Kris Joseph quietly retired from professional basketball in 2021. Ten years after being drafted by the Boston Celtics, the 33-year-old athlete now has a new vocation, that of transmitting “all” his knowledge to young people. basketball players. So that they too realize their dream.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
After a long career during which he played in the NBA, across Europe, then in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (LECB), Kris Joseph recently joined the Dynastie Sports Institute. His role ? National Program Team Head Coach. A new adventure that thrills him to the highest degree.
Behind every big change is often a trigger. Joseph’s happened in May 2021, when he was playing for a Spanish team. He was on the bus, on his way to an away game, when he learned that his father was suffering from a heart problem and that he only had a few days left to live.
“I had no way to return to my city, so I had to wait three days. I had to have a document to travel because of COVID-19. It was crazy. […] Luckily, I arrived in time to see it before,” he told The Press on a Friday evening in September, in the basement of the old church of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu where the Institute is located.
Affected by the loss of his father, the Montrealer reflected on the rest of his career.
I said to myself: my mother is getting older, my children are growing up, my nieces and my nephews… For me, family is more important than basketball. That all. I wanted to be closer to home if something happened.
Kris Joseph
The 6’7″ colossus was not in a good frame of mind when the Ottawa Blackjacks, who play in the LECB, contacted him to request his services. He refused. But the Ontario formation did not let go.
“I thought to myself: you know what? Basketball always makes me feel better. It’s been like that since I was very young. If my mom fussed with me, I would go outside and play basketball. So I decided to go play with Blackjacks. »
Arriving in Ottawa for the summer, Joseph already had “a foot outside” of professional basketball. ” I [suis allé là-bas] because I knew it was going to help me mentally. Just to be in a basketball environment, in a locker room, laughing with the guys. What I experienced with Blackjacks, it helped me more than basketball. »
He left the team before the end of the season, thanking them for having “brought him back into a good place” mentally. It was time for him to return home, to Quebec, to his two children. This decision sounded the death knell of his professional career.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Kris Joseph wants to transmit “all” his knowledge to young basketball players.
Teacher skills
From then on, Kris Joseph began to offer individual and group basketball lessons in Montreal and the surrounding area. And he loved it.
“Coaching is one thing, but teaching is another. […] When I saw that I had the ability to teach young people, to really help them understand, I said to myself: this is something I want to do. »
A few years ago, Joseph had met the young people of the Institut Dynastie, the first private and independent Francophone basketball establishment in North America. When the president of the program, Alexandre Victor, approached him to be head coach, Joseph did not hesitate for long.
He asked advice from his idol: his brother Maurice Joseph, a coach for many years south of the border. “The best advice he gave me was: a head coach can never have a bad day. If I arrive and am discouraged, [les jeunes] will feel it. »
At the time of our interview with Joseph, the Dynasty team had already been training for a few days in preparation for the new season. Talking to us about his new role, the ex-player shines.
We train here at 6:00 in the morning. I get up at 4 a.m., no coffee, no Red Bull. Basketball is all I need to wake up.
Kris Joseph
Every day, Joseph comes to the gym with a positive attitude, as advised by his brother. But it’s not like he needed to force himself. “I love it so much and I want to share all my knowledge with them. Because I would have liked someone to do it for me so that I could avoid certain obstacles. »
With his players, the former Celtics and Brooklyn Nets advocates accountability, respect and consistency.
“Your work ethic and your aspirations have to come together, somewhere in the middle. If you say you want to get to the NBA but you don’t work, you won’t get there. […] How do you behave when there is no coach around you? It’s so much bigger than basketball. One of the things I often tell them is that the decisions you make today will affect your tomorrow. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Kris Joseph
The experience
Alexandre Victor explains to us that Kris Joseph’s contract is for one year, but “our objective is for him to be there for a long time”, he says.
“Before a young person thinks he is capable of achieving something, he must think that it is possible. If the person in front of him did it, you can believe. In our case, it’s not necessarily because we want him to reach the NBA, but that’s how he maximizes his potential. »
When Joseph met the young people of the Institute a few years ago, Victor was impressed to see him at work.
“He didn’t tell you earlier, but he gave shoes to eight of our guys,” he recalls. This desire to give back, to contribute and not to do it in a calculated way… He did it because that’s the person he is.
“Kris represents what we want young people to become. »
Important year
A little over a year ago, the Dynasty Sports Institute was accepted into the prestigious American league The Grind Session. A first for a Quebec formation. According to Alexandre Victor, the first year in the league went well, but the team “lacks experience”. “Last year, it was big to open several doors, but I think that this year, we really have to consolidate all that. […] You have to perform. You don’t just have to make smoke, you have to catch the fire. I think that’s where we’ve come to. »