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JASON TERRY JERSEY NO. 31 RETIREMENT THURSDAY
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Judging from A.J. Bramlett’s hearty laugh, 16 years after their time as teammates came to an end, Jason Terry’s superstitious antics are of historic hilarious proportions.
When I brought up Terry sleeping in his uniform the night before a game, Bramlett had a good laugh that lasted a few seconds. I expected Bramlett to say something like, “Oh, that story again.”
Bramlett laughed as if he just heard about it and he struggled to say words through the laughter.
“He did that … yes, he did that,” said Bramlett, a roommate and close friend of Terry’s in their four years together at Arizona from 1995 to 1999.
“I don’t know how that started. I think it happened after the first-round game of the (1997) NCAA tournament. He thought it kept him ready for the games. That dude is so superstitious.”
Could Jason Terry be on the move again, to nearby Phoenix?
ESPN reports that Goran Dragic and Miles Plumlee are close to going to Houston for Jason Terry, Terrance Jones and Future draft picks
— N B A L I F E (@NbaLife_) February 18, 2015
That uniform-as-pajamas ritual is not Terry’s most amusing superstition, according to Bramlett.
“I remember he bought chicken fingers and fries before a game one time and didn’t have a chance to eat them,” Bramlett said with a laugh. “He ended up having a great game, so on the day of the game, he continued to buy chicken fingers and fries and didn’t eat them. He still does that.”
Terry and Bramlett are more like brothers than friends starting from when they first met at a Reebok All-American tournament in Albuquerque in 1994. Both were destined for Arizona “so we got along right away … he’s always been a great guy to be around.”
Since they joined Lute Olson’s program as the only recruits in 1995, Bramlett and Terry were always viewed as an odd couple. Bramlett was the straight-and-narrow, by-the-book person. Terry was the carefree and footloose character.
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Site founder and award-winning sports journalist Javier Morales has published his first e-book, “The Highest Form of Living”, a fiction piece about a young man who overcomes a troubled upbringing without his lost father and wayward mother through basketball and hope. His hope is realized through the sport he loves. Basketball enables him to get past his fears. His experience on the court indirectly brings him closer to his parents in a unique, heartfelt way. Please order it at Amazon (for only $4.99) by clicking on the photo:
What is A.J. Bramlett up to?
After playing 10 seasons professionally overseas, Bramlett, 38, returned to his native Albuquerque in 2008 and has become very active in the development of young basketball players there. Bramlett operates the Run the Walk and Dream Center in Albuquerque. Both ventures are geared toward helping individuals succeed in sports and in life in general. Run the Walk is a clothing line “produced with the conscious intention to inspire and motivate,” according to its Web site. “Regardless what phase you are in on your journey, we aim to provide you with the inspiration to help take your goals to the next level, and ultimately attain your dream.” The Dream Center, with Bramlett serving as the chief consultant, helps young basketball players with the physical and mental aspects of the game to better prepare them for the future.
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A.J. Bramlett and Jason Terry engage in an impromptu rap for the camera when they played at Arizona. Terry: “I’m J.T. and this is A.J.B. … He passes the ball to me and I hit the 3” …
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“That’s kind of the roles everybody said we’ve had over the years,” Bramlett said. “We’re different in our own ways. We balance each other out. We also knew how to have fun.
“The biggest thing is when it was time to get serious and get after things, we were a lot alike. Both of us were there to win.”
Bramlett is not surprised that Terry, 37, is still going strong in the NBA as a 15-year veteran, now with the Houston Rockets.
“He is a guy who never missed games; he never got injured,” Bramlett said. “He will play until he can’t play anymore. He’s also a very smart player. He can still make clutch shots.
“What sticks out the most to me about him is he is not scared of anything. He is a fearless competitor. He has never been afraid to take a shot. When the game was on the line, J.T. wanted to take the shot. All of us knew J.T. could make the big play. He gave us a lot of confidence.”
In honor of @JasonTerry31's jersey retirement tomorrow, free shipping on this exclusive shirt: https://t.co/NlIXOuygoP #JT31 #USCvsAZ
— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) February 18, 2015
The stories of Terry’s superstitions are funny, and when many think of him, they envision those knee-high socks with “CATS” stitched on them. He is a character.
Bramlett wants people to know that Terry, who earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Arizona last spring, is much more than an amusing person.
“He is not a goofball or a clown,” Bramlett said. “He knew the right time to make us laugh. When the pressure was on us, he lightened the load on the team.
“When it was time to compete, he was a leader.”
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Jason Terry proclaims Arizona has advanced to four Final Fours in a video released by the Arizona athletic department
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM JASON TERRY STORY INTERVIEWS
— Bennett Davison talks about what Terry stirred up the night before the 1997 NCAA title.
— Brett Hansen, former Arizona basketball media relations specialist, offers special stories about Terry, including a touching one about what Terry did for his son.
— Jim Rosborough recalls a funny story about Terry in his first road trip as freshman with the Wildcats in 1995.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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