
I accompanied West to the Pendleton Reformatory toward the end of the 2014-15 season to listen to him speak with the juvenile inmates. I followed him halfway there, then rode with him the rest of the way to research the backstory. I had been told I wouldn’t be able to record or photograph his appearance, but got quick approval when I asked the woman in charge. This sort of thing is what separates West from most NBA players, not to mention most of society. It’s non-glamorous, grassroots stuff, going directly to the source of a problem. He had never heard himself speak publicly before, so I burned a CD of his speech and gave it to him.
Tagged with: David West, Indiana Pacers, Pendleton Reformatory