Denver native Chauncey Billups to be inducted in Hall of Fame this weekend: "Probably one of the most humbling moments"
On Oct. 13, Denver native Chauncey Billups will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billups grew up in Denver's Park Hill and dominated the basketball court even at a young age. Winning state championships at George Washington High School, he didn't know what his future would be.
"Honestly, I never even thought about the Hall of Fame you know," Billups told CBS Colorado's Michelle Griego who attended GW with him. "When we were in high school together, I just was really had my focus on just trying to get my college education paid for."
He always enjoyed the game but realized he had something special in 8th grade after competing in a national championship against the number one player in the country.
"We had this incredible back and forth dual ... but I ended the game with like 41 points and he had like 39," Billups said. "I knew at that point that I wasn't just good in Denver. That I could compete on a national scale with everybody. That's when I kind of a knew that I had to work my behind off and keep my head on straight and I had a chance."
Retired coach Ricardo Patton said his first assignment as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado was to recruit Billups to the school. It was a tough task since so many top schools were trying.
"He stepped out on faith and believed in making a difference at CU at the time," Patton said. "He was great to coach and the reason I say that is he wanted to be coached."
Billups' playing at the college level was successful but going pro wasn't easy. He played for seven teams, five in just his first five years in the NBA. He found his groove with the Detroit Pistons, winning a championship and was crowned NBA Finals MVP in 2004.
That rise to stardom has now earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame.
"It was probably one of the most humbling moments for me," Billups said.
But at first, he thought it was a joke because he got the call on April Fool's Day.
"I was like 'Oh my god' there's no way they could do this," Billups said. "There's no way they could play a sick joke like this."
But it was no joke. It was something that made him emotional as well as for those who have been on his journey.
"He's deserving of it," Lonnie Porter, longtime former Regis University basketball coach, said. "I saw him play and I said, 'Oh my goodness.' You know it was behind the back, the jumper. He had the whole game."
Porter first met Billups when he was only 8 years old. But decades later, they would partner to run the Porter/Billups Leadership Academy raising scholarship money for underserved kids in Denver.
His work in the community shows no matter where Billups is, even now as head coach of the Portland Trailblazers, his hometown is never far from his heart.
"I'm Colorado through and through and Denver through and through," Billups said.
Throughout his life, Billups has had many nicknames, such as, "Mr. Big Shot," "King of Park Hill" and his high school name "Smooth".
But now, the name, Chauncey Billups, will forever be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. No nickname required.
