Jamal Mashburn discusses why Jordan is the GOAT, his career and Box Out Colon Cancer Campaign (Exclusive Interview)

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking to former NBA All-Star and University of Kentucky basketball legend Jamal Mashburn about the NBA, March Madness and the campaign that he is raising awareness for called Box Out Colon Cancer. 

Mashburn, whose mother was diagnosed with colon cancer at the height of his NBA career, is partnering with Exact Sciences and The Blue Hat Foundation to challenge people 45 and older to “Box Out Colon Cancer” by getting screened for the disease.

It’s a terrific campaign, and Jamal was kind enough to discuss all things NBA, from his playing career to current day, as well as his experiences during the NCAA Tournament while he was at Kentucky. 

You can watch the full interview with Mashburn here:

Jamal Mashburn on why Michael Jordan is the GOAT

“He’s the greatest player of all time in my opinion,” Mashburn said. “Even if you took away his career as a Chicago Bull and what he did with the [Washington] Wizards, and being 40 years old and still averaging 20 plus points per game, at that age at the small forward spot, tells you a lot about his IQ for the game.” 

Mashburn was able to compete against Jordan in his final All-Star game, and the two shared some experiences together playing one-on-one. Mashburn also revealed that Jordan completely dissected his game, but it led to him scoring 50 points in a game shortly after the All-Star Game. 

“He diagnosed my game pretty much,” Mashburn said. “He was right on the money. He was like, ‘Jamal, you love to go left 80 percent of the time.’ And he said something to me, he was like, ‘Hey, listen this is something that was passed down to me from Larry Bird, Dr. J (Julius Erving).’ He said, ‘Play the game within the game.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean Michael?’ 

“He was like, ‘Well, if you go left 80 percent of the time, within the game make sure you go right, pull up jump shot or all the way when you go right to keep people off balance.’ And probably about five games after that All-Star Game – I can’t remember how many games it was – I scored 50 points. Just using that philosophy.”

Which NBA player reminds Mashburn of himself?

During his NBA career, Mashburn really helped revolutionize the point forward position – the modern day small forward – along with players like Grant Hill. 

He averaged 19.1 points per game in his NBA career, scoring 20 or more points per game in six different seasons. An extremely skilled offensive player, Mashburn thinks he would thrive in today’s NBA with all of the spacing on the floor. 

“All the time,” Mashburn said when asked if he wonders what his game would look like in today’s NBA. “I would have been a super, supermax player. I was having a conversation with Grant Hill, it was probably about six to eight months ago, and we were chatting and we were like, ‘Do you recall that our generation probably revolutionized the small forward spot?’ Usually, the small forward spot wasn’t a point forward. He was either a catch-and-shoot guy, inside-out guy, maybe a slasher at best – or maybe even an athlete or a defender.”

Mashburn, who could really handle the ball and create on offense at his size, changed the position to what more modern day players like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler and others look like. 

In fact, Mashburn, who played for the Miami Heat during his career, thinks that Butler’s game resembles his during his prime. 

“I watch him quite a bit in Miami, Jimmy Butler,” Mashburn said when asked who reminds him of himself in today’s game. “Jimmy Butler’s a throwback player. He’s probably a little more assist-friendly than I was – even though I averaged four assists for my career – probably a better defender. But being an all-around player that can impact the game, I think he is one. I probably shot the ball better – or shot better contested shots – but he’s a craftsman around that basket.”

Watching his son compete for New Mexico this March

Mashburn’s son currently plays at New Mexico, who is fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament this season. 

There is an interesting connection between him and his son when it comes to their college coaches. Mashburn played for the legendary Rick Pitino at Kentucky in college, and his son now plays for Richard Pitino – Rick’s son – at New Mexico. 

“One thing I think he’s realized in college basketball is that you’ve got to take care of your current business and not leave anything to chance,” Mashburn said. “... I think he realizes and other players on his team realize that the NCAA Tournament, March Madness is not granted for everybody. You gotta handle your business. And it’s a memory for a few. If you want to be a part of that few, take care of your business every time you step on that court.” 

Mashburn revealed that he told his son to stay away from looking at bracketology experts and media to just focus on controlling what he can control. New Mexico has a real shot to win the Mountain West this season and earn an automatic bid, which would be a pretty awesome moment for Mashburn and his family.  

Jamal Mashburn and the Box Out Colon Cancer Campaign

“Go to BoxOutColonCancer.com if anybody wants more information, I just believe utilizing my platform for good, and partnering with Exact Sciences they’re the greatest partner that I’ve had on this particular project,” Mashburn said.

The campaign is to raise awareness to help people 45 and older get screened for colon cancer to help prevent the disease. 

“The reason why it’s close to my heart is because my mom dealt with colon cancer at the height of my NBA career when I was a 2003 All-Star,” Mashburn said. “So, being at the height of my career and experiencing that, and then my mom telling me something that is devastating news – she was in remission for 18 years, lived a long great life – but we never really had the conversation about colon cancer until we had to address it.” 

Mashburn’s NCAA Tournament memories from his legendary career

Mashburn also shared some memories from his career, including playing against the Fab Five in the Final Four and being a part of one of the most legendary games in college basketball history in the Elite 8 in 1992 when Christian Laettner hit a game-winning shot for Duke to advance to the Final Four. 

The shot overshadowed Mashburn’s amazing performance in that game, as he had scored 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting. To hear Mashburn’s memories in detail – watch the video in the Youtube link above!

Who will win the NCAA Tournament and NBA Finals? 

To close out, I asked Mashburn who he thinks will win the NCAA Tournament and NBA Finals this season. 

Here’s a look at his picks: 

NCAA Tournament: Houston Cougars

“I’m gonna go with Houston,” Mashburn said. “I think defensively with Kelvin Sampson and that guard play – how they can defend and lock down and make things difficult – defense travels.”

NBA Finals: Boston Celtics

“I’m gonna say the Boston Celtics, I think it’s their time,” Mashburn said. 

Mashburn touched on the depth that Boston has, and he believes they can beat Denver when it comes down to a seven-game series.

For more on Mashburn’s Box Out Colon Cancer campaign, visit BoxOutColonCancer.com.