Saturday, May 13, 2017 | 5:38 p.m.
An achievement he’s dedicating to his mother, former NBA star Mike Bibby graduated from UNLV this morning.
The trek took him two decades since he’d left college early to pursue a professional career, but graduating was something he’d promised his mother, Virginia Bibby. “It feels really good,” he said in a news release.
Bibby is now a Bachelor of Arts in multidisciplinary studies from UNLV’s College of Liberal Arts. He was with family in Arizona celebrating his birthday this morning.
The Grizzlies picked Bibby as its second overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft fter his successful stint at the University of Arizona. He went on to play with the Kings, Hawks, Wizards, Heat and Knicks, averaging about 15 points, 5.5 assists and about three rebounds a game.
Before that, he played at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Ariz., where he’s coached the past four seasons and has won state championships.
He wants to use his degree to transcend and coach at the collegiate and professional level, he said.
This summer, he’s a player in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league.
“Growing up, the Runnin’ Rebels with Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon and all of those guys were my team, so it’s kind of fitting that I end up being a UNLV graduate after all these years,” he said. Thank you to all of the UNLV faculty who helped me reach my goal and especially my advisor Tracy Johnson…”
