";s:4:"text";s:6363:"Bryce Drew was one because I went to his high school games and I was a ball boy at VU (Valparaiso University). “And don’t be an idiot.”Jordan was watching a Chicago Blackhawks playoff game on a TV in the bar. Former Purdue star Robbie Hummel, now an analyst for the Big Ten Network and ESPN, joined a podcast hosted by national college basketball reporter Jeff … But I didn’t care.”But soon thereafter, the golf outing with Jordan was nixed. And MJ is the other. Hummel was playing in Spain but was back in the States. It was during the 2007-08 season, Hummel’s freshman year at Purdue. He coached himself.“I was like: Just act like a normal human being,” said Hummel. I like the backstory, but the stuff that I really like is the behind-the-scenes practice stuff.”As a kid, little Robbie Hummel would watch every game from his living room in Valparaiso. “He was really, really nice. And I hear him talking.”“I was like: ‘Dude, that is Michael Jordan.’ That is nuts. This was an interesting weekend, to say the least. Hummel couldn’t get enough of MJ and the Bulls. I love what they're doing (in the documentary). With his heroes flashing across the TV screen, Hummel would do his best imitations ... Scottie, Dennis, Horace, Kerr and—of course—Michael. Like, I couldn't function. Robbie Hummel never considered the possibility of winning an Olympic medal. I was like, 'Dad, you had the greatest player ever. Robbie Hummel’s basketball career maybe didn’t go exactly as he expected it to go, but it has been an fun journey for him nonetheless, one that has taken him from college stardom at Purdue University to two seasons in the NBA and several more abroad. NBA Rumor Central: Adding Jarnell Stokes brings Nuggets' roster to offseason limitNBA campus intel: Schedule and live updates for Day 5 of seeding gamesThe Memphis Grizzlies headline three teams that play without rest in Monday's action.Bucks' Mike Budenholzer, Thunder's Billy Donovan tie for NBCA coaching awardThe Bucks' Mike Budenholzer and Thunder's Billy Donovan were voted the National Basketball Coaches Association's co-coaches of the year, sources told ESPN.NBA tweaks coronavirus testing policy to allow players to return quickerThe NBA is changing its coronavirus testing policy in regards to players whose results prove to be inconclusive, according to a league memo obtained by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are a part of a five-team group bunched from third to seventh place in the Western Conference standings.NBA Power Rankings: Rockets top Bucks, West standings tightenThe Rockets and Raptors both upset top teams, while the Spurs and Trail Blazers fight for the No. Michael is my favorite player of all-time. “We talked for five minutes. Robbie Hummel, a former Purdue star, looks headed to the Olympics. And that’s when they thought they spotted Jordan sitting at a bar in the Aria. Jordan knew Hummel had been drafted by the Timberwolves in 2012 but hadn’t been playing in the NBA.“So, we talked about that,” said Hummel. He approached the man who is his own brand. And I see what he's wearing. He told me if I ever wanted to go out to Vegas, he had a guy out there who could set me up at a hotel called the Aria. Michael Jordan was in the house. I will be so upset if he isn’t nice.”Finally, Hummel mustered the courage. His father would start a fire in the fireplace, set up Robbie’s Little Tikes hoop and turn on the Bulls game with Jim Durham and Red Kerr. I was so happy.”Jordan asked Hummel about his injured knee and where he had played last year. I wasn’t gonna pass that up since I was going to be out there at the time. Robbie Hummel played a big role in helping jump-start the basketball program when he arrived in West Lafayette in 2007. Four seasons later when he left, the Boilermakers were a Big Ten power.
All Rights Reserved. And it was that connection to Jeffery--the oldest of MJ's two sons--that led Hummel to experiencing one of the biggest moments of his life: Meeting Air Jordan himself.It was back in May 2013. Jeffrey was a 6-1 guard who played at Illinois from 2007-10 before finishing his career at Central Florida.
23—the guy who defied gravity on posters pinned to the walls in bedrooms—was on hand to watch son Jeffrey play for the Fighting Illini.“It was intense,” said Hummel. I love Bryce. ... Former Purdue star Robbie Hummel retires from playing to begin broadcasting. “Before I could even say my name, Jordan says: ‘Robbie Hummel, my man! So, we huddle up and I'm like: ‘Do I talk to him?’ "This is the player Hummel mimicked in his living room in Valparaiso, draining jumpers from behind mom's sofa, over the coffee table and under the lamp while occasionally jumping over the ottoman for dunks. "Growing up, I had two favorite players. How would he break the ice? And Robbie Hummel could feel his presence.It was during the 2007-08 season, Hummel’s freshman year at Purdue. And he was on a trip to Las Vegas.“My dad played tennis at Illinois in the 1970s,” said Hummel. But was it REALLY MJ?“Me and my friends looped back and peered in the bar,” said Hummel.
Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. Babies are born. No. I couldn't gamble, I couldn't do anything. No. Now, Hummel headlines a group of seven former athletes in the 2020 class of the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
