“You Were Raised Wrong”: Trevor Ariza Almost Attacked HoF Coach Over Harsh Insult but Stopped Due to 1 Reason

Disagreements in the league between the coach and the players are no news. But the times they go off the court, they are neither popular nor well-received. However, that is not to say they are non-existent. Former NBA star Trevor Ariza recently exemplified this as he shared a similar instance he encountered during his initial years in the league.

Appearing on Forgotten Seasons, the former NBA star recollected his time with the New York Knicks when then-coach Larry Brown called him to his office. The conversation, which started with Larry, who would have just started the tenure with the franchise (2005-06), questioning Trevor Ariza’s potential for the team, soon led in a different direction. “He (Larry) told me… He was like, ‘man, you were raised wrong. You are f*cking… selfish… You not doing the things that I need you to do here, son,'” Ariza recalled.

For Trevor, this instance was a test of his patience. As recalled by the 38-year-old, it nearly took all his patience to not just jump out of his chair and attack the Hall of Fame coach. However, one realization by the former Knicks star regarding his experience in the league prevented him from doing anything irrational.

“This is like, my second year right in the NBA, And I’m like… I can’t do that. Cause I don’t have enough, like, legs to stand on. This is a hall of fame coach. I just got to sit here, and I got to listen to this motherf*cker,” the 2009 NBA champ said.

Trevor had started with the Knicks for the 2004-05 season. Though his average wasn’t of excellence, his involvement in 80 games, became the most for any Knicks rookie since 1991-92. Moreover, the small forward had also struggled with his shot, framing basis for yet another instance of differences between the HoF coach and the former Knicks star.

The time Larry told Trevor Ariza to avoid 3-point shooting

There is no denying Brown is known for his strong coaching style, but also allegedly had an unpleasant word working with the rookies. And the fact he once told Ariza to completely avoid the 3-point shooting might be an instance of example.

“He told me not to even look at the basket or shoot the ball… I was definitely afraid to shoot… just wouldn’t. I would not shoot,” the 2009 NBA champ stated, as per a 2018 article by NBC Sports. Though the 38-year-old was not a proficient 3-point scorer, it’s said Brown’s approach negatively impacted Trevor’s performance. 

And things only took a positive turn for the NBA star after he landed in the LA Lakers. So much so that the coaches from the Lakers groomed him into a decent “three-and-D” player. However, one may wonder if things could have been better for the 38-year-old had he gotten favorable conditions from the get go.