T-bolt connects to NBA finals

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ryan DeCamp
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Next time you walk by the Luke Air Force Base Fitness Center front desk, see if you can spot the professional athlete. 

He may be only 6'1" but anyone who has played basketball at the Luke gym can tell you he is there. 

So can the Orlando Magic. 

The National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference Champion brought Stefan Nichols, 56th Force Support Squadron recreation aide, into their preseason camp in 2000. 

"I played in a professional-amateur league sponsored by the Magic and spent the whole summer in Orlando, (Fla.)," Nichols said. "After that I went to a predraft camp in Chicago and that's when the Magic brought me in for the preseason. It was between me and a seven-footer." 

Unfortunately for Nichols, less than 10 percent of the players on current NBA rosters are at least seven-feet tall. When teams find someone that big, they tend not to let them go, according to Nichols. 

Nichols played at Valencia Community College in Orlando from 1995 to 1997. He spent the next two years with division one Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. He was an all-American his sophomore year at Valencia and an honorable mention all-American both years at Southern. 

"When I left Southern I was invited to a couple of NBA workouts," he said. "I wasn't effective because of a high ankle sprain. That really hurt my draft status. My agent wasn't really pushing hard for me because he didn't have much to work with except game stats." 

In 2001 Nichols had stints in the NBA's development league and the Isiah Thomas Continental Basketball Association. Both were cut short. 

With a contract in hand, the CBA folded before the season started. Nichols then broke his other ankle three games into the NBDL season. 

After a year of rehab and getting back into shape, he bounced around a couple of teams. At his peak, he made $500 a game playing three times a week. 

In 2004, Nichols married Jamesia, a personnel journeyman in the 607th Air Control Squadron. 

Her career took them to Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Stefan looked into playing for an NBDL team there, but the team relocated before they arrived. Although he considered moving for his career, he decided against it. 

"I thought, financially, if I move with basketball how would that help my family?" he said. "After I looked at all the numbers versus playing ball, it really didn't make sense. I didn't want to be in a league where I was going to have to pickup and move to a new city. 

The couple also had two children under the age of eight. 

"I just didn't want to leave my wife there to do everything," he said. "Even though I could have probably had more exposure, it really didn't interest me to leave and be gone for six months." 

Jamesia's career then headed in another direction. In 2005 she had a permanent-change-of-station to Luke. 

Despite the moves, Jamesia's support has always been there. 

"When someone knows your dreams and wants to go all out to support you, it gives you that much more confidence," Nichols said. "It makes you want to go that much harder. My whole family has been like that too." 

Nichols then found a home in 2006 with the International Basketball Association's Phoenix Flame. Nichols finished the season healthy and averaged 17 points a game. 

With two healthy ankles, he will look to move up in hopes of getting another shot at the NBA. Either way, he is ready for the next step. 

Nichols recently received his degree in audio production from the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Tempe. 

"It's more supportive for Jamesia," he said. "I realized as a pro player you only have so many good years. I didn't want to be someone who played and had little to show for it. 

I'm glad I got a degree so no matter where she goes I won't have a hard time finding a job." 

Though the man at the front desk may not talk about his career much, it speaks for itself. Regardless of how it ends, he will not have any regrets.