
Stephenson acknowledges that being out of the league for nearly three years was incredibly tough for him, especially considering that from an early age, he seemed destined to become a star.
As a child, Stephenson was a legend on the courts of New York, earning the nickname "Born Ready." By the time he was in sixth grade, he was the No. 1 player in the country, according to Hoop Scoop. During his junior year at Abraham Lincoln High in Brooklyn, he had his own internet reality show.
Stephenson graduated high school as the leading scorer in New York state history, with 2,946 points. He went on to play for Cincinnati, where he was named the Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
But his career nearly ended before it even began.
As a senior in high school, he was accused of groping a 17-year-old student and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Then, shortly after he was drafted, he was arrested for allegedly pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs. The charges were eventually dropped.
By the time Stephenson signed with Indiana in 2010, he had a reputation that he wanted to shed. But his first two seasons were trying because he didn't get to play much. At the time, he acknowledged that he was frustrated. But now, he knows that happened for a reason.
Stephenson says that if he could speak to the 19-year-old version of himself, he wouldn't hesitate. He'd tell that kid that he was cocky and needed to change his approach. Luckily, some of the Pacers' veterans helped to guide him in the right direction.
Stephenson learned that he needed to listen to the coaching staff and study film. He began to realize that even though he could play, he didn't fully understand the game. He has regrets from his early days. He wishes he had been more humble then.
"I should've came in with that mentality as a youngin'," he said.
Eventually, Stephenson started to make a name for himself. In Game 6 of the second round of the 2013 playoffs against the New York Knicks, he had a then-career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds to propel his team to the Eastern Conference finals.
The following season, he was in the conversation to make the All-Star team after the Pacers stormed to a 20-3 start. He helped lead the team to a second straight Eastern Conference finals appearance against the Heat and finished second in voting for the Most Improved Player award.
In July 2014, he left the Pacers in free agency to sign a three-year, $27 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets. But after 61 games with the team, he bounced around the league, playing for the Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Pacers again and Lakers before he found himself out of a job after L.A. missed the playoffs in April 2019.
During his first nine seasons in the league, Stephenson was famous for being a pesky defender, a knock-it-down shooter and a strong playmaker — and always leaving his heart on the court. He was the type of player you wanted in your corner but hated going up against.
He was also infamous for his antics, especially in the playoffs against LeBron James.
There was the time he flashed a choking sign after James missed a free throw in Game 3 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals. (Stephenson later apologized for that.)
And the time he blew in James' ear during Game 5 of the 2014 conference finals. (He has no regrets there.)
"What I did to LeBron was, like, I want to win," Stephenson told FOX Sports. "I'm trying to frustrate him. I'm trying to do whatever it takes to get the best [result] out of the game, you know what I mean? I don't feel like that's a bad thing. There's a lot of guys that are tough and aren't afraid to do that."
While Stephenson is quick to acknowledge that he's a menace to play against, he vehemently denies any rumblings that he was ever a problem teammate.
"I don't know where anybody gets that ‘Lance is tough to deal with’ because you can ask anybody, any team that I've been on, they'll be like, ‘Yo, Lance is not like how he plays on the floor,’" he said.
Regardless, Stephenson found himself out of the league nearly three years ago. He was distraught. But he refused to give up.
In 2019-20, he spent 29 games in China with the Liaoning Flying Leopards before the season was paused due to the pandemic. When he returned home, he'd run up a mountain behind his home in Las Vegas to keep his legs strong. He'd keep his skills sharp by going to local gyms and playing pick-up games.
At times, he felt hopeless. He wondered if he was spinning his wheels and feared he was doing all of this for nothing.
"There were days when I was like, 'Man, I don't even like basketball no more,'" he told FOX Sports. "But I'd go into the gym, and a young kid would come up to me and be like, 'Oh, you're nice, man. You're nice.' It just kept motivating me to keep going."
Eventually, Stephenson decided his best chance of getting back into the NBA would be through the G League, so he entered the player pool. In October 2021, he was selected as the 13th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets' affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
Coach Jason Terry immediately felt an affinity with Stephenson. Terry, who spent 19 seasons in the NBA, had competed against Stephenson many times and always admired his grit.
"He always played with an edge," Terry said. "He always played with a chip on his shoulder. But I like guys like that. I gravitate toward guys like that because I know when it gets tough, they're going to compete."
Terry's first goal was to get Stephenson into NBA shape. After practice, they'd work out together for 30 to 40 minutes simulating game situations. Terry would not only push Stephenson physically but also test him mentally. When Stephenson thought he was finished with a drill, Terry would insist he do five more reps. His goal was for Stephenson to be able to shine in the final possession of a close game after clocking 40 minutes.
Terry was impressed by Stephenson's work ethic. He liked the way he mentored the younger guys on the team who admired him and were in awe that he had played alongside James. But above all, Terry respected Stephenson's humility and drive.
"He wants it bad," Terry told FOX Sports. "You can see it when someone sacrifices in the way that Lance did. This is really a grind. It's a sacrifice. You're away from your family, you're in a city that you don't really know, you're on bus rides, you're on Southwest flights when you're used to flying private charters. For someone of his stature to be willing to humble himself to come down to this level, it just shows you how bad he wanted it."
When NBA general managers reached out to Terry to inquire about Stephenson, the coach sang his praises. Terry told them Stephenson was ready for the big leagues, and he has since been proven right.
Earlier this month, when Stephenson scored 20 points in the first quarter against the Nets, he received a standing ovation from the crowd. He raised his arms and roared, soaking it in.
Three weeks later, he still smiled remembering that feeling.
"That crowd, man," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
After so much time worrying and wondering, Stephenson is finally getting another chance. And this time around, he appreciates it in a new way.
"Growing up, being a guy who had a big name and knowing I might make it to the NBA, sometimes you can lose that humbleness," he told FOX Sports. "You've got to be appreciative of these times and playing this game and doing something you love and being able to take care of your family."
Stephenson is wearing the same jersey he donned 12 years ago, but he's a different man now. He doesn't take a moment for granted. His pride has been replaced by a deep sense of gratitude.
And if his ultimate dream is realized, and the Pacers sign him for the rest of the season, he knows he'll be overwhelmed with joy. But more than anything, he hopes his journey can inspire those around him.
He wants people to have one takeaway from it all: "Man, he really stuck with it. He never gave up."
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
