Nov 21, 1985 - Norm Nixon signed a multi-year offer sheet with the Seattle SuperSonics. That helped with my acting, delivering the lines in a different inflection. I didnt work hard at promoting myself. In 2015, she began appearing as Dr. Hannah Brody in the ABC medical drama series, Grey's Anatomy. That was a challenge, he says. [12], The Lakers lost in the 1983 NBA Finals, in which Philadelphia swept 4-0. Whats happening? [. ] After the 198586 season, he spent much of his later career on the injured list, spending more than two full seasons on the injured list before retiring for good at the end of the 198889 season. We stayed in touch, and I realized I had more fun with her than any of the other women I was dating. They now live in Santa Monica, California, with the academy keeping them busy. So my dad didnt really have too much concern. One of them is Norm Nixon, a former All-Star guard who won two NBA championships with the Lakers in the early 1980s. You have to be curious, a little bit. [Laughs.]. No, man, thats crazy you should ask. Why that 'Winning Time' pickup game with DeVaughn Hes like a school teacher. "Spivery, Jaguars to begin practice". Nobodys gonna take me seriously! Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He was offered a free-agent tryout by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. He also My brother has done some stuff, but I was the more seasoned actor, I would say. Hes not famous. Everybody always acts like they know you, or the double head turnI would see that a lot. Whitney used to always bring me into her trailer and sing to me. Her aunt is actress Phylicia Rashad and her younger brother is basketball player Norm E. Nixon Jr. Vivian took gymnastics until she was 13, but when a fellow gymnast fell and was seriously injured, her mother took her out of the sport. Hes like a school teacher. These included Nixon's #10 (also retired were Chuck Cooper, Sihugo Green, Dick Ricketts, and Willie Somerset). What was your fathers reaction to the news? He also played with Scavolini Pesaro in Italy. Norm Nixon - Basketball-Reference.com The marriage has three children: DeVaughn Nixon, an actor, Vivian Nichole Nixon, a dancer, and Norman Ellard Nixon Jr., a basketball player. Livingston, Bill. However, Lakers point guard Norm Nixon (DeVaughn Nixon, the real Nixons son) seems to be immune to his charms. And theyre like, What the fuck? And they saw its me, and Im like, Ha! [, ] I honestly started the biggest snowball fightlike 100, 200 people. He was showing me drills, I tried to add his cadence to my performance, and I think Im pretty spot on. Early on in HBOs sports drama Winning Time, Magic Johnson and Norm Nixon square off in a heated game of one-on-one at a Hollywood party. He admits it was a little surreal to be auditioning opposite his brother, but I wouldnt want anybody else playing my dad except for one of us., Nailing his dads mannerisms, voice and cadence was easy. All Rights Reserved. Norm Nixon - Wikipedia Im really looking forward to seeing what they think. The next season (197980), he led the league in minutes played (3,226), minutes-per-game (39.3), and was third in assists with 642. Everybody thinks that [the producers] just gave me the role. Another thing is I started a huge snowball fight in Lake Tahoe because it was the first time I had ever seen snow, so one of the [assistant directors] was showing me how to make a snowball, [and] I took one. What is Norm Nixon WebBut in order to play Norm authentically, the loving son would have to get into the best shape of his life. He earned degrees in business finance and television production from Loyola Marymount University and began working in real estate, investment banking, and the private sectoronly to discover that part of himself still longed to be in front of the camera. The young Carry asked to wear it to honor a friend who wore number 10 in high school, and who had died that spring from gun violence. And I just worked out in it. Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau remain linked. Norm married actress and dancer Debbie Allen in 1984, and they have two children together apart from Norms son from another relationship. Height: 6-2 (188cm) Weight: 170 (77kg), Current NBA Status: Unrestricted Free Agent, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 22, Los Angeles Lakers, High School: Southwest Magnet High School [Macon, Georgia], 12 Years Of Service - 2x NBA Champion, 2x All-Star. The short shorts, me picking out wedgies. [1], On January 27, 2001, during the halftime of a game against Xavier University (Cincinnati), the Duquesne University Department of Athletics retired the jerseys of five of its all-time greatest players. I dont smoke cigarettes, but I just wanted to take the character there because I think I have too kind of a face, man. This meant that his maternal grandmother and great-aunt raised him. I tried to mimic how he shot a basketball. But if somebody else is telling the story, people embellish, stretch things. Norm Nixon's Biography - The HistoryMakers I honestly started the biggest snowball fightlike 100, 200 people. [2] He was senior class president and named as the starting guard on the Georgia All-State team for 1973. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We have the premiere tonight, and I asked him, Do you wanna come? And he was like, Ill just watch it with you on Sunday by ourselves. Hes not really into interviews and media, even though hes a television sportscaster and has to be on TV all the time. Norm was instrumental in the Lakers winning the title in 1980 and 1982, beating the Philadelphia 76ers. (2017). All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. What also made the transition so seamless was the set design, the clothes, and the decoration. Before I had gotten this, I would put on some of his clothes and watch some of the tapes and interviews when he wasnt at the house. Hes entertaining people. I didnt understand the concept of celebrity. Look, it might as well have been a boulder. After retiring from the NBA in March 1989, Nixon played for Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian major-league Serie A in April and May. Norm Nixon attended Southwest in Macon, Georgia and Duquesne. Post-retirement, Norm explored several avenues. This superstar was born on 11th October 1955, in Macon, Georgia. I think it was right before I almost died on the boat, and shes singing Jesus Loves Me, and her sister walks out. I had to really fine tune my basketball skills as well and become a baller again, because I hadnt touched the ball since high school., To research, DeVaughn said he spend more time with his father (whose wife, Debbie Allen, is DeVaughns stepmother and is also portrayed in the series). Nixon, who was played by his son DeVaughn Nixon in the series, recently joined the Cedric Maxwell Podcast on CLNS Media to talk about the series. [24][25][26] Nixon's sister-in-law is Phylicia Rashad / actress/director/singer. Nixon has appeared in films 500 Days of Summer and Top Five. This greatest basketball holds American citizenship. There is a more holistic power Jimmy Butler has access to, involving his fearlessness and his great strategic intelligence but not limited to these things. We would go to the Third Street Promenade, and people would say, Hey, how are you doing, Norm? Or talk to my step-mom like they knew them, and I was just so confusedlike, Do you owe all these people money? Winning Time premieres Sunday, March 6, at 9 p.m. on HBO. He said, I won championships, man, championships. So, this whole time [as Kane], Ive been in jail, and then I come out with a real chip on my shoulder. And they were on it immediately, got me an audition within two days. He was about 162, 163; I was about 187, pushing 190. Before retiring from the NBA in 1989, Norm Nixon amassed a net worth while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers. You should play your dad. I read it, I was like, , ? He knows the Showtime Lakers are leery of the series, in particular Magic Johnson. But I got a callback and then I found out that I got it. Why Norm From Winning Time Looks So Familiar - Looper Nixon led the team in scoring in the 1982 playoffs,[1] averaging 20.4 points per game. He said, She went to New York and moved to Fame, and I went back to Los Angeles. What I love about this character is Ive played thugs and things like that before, [but] this was the first time I was like [to the producers], Can I do this? Theyre like, Yeah, dont hold back. If Im like, Yo, man, give your money! Theyre like, No, dude. As a child, did you understand the magnitude of the Lakers or that your father was famous? We get it: you like to have control of your own internet experience. He thinks new head coach Darvin [21][22], With his wife, Nixon founded the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) in Culver City, California.[21]. I just tried to tap back in, thinking about how many jobs did I go after and then that person got this role. regularly shares sweet photos of his mother to his own Instagram, including an adorable post for Mother's Day where he also honored those [. ] We have the premiere tonight, and I asked him, Do you wanna come? And he was like, Ill just watch it with you on Sunday by ourselves. Hes not really into interviews and media, even though hes a television sportscaster and has to be on TV all the time. , in Lake Tahoe. We got so lucky that the person who happened to the best for the part was also his son, and honestly the second best guy we saw was his brother., It was DeVaughn, whose resume includes Snowfall, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Runaways, who won the gig. Nixon participated in some of the NBA's Legends Classic games that took place during All-Star Weekend in the late 80s and early 90s, before a leg injury forced him out of a game. Its an important role early in the series, as new owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) recruits rookie Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) to inject some life into the stagnant team. . Nixon became a sports agent at Premier Management Group Inc. Norm Nixon Do you have a blog? Everybody thinks that [the producers] just gave me the role. All-Star guard more than footnote in 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty', "The Extra Pass: Talking "Showtime" Lakers with author Jeff Pearlman", "If the Lakers had a Ring of Honor for second-tier greats, who would get in? After playing four seasons with Duquesne University, Pennsylvania, Norm was part of the 1977 NBA draft and was the 22nd overall pick by the Lakers. [12], In the 1978 (Seattle SuperSonics), 1979 (Seattle), and 1981 (Houston Rockets) playoffs, the Lakers were eliminated by the eventual Western Conference champion. Observer: How did this project first come to you? During his NBA career, Nixon scored 12,065 points (15.7 points per game) and had 6,386 assists (8.3) in 768 games played. [4], In 2019, Nixon approved his retired number 10 being worn by sophomore point guard Sincere Carry. But DeVaughn says the physical aspect of it was a challenge: I had to drop 30 pounds and had to get shredded, he says. WebJul 1, 1985 - Norm Nixon, previously with the Los Angeles Clippers, became a free agent. But his next role is his most personal: In Winning Time, the new HBO sports drama that is based on Jeff Pearlmans nonfiction book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, Nixon has stepped into the shoes of his father, Norm, in a rare case of art imitating life. Right, Born: The ten-part series traces the beginning of one of the most dominant stretches in the NBA, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning five titles in ten years. Normally, when you play a real person, you can look into historical archives and do a lot of secondary research. She performed on the European tour of West Side Story and Harriet.