Vučević, DeRozan cherish USC bond with Taj Gibson originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
NEW YORK — Even a year at prep school in California didn’t prepare Nikola Vučević for the most basic of collegiate tasks when he arrived at USC for his first day in 2008.
“My first night there, I didn’t know I had to bring all my own stuff. When you play for a club team (in Europe), you get a place and everything is there for you like furniture, towels, bedsheets,” Vučević recalled with a smile. “So I only had my clothes and I get to my room and I don’t have anything in it. And I’m like, ‘Uh, anybody got bedsheets?’”
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Enter Taj Gibson.
“He gave me bedsheets to sleep on the first couple nights until I went to get some,” Vučević said. “So that’s my first recollection of someone who really took me under his wing.”
But wait. There’s more.
“Taj was probably one of the first ones that accepted me coming in as a freshman and being a starter or a star or whatever,” DeMar DeRozan said. “And he helped me a lot. He showed me the ropes in college, how it went off the court, in class, around campus. He was really a vet to me.”
The Chicago Bulls face the New York Knicks on Monday, giving three members of the 2008-09 USC team that went 22-13 under coach Tim Floyd one more opportunity to reminisce and offer respect for the paths they’ve forged.
That 2008-09 season marked Gibson’s last of three at USC before the Bulls selected him with the 26th pick of the 2009 NBA draft. DeRozan played just that one season for the Trojans before the Raptors drafted him 17 spots before Gibson. And Vučević stayed two seasons past Gibson and DeRozan before Philadelphia drafted him 16th overall in 2011.
With Gibson and DeRozan in their 13th seasons in the NBA and Vučević in his 11th, the veterans know they must savor every remaining shared experience that began almost 14 years ago.
“It’s always great to see him. We always talk and catch up a little bit. We exchanged jerseys a couple years ago,” Vučević said. “After all these years, it makes it even more special. You appreciate it more.
“The winning and losing is a big part of it. But the friendships you build and things you go through with other people is something you never take for granted.”
Added DeRozan: “Taj is one of those guys where I don’t have to speak to him a lot but if I saw him today, you’d think we speak every single day. That’s the type of respect we have for one another, the friendship we have. He was always an older spirit when we were in college. I gravitated to that and his work ethic. Everything he did, I was amazed by it when I was in college because I never seen that kind of preparation. I was fond of that.”
Vučević also recalled being influenced by Gibson’s work ethic.
“We lifted together because he was a big lifter. And I had to lift to get my weight up,” Vučević said. “Early on, he really helped me a lot, on and off the court. He helped me with my English and learning the game.”
None of Vučević or DeRozan’s sentiments would surprise Bulls fans, who consistently showered appreciation on Gibson throughout his seven-and-a-half seasons with the franchise. Gibson connected with the Chicago fan base because of his selfless, team-first attitude — willing to come off the bench or start with equal aplomb — and hard-hat mentality.
Vučević said when the Bulls first acquired him from Orlando in last season’s trade deadline blockbuster, Gibson was happy for his one-time college teammate.
So for one more night on Monday, Gibson will be a rival of DeRozan and Vučević. But from borrowed bedsheets to shared workouts, the bond the trio has formed will last well beyond competition.
“He’s just a great dude,” DeRozan said.
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