Josh Hart has played over 450 NBA games, logged more than 13,000 minutes, scored north of 4,000 points and has grabbed just south of 3,000 rebounds. Very few players have lasted at the highest level of basketball for more than five seasons. Even fewer have been able to contribute in the way that Hart has.
With that many miles logged, memories have come and gone for the 29-year-old New York Knicks guard. However, Hart seems to remember a good majority of the more memorable accomplishments in his seven-year career. Players should remember everything about their first points, right? Their first dunk? Game-winning shot? Those would be burned in my memory. Yet, at a point for these players, all of these events tend to blend together and, at times, are hard to recall on the fly.
So, how much does Hart remember about his career? I wanted to find out. Late last week, Hart agreed to be the first Knicks player since I transferred to New York to take the “pop quiz” feature I’ve been doing for several years. The questions ranged from career milestones to coaches over the years, career-high marks and more.
This right here is the ultimate test, one that provokes a trip down memory lane, allows fans to learn more about a player, provides humor and, well, is a good icebreaker. Enjoy.
Your first NBA basket was three games into your career…
New Orleans?
You didn’t let me finish, but I was going to ask who was it against and who passed you the ball? (Answer: Brandon Ingram). You got the opponent correct.
I think it was Julius Randle, from the left wing.
It was Ingram.
Yeah, Ingram did.
What do you remember about your first basket when you think back to it? Does a moment like that linger with you?
That game we were down 20. That’s when they had Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday. We were getting slapped, so Luke (Walton) just threw me in the game. I had good energy, and we came back.
When it goes in, do you think “Oh, this is my first NBA basket,” or is there too much going on?
Nah. I mean … I don’t know. I don’t remember at the time. Right now, I know what it was.
How many No. 1 overall picks have you been teammates with and can you name them? (Answer: Andrew Bogut, LeBron James and Zion Williamson). One will be tricky for you, I think.
I played with LeBron, Zion and ….
There’s one more.
*Josh starts snapping fingers quickly as the name creeps closer to the top of mind…
Bogut. Andrew Bogut.
Yep. You got it. That’s good. Do you have a good Bogut story?
I’ll have to think on that one.
What are the most rebounds you had in a game? (Answer: 19)
Nineteen, like three times.
You got it, haha. Where does your willingness to want to not just rebound but rebound at a high level come from?
It’s the willingness to help your team win. In order to help your team win, rebounding is a big part of that. I want to go get a rebound no matter what.
I think your best career NBA dunk came when you were playing for Portland and it was in Indianapolis. Do you remember who you dunked on? (Answer: Chris Duarte)
It was the light-skinned dude.
Haha … yes it was.
I caught it, Dame (Lillard) got trapped, it was the end of the third quarter and … was it Duarte?
Yep, that’s the light-skinned dude. Do you think that’s the best dunk of your career?
Yeah, probably.
You shockingly have a lot of game-winning shots in the NBA.
*Josh laughs as he ties his shoes, looks over at teammate Mikal Bridges, who is to his left, and says, ‘You hear him? I got game-winners, my boy.’
The one I want to talk about is the one against Philadelphia in the playoffs. Which player ended up running out to try to contest your shot? (Answer: Tyrese Maxey)
It wasn’t Maxey. He was a late contest. I don’t remember who it was.
It was Kelly Oubre. … After you hit the shot, you and Rick (Brunson) had a moment. Do you remember that?
Yeah. We, like, bumped chests.
Yeah, and you guys just stared each other down. It was funny. Is that your favorite game-winning shot?
I think that’s my favorite winner. I had one buzzer-beating shot, and that was the one in Miami. But, yeah, that’s probably my favorite just because it was a playoff game.
Name every coach that you’ve played for in order. (Answer: Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry, Stan Van Gundy, Willie Green, Chauncey Billups and Tom Thibodeau)
Oh, hell. OK, Luke, Gentry, Stan, Willie, Chauncey and Thibs.
Yep. You got it. I’m curious, would any of your coaches who played in the NBA not that long ago, like Walton, Green or Billups, ever play with you guys? Did they ever take on a player one-on-one?
Nah, they wouldn’t play with us.
Last one for you: On the night you scored a career-high 44 points, how many 3s did you make in the game? (Answer: six)
Uh, I don’t know. Was it seven?
It was six.
That’s right. It was six.
Is that the most points you ever scored in an official basketball game, even dating to high school?
Nah, I think that was the highest I ever scored in a game.
You were on a run following the 44-point game. I think you led the Trail Blazers in scoring for five or six games in a row. What do you remember about that period?
We were … we were basically tanking. I don’t think we can officially say we were tanking, but we were tanking. I just wanted to go out there and hoop, have fun with it. I was able to be ultra-aggressive. I was just taking good shots, shots I’m comfortable with.
I appreciate you doing this. I’ll circle back to get that Bogut story.
All right. Bet.
(Photo of Josh Hart: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
