Induction plaque for Kevin Martin at the induction ceremony on Nov. 16, 2019. Photo by Joel Vélez Rodríguez.
For Kevin Martin, all roads lead to Western.
“It’s always emotional when you come back to a place that was a big part of your journey. It was a place that really changed and defined my life, I grew up a lot as a young man here. It’s good to be back in the mountains.”
After a marvelous run at Western Carolina University (2001-04), one would think he would frequent his alma mater after leaving. But it took Martin some time to return.
On Nov. 16, Martin was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame alongside WCU Soccer legend Jordan Howell-Dunn. At the ceremony, he gave heartfelt anecdotes of his upbringing and time at WCU. He cited former teammates Willie Freeman, Terrence Woodyard, Rance Brempong, and Corey Largent as an important support system at Western.
We took this opportunity to ask him about his time here at WCU.
“I was here last year, for the conference playoffs. But before that, y’know, it’s so hard to come down in-season. So before last year, I hadn’t been here since leaving for the NBA in 2004.”
Martin grew up in Zanesville, a small city in Ohio home to more than 25,000 people. In comparison to what awaited him in Cullowhee, Zanesville seems like a booming metropolis. Indeed, it is safe to say the shift to life at Western was jarring for Martin, even more so than to any city he played in during his 12 year NBA career.
“For me it was here, because it was the first time I was leaving home, and you gotta realize you have to become a man really quick. I mean, seven out of eight weeks I drove home, and it was a 14-hour round trip, so that’s when I started relying a lot on my teammates. I started building relationships throughout the Catamount community and that was probably the smartest decision I made in my life.”
Despite this major shift, Martin remembers his time at Western fondly. He credits Coach Steve Shurina for putting “a lot of structure in our lives.”
“That’s what you need from someone like that, especially when you have 18 and 19 year olds, and that’s what he gave.”
He took a leap of faith when committing to Western in 2001, “to the point that I was ready to commit before I even saw the campus, which is kind of unheard of.”
“I talked to coach Steve Churina and he really sold me on the program. I had other options, but I really believed in him and was invested in the program. But that was my story, everything happened so quick. After that, I came here and I was very satisfied with the decision really quickly.”
Martin averaged 23.3 PPG, 4.5 REB and 1.7 AST on 46.2 FG%, and his progression on the court was impressive to say the least.
He faced many doubters once he entered the NBA as the 26th pick by the Sacramento Kings, and proved everyone wrong by applying his elite scoring prowess to the pros.
Kevin Martin during the 2004 NBA Rookie Shoot at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility on August 2, 2004. (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)
Once he arrived in Sacramento, he found teammates he could look up to. His team was composed by the remnants of the great Kings team that pushed the champion Lakers to seven games. Stars like Chris Webber and Peja Stojaković were examples of greatness, and having gritty players like Matt Barnes and Doug Christie by his side helped show what it took to make it in the league.
He had an excellent six year tenure in Sacramento, but was traded in 2010 to the Houston Rockets. After two years of a dip in scoring numbers, he was traded to Oklahoma City as part of the now infamous James Harden trade. Looking back, Martin remembers his time in Oklahoma fondly.
“I really enjoyed playing with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. I got to see two young, incredible talents who do not take the game lightly. I was never the most talented or most gifted guy so I really had to work for everything that came my way. So just seeing those two superstars who had the world, how they were with people, was just refreshing to see in the NBA.”
He had a productive year for the Thunder, but ultimately decided to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves the following off-season.
He retired in 2016 after a short stint with the San Antonio Spurs. A player of his caliber would usually have stuck around for more than 12 years. But Martin made his decision and has no regrets. He has a clear-cut answer of why he did so, and it shows that there are some things bigger than basketball.
“My daughter. That’s why I never had kids while I was playing, because I always wanted to have a special bond with my kids. I know that if I had a kid early on, with the NBA schedule, it couldn’t have happened. I wanted to be there more than 180 days of the year for my daughter, and it just made my decision easier. I never looked back on it, standing here it’s still the best decision I ever made in my life.”
Martin is now the majority owner of the Brisbane Bullets of the NBL, and has taken it upon himself to spread the game of basketball throughout the world.
“We gotta realize the NBA is one of the most fantasized sports leagues in the world, kids start dreaming about getting there at five, six years old, and not just here in the US. So we want to always expand the game and help different cultures. And that means going into other countries and helping them with their journey in the game of basketball, telling them that they can make it.”
