Bethlehem Says

Here’s a photo of Royal Ivey’s well-inked back. He was one of my favorite players interviews on the Thunder. After the instrumental for “Straight Outta Compton” was heard over the PA, he told me he expected to hear some BDP next. He loves every city he’s played in (the perfect journeyman attitude), and wants to retire to Austin, which he compared to Soho. Also, Ivey referred to the youngsters on the Thunder as “the Toys ‘R Us Clan”.

Anyway, today at GQ.com David Roth posted the intro to–hang on here—a fake glossy magazine profile of Ivey. An excerpt:

And here is Royal Ivey’s car, right where he left it. It doesn’t look like much, but when he turns the key, the engine turns over, the lights turn on and the old car moves. The car takes Ivey off the players’ lot, past the security guard—a wave, un-awed, and he turns his attention back to People Magazine—toward the seven-year vet’s home, and back into an ordinary, extraordinary life…

I didn’t feel bad about gently mocking Ivey since he seemed like a guy who would appreciate the joke. And sure enough, he re-tweeted it. For what it’s worth, Royal, I had our entire conversation in my Thunder feature before space constraints intervened. And Roth and I once considered starting a publication called The Royal Ivey Review.