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Interview
With a Mad Dog
by
Kelly L. Martinez
In
a recent NBA Ventures article, Shaquille O'Neal, the Los Angeles
Lakers' all-star, said of teammate Mark Madsen: "He is very intelligent,
nice, and appreciative off the court. But when he gets on the court,
he is a mad dog that hasn't had his rabies shots, and doesn't want
his rabies shots. He is foaming out of the mouth and will bite you
if you get in his path."
Given
that warning, I was relieved that I didn't meet Brother Madsen on
the court, but instead caught up with him in Milwaukee as the Lakers
were winding down a recent road trip.
My
first question caught him off guard, but he took the charge, recovered
nicely, and then went on to share some very interesting thoughts.
So without further ado, I present Brother Mark Madsen unplugged:
Photo credit: Lori Shepler, LA Times Copyright 2002 LA
Times
Q. Are
you romantically involved with anyone? Are wedding bells in the
near future?
A.
(laughs) I'm currently single. And, uh....(laughs) you know...(clears
throat) I'm sure wedding bells are sometime down the road.
Q. Nobody
serious, huh?
A.
(laughs)...Well, I, uh...(laughs)...um...you're going to edit this
all up, right?
Q. Oh
yeah! I'll brush it up. (*wink, wink*)
A.
Oh, good. Well, I definitely date. I've dated some wonderful people
and I have some wonderful friends. But as far as having a serious
relationship, I'm not in one right now. Part of the reason for that
is because life during the season is so hectic. We play so many
games and are out of town sometimes for four or five days at a time.
So, during the season, it's just very, very busy.
Q. What
exactly do you call that dance step you did at last year's big NBA
Championship parade in L.A.?
A.
(laughs) When I was in high school, I'd go to school and Church
dances and I'd get out there and start dancing. All my friends would
start laughing and smiling, so I thought I was a really good dancer.
That dance is just kind of my own dance step and I've been doing
it all my life. I don't have a name for it, but it's kind of a cross
between swing dancing and the waltz.
Q. How
and when did you get the nickname 'Mad Dog'?
A.
I got it in the fifth grade. My teacher had given nicknames to everyone
in the class and I hadn't gotten one yet. So, one day he said, 'Hey,
Mark, I've got a nickname for you. It's going to be Mad Dog Madsen.'
So it just kind of stuck with me.
Q. You
had off-season surgery on your hand last summer during the off-season.
How's it feeling now?
A.
The hand is good. The strength is back, the flexibility is almost
100%. It feels great.
Q. How
exactly did you hurt it?
A.
I hurt it going for a rebound. It got pinned in a really awkward
way, and then somebody smashed into it. I felt it pop a couple of
times. Turned out I had torn a couple of ligaments. It was very
painful and sometimes it was unstable. Luckily, it was my left hand,
so I was able to make do and finish out the season.
Q. Where'd
you grow up and play high school ball?
A.
I grew up in northern California in a town called Danville. I played
in high school at San Ramon Valley High School. I played one year
of varsity volleyball, one year of freshman football and three years
of varsity basketball.
Q. Did
you get a scholarship right out of high school?
A.
I was recruited a lot in high school. Before they all started recruiting
me, I told them they were welcomed to recruit me, but that I was
definitely going on a mission. They decided they wanted to recruit
me anyway. My top four choices were UCLA, Stanford, BYU and the
University of Utah. I narrowed my choices to UCLA and Stanford.
Both schools offered me a scholarship, but I decided on Stanford.
Q. When
did you make up your mind to serve a mission?
A.
When I was 13 or 14 years old, I knew it was something I wanted
to do. I realized then that I believed in the Church and that I
truly believed in the Book of Mormon. It was then that I wrote down
on a goal sheet, 'serve a mission'. From that point forward, I always
knew I was going.
Q. Did
you get in a year of college basketball before your mission?
A.
No. I went out on my mission right away and came back for four years
of continuity.
Q. Where
and when did you serve your mission?
A.
I served in Spain from 1994-96.
Q. Have
you been back to Spain since you've been home from your mission?
A.
I've been back to Spain, but not to the area where I served. When
I went back to Spain, I played in the World University Games on
the team from the U.S. I served as an interpreter for the team.
It was a lot of fun.
Q. What
did you get your degree from Stanford in?
A.
I graduated with a degree in economics.
Q. What
would you be doing if you weren't playing in the NBA?
A.
I'd probably be running a company of my own somewhere.
Q. Isn't
it true that a lot of NBA players have businesses on the side even
while they're playing in the NBA?
A.
Yes, they do. I don't though, because I spend most of my time trying
to get better. There's just no time for it right now.
Q. So
we shouldn't hold our breath for a rap album?
A.
(laughs) Nope. No rap album for now.
Q. How
about a dance video?
A.
(laughs) That might be an idea!
Q. Was
it difficult making the adjustment from college to pro basketball?
A.
Well, there are actually two transitions that are really big-from
high school to college, and from college to the NBA. For me, the
jump from high school to college was not a huge jump. I had played
against a lot of the guys in the all-star camps, so I was already
kind of used to them. But the jump from college to the NBA was huge.
I'm definitely still going through a lot of that now. I learned
a lot last season, but I'm still trying to be like a sponge and
learn from the older guys.
Q. Who
were your athletic and spiritual role models?
A.
One of the biggest role models for me, from the athletics world,
was [UCLA coaching legend] John Wooden. I've read most of his books
and I really liked his message. I liked how he taught his players
that winning is important, but being a good person away from basketball
is much, much more important.
My spiritual
role models were definitely my parents. They were really great examples
for doing the right thing and being really good people. They are
both such generous, unselfish people. I am so grateful for having
them as my parents. I talk to both of them often. We've got a great
relationship.
Mark and the rest of the Madsen Family. (Hint: He's the tall one.)
Q. How
many siblings do you have?
A. Nine. The
oldest is 31 and the youngest is 11—so that makes ten of us.
I'm the fifth child.
Q. You
attend a singles ward in the Los Angeles area. Do you have a calling
in your ward?
A. Yes. I'm
a home teaching supervisor.
Q. I
think we can guess which your favorite NBA team is now, but did
you have a favorite team when you were a kid back in the 80s?
A.
I loved the [Golden State] Warriors. It wasn't because they were
that great of a team; I just loved the way they played the game.
They really played hard. They had a pretty big rivalry going with
the Lakers back then.
Q. What
kind of reception do you get from the fans in Utah?
A.
I've always had a very warm welcome by the fans in Utah.
Q. Your
playing style has been compared to that of [former Laker player
and current assistant coach] Kurt Rambis. Do you agree with the
comparison? Watch what you say, I've heard his name mentioned as
[current head coach] Phil Jackson's successor.
A.
(laughs) It's a privilege to be compared to Kurt Rambis. He was
a great player. Having him as an assistant coach now is tremendous.
He helps me out because he can relate to the defense I need to play
against other teams' big players. He can relate to the plays that
I try to make because he made them when he was a player.
Q. Speaking
of Phil Jackson, it's been almost five years since he made his off-handed
comment about Mormons being a 'a religious cult or sect or whatever'.
Does he still think that way?
A.
No, I don't think he does. He and I talked about that. I asked him
what he meant by that comment. He told me he was taken out of context
a little bit. He actually knows some members of the Church. When
you're speaking in front of a bunch of cameras and the stakes are
high, things can be misinterpreted and things can be misspoken.
I think he's got a lot of respect for the values of the Church and
its members.
 Q.
Do you have a favorite hymn?
A.
I have a lot of favorite hymns. The ones that come to mind are Be
Still My Soul and Come, Come Ye Saints. I like a lot
of Christmas hymns too. One time on my mission, we just stood out
on the street and sang Christmas hymns. Some people would stop and
listen; some people would walk by and listen. It was just a really
great experience. One I'll always remember.
Q. Do
you have a favorite scripture?
A.
I love the scriptures! I have a lot of favorite ones. A lot of favorite
chapters in the scriptures come to mind. I love the actual book
of Mormon
in the Book of Mormon. I like how, in that book, it talks a lot
about faith and how God is a God of miracles. I like Ether,
chapter 12, where it goes through a whole list of things that
have happened in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon that were
done by faith. It gives a good model of faith and how to exercise
it. I also love Alma,
chapter 17, where we begin to learn about Ammon, one of the
greatest missionaries ever, and his mission to the Lamanites.
Q. Have
you found that the scriptures help you regarding your career?
A.
Definitely. In the Doctrine and Covenants we're taught that as long
as we are made humble, we're made strong (see D&C
1:28). As much as that scripture applies to life, I've found
that it applies to basketball too. When you play in the NBA, everyone
tells you what a great player you are; they tell you what a good
person you are. Sometimes, you can start believing it. But your
performance on the court has nothing to do with the person that
you are. It's important not to get caught up in the accolades and
attention. We have a responsibility to be good people. I think if
we go about our lives in a humble manner, the Lord will be on our
side.
Q. Is
it difficult to live the gospel in the NBA?
A.
I think living the gospel, keeping the commandments and being a
good person is difficult in all walks of life. There are definitely
challenges in the NBA. I think that maybe the challenges are a bit
different in each career, but the goals are the same. We're all
expected to stay in tune with virtuous principles, to study the
scriptures and try to stay away from the negative influences.
Q. Are
there a lot of negative influences in the NBA?
A.
The NBA has a bad rep, I think. Since I've been in the NBA, I've
met a lot of tremendously great people that do tremendously great
things. I will say that the NBA has its share of negative influences,
just like anywhere else or in any other profession. I think we just
need to make a decision that we're not going to seek those things
out.
Q. Have
you had any missionary experiences at Stanford or in the NBA?
A.
Most of my teammates, both at Stanford and with the Lakers, are
curious about the Church and what we believe. As a basketball player,
I've had a lot of conversations about the Church. I love those conversations.
At Stanford, there were two of my teammates that came to church
with me and they really had a good time.
In the NBA,
none of my teammates have come to church, but I've been able to
share a lot with them on road trips. When I first joined the Lakers,
some of my teammates were misinformed about the Church. They had
a lot of questions about things, and I was able to share a lot with
them. With the Winter Games having been held in Salt Lake, there
were a lot of articles written on the Church. Some of my teammates
would read these articles and come to me with questions. We'd talk
about it in the locker room. It's been a lot of fun being able to
share with them.
Q. What
are your feelings about Sabbath day observance and playing in the
NBA?
A.
Growing up, I never practiced or played on Sunday. When I was 12
or 13 years old, the soccer team I was on had a game on Sunday and
my parents let me decide [whether to play or not]. I decided to
play. I felt horrible afterwards. So I decided to never play or
practice on Sunday again.
When I was being
recruited by different colleges, I made it clear that I would never
play or practice on Sunday and that I was definitely going on a
mission. Of course, BYU was the only school that didn't practice
or play on Sunday, but Coach [Mike] Montgomery at Stanford said,
'Mark, if that's the decision you make, I'll honor it.' He was still
willing to give me a scholarship.
When I got back
from my mission, I was concerned because I knew that Stanford played
some games and practiced on Sunday. At that time, I felt strange
being on the team, accepting a full scholarship and then not playing
in those games. Stanford pays $30,000 a year for players to be on
scholarship. My first thought was that maybe I should transfer to
BYU. It was the only school that didn't play or practice on Sunday.
I thought about that a lot after I got home from my mission, but
I didn't feel good about transferring there. I felt strongly about
the academics and basketball program at Stanford.
My first year
at Stanford, Rich Jackson was on the roster. He
was LDS and a returned missionary and had spoken to Coach Montgomery
a lot about playing on Sunday. In fact, we both spoke to him about
it and asked him if he would limit Sunday basketball activities
and eventually eliminate Sunday games and practices. He said that
he couldn't eliminate them completely, but that he would make an
effort to reduce them. He did make that effort and I made the decision
that, when those occasional Sunday games came up, I would play.
But I also made the decision to make sure that I attended my church
meetings.
In the pros,
I had a decision to make. Do I want to play pro basketball or not?
This is, basically, an occupational decision that I've made. It's
definitely not an ideal situation because we do have some Sunday
games. I don't have a choice about that; I have to play in those
games because that's my job. When we do have Sunday games, I make
every effort to make it to as many church meetings as I can. [Playing
on Sunday] is definitely something I don't recommend, but it's the
profession I've chosen.
 Q.
Have you ever beaten Shaq [O'Neal] in one-on-one?
A.
(laughs) I've tried a million times, but every time I try, he beats
me.
Q. How
about Kobe [Bryant]?
A.
I'm even further away from beating Kobe one-on-one.
Q. Who
can you beat one-on-one from the Lakers?
A.
Not too many. But I play 'horse' a lot with Robert Horry. I beat
him sometimes and he beats me sometimes.
Q. What
types of books, besides the scriptures, do you like to read?
A.
I just finished a book titled Anna Karenina by Leo Nikolaevich
Tolstoy. I don't know what's next. I just went to the book store
and bought some books. I've got to choose one. I try to read a lot
of the classics.
Q. What
advice would you offer to young LDS athletes?
A.
My advice would be to try to play the game with the best sportsmanship
that you can. You've got to realize that as fun as the sport is,
living the gospel, trying to keep the commandments and going on
a mission are more important than any game that you'll ever play.
If you
are aware of an LDS athlete that deserves recognition in Meridian
Sports, please e-mail the sports writer at sports@meridianmagazine.com
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