The Golden Age of Basketball

Last season, he was exposed for hitting his girlfriend, smashing her head against the floor, but in the end, there was no investigation.

Other incidents such as arguing with referees and calling them "midgets," kicking an opponent's head on the ground, and getting into shouting matches with coaches were just part of Van Exel's record of misconduct.

Larry Bird asked Carl, during the 1993-1994 season when Ah Gan was on the team, how Van Exel performed.

Carl replied that he was okay, but after Ah Gan retired, he seemed to let himself go. It's uncertain if Ah Gan's return would make things better.

Van Exel is indeed a troublesome character, but compared to Isaiah Riddle, Van Exel seems much more well-behaved.

Because no matter how reckless Van Exel gets, it's only a bit arrogant on the court or hitting his girlfriend off the court, which are work-related problems and family issues.

Riddle is different. He graduated from the famous UNLV and previously played at Antelope Valley College. Later, like Larry Johnson and others, he was recruited by Tucknian to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

It was a notorious haven for wayward children, opposed to the entire NCAA, with Tucknian as their protector and the university as their sanctuary. Together they won the NCAA championship and shook All-America college basketball over two seasons.

But once they left college and entered the NBA, the real adult world, the restraints and seals on them were lifted.

Isaiah Riddle was picked fifth by the Timberwolves in the 1993 draft, a high-pick genius player.

By his second season, Riddle was averaging 20 points and 3.3 assists per game, progressing towards being a star player.

However, during one of his first formal training sessions of his career with the team, he was several hours late.

From then on, being late became the tone of his career. In his three seasons with the Timberwolves, he was late, missed training, and missed buses and planes countless times.

And tardiness was the least of his "crimes." In 1994, he got into an altercation with a woman at a shopping center and then viciously kicked her, leading to his arrest by the police, where he was convicted of minor assault and sentenced to four days of detention with probation.

On a flight from Minnesota to Phoenix, because he missed the team's plane and refused to take another flight, he got into an altercation with the staff, insulted them, and spat at them, resulting in his arrest by airport police.

At a sports bar in Minnesota, he beat up a bar manager, was convicted of fifth-degree assault, and spent a few more days in jail.

Continuous arrests and sentences, disobedience, led the Timberwolves management to lose patience with Isaiah Riddle and traded him to Portland in the summer of 1996.

Shortly after being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, he was arrested by the police again, this time for the more serious charge of possessing prohibited items.

After the arrest, the police not only found marijuana illegally possessed by him but also an illegally modified phone, which allowed him to make calls charged to someone else's number.

Riddle confessed to his crimes without dispute, was sentenced again, and now he is a key surveillance target at the police station, featuring prominently on the habitual offenders list.

While admiring Riddle's long record of misconduct, the only thing that made Larry Bird feel comfortable was that Riddle was always late at the Timberwolves, drawing constant complaints from Timberwolves manager Kevin McHale.

Bird thought, Kevin, you finally face the day; back then you deliberately arrived at the last minute every day, and now you've encountered someone who's late every day; you're finally humbled.

Although this pleased him, now Kevin McHale has tossed Riddle, this hot potato, into Portland, directly into Bird's hands.

Bird hated players being late the most. He was certain Riddle was very likely to be late on the first day and intended to make an example out of him, teaching transgressors a lesson.

Time ticked away, player and trainers, and support staff arrived one after another at the training hall, as Willamette Arena grew lively.

At 7:25, Van Exel arrived on the court with two big swollen eyes, not late, and went promptly to the locker room to change his kit.

Bird did a headcount, 14 out of the 15 players had arrived, only Isaiah Riddle was missing; it seemed he really might be late.

Bird mulled over how to handle Riddle, what approach to take with such a troublemaker — should he be as sarcastic as Bill Fitch? Righteous like KC Jones? Or sternly rebuke as Chris Ford did?

At 7:29, the players prepared to gather on the court, Bird picked up the whistle, ready to begin his first official training session as a coach.

At that moment, the glass door of the hall was pushed open, Isaiah Riddle came jogging in with his sports bag, glanced at his teammates already present, and waved to express his apologies for being late.

"Isaiah, hurry and change! Larry's whistle is longing!" Gan Guoyang urged Riddle, who quickly headed to the locker room to change.

At that moment, it was precisely 7:30, and there was no one late for Larry Bird's first official training session in his career.

Bird stood with hands on hips, chewing gum, thinking, Damn, Isaiah Riddle actually wasn't late, was it my charisma that reformed him?

Not sure, but let's think that; anyway, Bird believed it to be so.

["During my time with the Portland Trail Blazers Team, I was almost never late for practice. Many people don't believe it, but it's true. In Minnesota, I was often late, with lots of excuses: traffic jam, heavy snow, broken water pipes, flat tire, my grandma died, my aunt came… frankly, I can't remember how many times I was late."

"Later, I was traded to Portland. I knew I would be working with Ah Gan and Bird, but I didn't plan to change. I am who I am; I've always had my way of acting – I might be late, but once on the court, I give it my all. I don't think I am wrong."

"A day before training camp started for the new 1996 season, Larry called and said practice starts at 7:30 sharp, please be on time. I agreed verbally while thinking screw it, on the first day, I would definitely sleep in. Because if you're not late on the first day, you'll feel embarrassed to be late afterward. If the first tardiness is tolerated, the rest won't matter."

"But on that day, Sonny found me. I don't know how he knew where I lived; anyhow, he found me and said he wanted to talk. There's so much lore about Sonny, I'll spare the details; I'll only mention what he said that day in our fifteen-minute talk."

"He told me, 'Isaiah, there are two paths before you now. First, train well with the Trail Blazers, play well, then join me in winning a championship. One day after you retire, or if drugs ruin you, the media will come inviting you to participate in interviews, attend shows, have you recount that legendary experience. You can wildly boast about the past, capturing listeners who've seen neither the world nor tasted fame, hence living grandly. Second, keep reporting to the police; then I will send you away from the NBA. You heard right, get you out of the NBA. I am the Players Union president, having the power and capability to erase you from this league, obliterate you from the Players Union.'"

"After saying this I was dumbstruck. He continued, 'You don't have to answer me now, don't reply with one or two; I know you have self-respect, you won't easily bow down. I understand, people care about face. So I give you a night to think, once decided, no need to reply, just observe tomorrow's practice. Larry demands presence before 7:30; if you arrive then, I will assume you accepted my condition. If not, never appear on the Trail Blazers Team's practice floor again.'"

"Finally, he told me, 'Good luck, Riddle.' I froze there for a while, then decided I absolutely must not be late."

"Because he offered a condition I couldn't refuse."]

————In 2012, Isaiah Riddle recounted this above in the documentary about him, "My Testimony."