You can still call him Al
Al Jefferson started with a joke.
“I have bad toes,” Jefferson said when asked why he was getting treatment from one of the trainers on the massage table in the Timberwolves locker room. “I didn’t start wearing shoes until I got drafted.”
That the Prentiss, Miss. product can joke about his Southern upbringing makes one thing abundantly clear: Jefferson is comfortable being back in the place he called home for three years.
“It’s just good to be back to see all the people, old friends, even you guys (the media)” Jefferson said to a crowd of reporters in a locker room he’d never stepped foot in while playing for the Celtics. “I’m used to parking in the player’s parking lot…I see a side of the gym I’ve never seen before.”
Jefferson was the key to the blockbuster deal that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston in the offseason. His team may be losing, but Big Al (20.8 points, 12.1 rebounds) has turned into every bit of the young star Minnesota expected him to be. He said he misses Boston but understands why the deal was made.
“It’s a part of the business,” said Jefferson. “Everybody knew from Day 1 that we could be separated. When [Delonte West] first left, I knew I wouldn’t be too far behind him…When we get kicked out of the NBA, that’s when we need to be having our head down and be sad about some stuff.”
Jefferson has no hard feelings leaving Boston. He says it was an honor to be traded for one of the best players in the game (Garnett). He said he watches the Celtics every chance he gets.
“I’ll never forget the memories I had here,” said Jefferson. “This is the place that made me, really. Guys did a great job working with me. I can never forget I was a Celtic.”
Jefferson said he still texts Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
“I heard he’s going to be the coach of the All-Star Game,” he said. “That’s big for him. He really deserves that. Doc’s been through a lot these past three years, too. I didn’t really look at him as only a coach. He was a good friend, too. He was tough on me. It’s tough love. I think that’s made me what I am now.”
He’s a star now. He’s a leading man. And he’s ready to take whatever comes with it.
“When I was with Paul[Pierce], when the last shot needed to be taken, I was happy because Paul was going to take it,” Jefferson said. “All the pressure was on Paul. But I’m that guy now. I’m glad to accept that role.”
“I really have to give it to Paul,” Jefferson said. “For him to be the main guy for so many years, and for him to step down and accept the role as a part of the Big Three, that means a lot…A lot of guys couldn’t do that. He’s still keeping the team together.”
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