SLAM #58

Originally published in SLAM 58 The 6th Man: When Pacers rook Jamaal Tinsley dropped 23 assists on Michael Jordan’s Wizards (on national television, no less), the number didn’t go unnoticed. It was the most exciting 23 of the day—something that never would have happened in Money’s prior life. Still, this was no fault of Mr. Jordan—battling knee problems and a badly sprained roster, MJ and the Wiz just weren’t ready. But even more than all that, it was Tinsley. In a League filled (allegedly) with underage prodigies who care more about the numbers on the back of their Range than they do about the numbers in the stat box, Tinsley stood out. A four-year starter at Iowa State, he was unselfish in all senses of the word (look where his one-time teammate, Marcus Fizer, got picked the year before), and immediately slid into the starting spot with the playoff-bound Pacers. That one game—on Thanksgiving, no less—was a revelation. Virtually every time down court, Tinsley made the right decisio...