Former Sacramento Bee columnist Marty McNeal, who has covered the Kings since 1992, was kind enough to discuss the highs and lows of being the team's beat writer in the glory days, his expectations for Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, and his relationships with Ron Artest and Olden Polynice. Mr. McNeal's terrific Kings coverage can currently be found on Marty Mac's World.
What made you decide to become a sportswriter?
I’ve always been into sports and I’ve always been a writer, but I never really put the two together until the last week of college. I started reading this book called, The Professional Journalist, and said, “Man, I should do this sports writing thing,” [even though] I was a political science major at Hampton Institute in Virginia. I started writing for a weekly newspaper in New York City, and I made the decision to do it full-time and became a sportswriter in 1978.
Who have been your favorite current or former Kings players to interview?
Lionel Simmons [and] Mitch Richmond. Generally speaking, the Kings have always had a bunch of good guys. Duane Causwell was one of the funniest guys, and I’m still tight with Corliss Williamson. Bobby Hurley [is] a really good guy whose career was [cut short] after that car accident.
Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, and Peja [Stojakovic], Hedo [Turkoglu], Jimmy Jackson–that whole [2002-03] team are guys I still talk to today. Keon Clark was a hell of a guy. He was pretty wild, but he was a good guy to sit down and have a drink with and just talk about life.
I just realized this year that I’ve been through so many generations of Kings, I’m now covering guys who are my son’s age!
Were there any players who made your job difficult?
Spud Webb was a guy with [whom I’d] have a lot of battles sometimes because he was so immensely proud and didn’t accept criticism too well. But he was always a good guy and somebody to whom I still speak.
Olden Polynice and I went a year without speaking. I used to have a report card around the All-Star break, and I think I gave him a grade he thought he didn’t deserve. I saw him one day, and I said, “What’s up, O.P.?” and he walked by me, so I figured he didn’t hear me. O.P. is a cat from New York, not far from the neighborhood where I grew up, and I’ve always had a great relationship with him. I quickly put two and two together, and I said, “So you ain’t speaking to me because I gave you a bad grade?” And he didn’t say anything.
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Article comments
1 - charlie doherty
Sounds like a really cool dude. Nice job, Alex!
2 - Alex Kramers
Thanks, Charlie. Yeah, Mr. McNeal has seen it all when it comes to the Kings, and was a great person to interview.
3 - Ras-I Thrill
The answer attributed to Marty Mac about Game 6 of the 2002 Kings-Lakers series mixes and matches a few facts. Game 6 was the game in which the Kings got "hosed" in the opinions of many, but it was not the game in which they led by 20+ in the first half. That was Game 4. They lost Game 4 fair and square.