Michael Beasley on famous wrong shorts incident: 'My cousin died that game' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

Former Lakers forward Michael Beasley has been out of the NBA for almost three years now. The 33-year old forward recently gave an interview to HoopsHype about his career's highs and lows, future hopes, and famous misconceptions.

Michael Beasley

Position:SFAge:33Height:208 cmWeight:107 kgBirth place:Frederick, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Remembering the famous wrong shorts incident in early 2019, Beasley shed some light on the situation. According to the player, he was battling an inner battle throughout that entire match.

"My cousin died the game I forgot my shorts in Oklahoma. I was battling that day, trying to fight through it. I wanted to go to the funeral, but I was already gone when my mom died. I just wanted to be there for the team, and the whole world just laughed at me," Beasley opened up.

Referring to the jokes about forgetting his shorts, Beasley was blunt. "I thought it would die over. That sh*t didn’t die. Every f*cking year that sh*t lived on. Even my close friends don’t even know. I let them have the joke because if it makes people happy, it makes people happy, rather than going around and making people sad."

"Off the court, my mom died when I was playing for the Lakers. I fought through that, and I came back," Beasley continued. "I was trying to be strong. I was trying to show her I could be tough. That sh*t was hard. I’m not going to lie. When it happened, it felt like an excuse. That’s why I never said anything."

"I’ve been battling confidence issues my whole life. Everybody’s voices, everybody’s negative opinions. I was 19, and they were expecting me to be a grown-up."

The 33-year-old is now battling one more battle as he's trying to come back into the league. Beasleyhas been training in Miami in hopes of getting back to the NBA. "I’ve been staying in the gym and keeping my head down, trying to be as positive as I can be," the NBA veteran expressed.

The forward has been practicing among the likes of John Wall and Tyreke Evans. Why should a team sign him? "I know the game so well on both sides of the ball. I want to show people that I can play defense, and I’m not just a scorer," Beasley says.

"If you look at my per 36 numbers for every team, they’re All-Star caliber numbers (19.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists). My argument for my career is I’ve never been given a chance to play extra minutes," the former no. 2 overall picks explained.

Beasley has played for multiple teams throughout his NBA career. Representing Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and most recently Los Angeles Lakers, the forward averaged 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in the 11-year span.

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