Darius Garland Hometown Pride Shines at Clippers Media Day

BJ Mathews is the host of THE PULL UP! Basketball Podcast. He is a Clippers credentialed creator representing thePeachBasket. In this article, “Darius Garland Hometown Pride Shines at Clippers Media Day,” he shares the Clippers guard’s sentiment: “You can’t forget where you were born or where you were raised.”

Some things are more important than basketball.

LA Clippers guard Darius Garland made a strong statement about his hometown and the natural disaster that hit the city this summer. According to Garland, this was the third storm that impacted the city this summer.

NBA Media Day was held on Monday, and the 2x All-Star had a lot to say regarding his hometown of Gary, Indiana.

“You can’t forget where you were born or where you were really raised,” Garland stated. The small Midwest city experienced a very strong storm. For much of a two-week period, residents had no power and were forced to live under uncomfortable circumstances. That is when Garland and his family stepped in.

Garland donated a reported 100,000 dollars along with food and other resources. “My family and I decided to help and donated some money, but it wasn’t much else we could do because there was an actual tornado.”

Right outside of Chicago, Illinois, is where the “Steel City” sits. The main tourist attraction there is the birthplace of music icon Michael Jackson. From a basketball standpoint, there are only four players from that city that made it to the NBA. Two of them are in the Garland family: Darius and his father, Winston.

Though it is a small city and could be easily overlooked by outsiders, Garland didn’t hold back his disappointment about how the city was slow to receive aid and other essentials.

“It was bad; it wasn’t really brought up that it is a small city, but for a natural disaster, and no power for about two weeks. That shouldn’t be overlooked,” Garland stated.

The love and emotions he has for his hometown are genuine. Gary seems to bring out a side of Garland that is noticeable on the court: tough, resilient, and a leader.

This season, with the departure of Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors and with newly acquired Brandon Ingram not expected to start the season, it will be the “Garland show” for the Clippers.

Hopefully, his exciting game and popularity across the NBA fanbase will open up the chance for fans to get a more in-depth look at the place that means so much to him.