DeAndre Jordan has always had a talent for telling stories, and his latest one on All The Smoke might be his funniest yet. Long before he was an All-Star center or part of the ‘Lob-City’ Clippers, he was a 35th pick stepping into the league with nothing but potential and a rookie contract that barely covered his errands. Jordan came in with the 2008 draft class, and the vets waiting for him, Marcus Camby and Baron Davis, made sure he understood exactly what being a second-round rookie meant.
“I had real vets. That’s why I tell a lot of the young guys now, like, bro, I wish I came in with y’all. This is sweet. I had vets. I was Uber before Uber.”
“I would pick Marcus Camby up from his house. Well, first I had to go to Subway to pick up his lunch, pick him up from his house, drive him to the arena, shoot around. I was getting donuts, lattes.”
“I got a soy milk latte with almond milk, whatever, for BD. I got a soy milk latte for BD. He was sipping it and be like, damn, Rook, good. And then throw it in the trash.”
“And I was like, bro, what the f**k? I don’t got it like that, brother. I had to pay for that s**t. Marcus Camby, I would get a half a dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme, three regular, three raspberry fill for his daughters.”
Jordan tells it like a joke now, but the message behind it was serious. Veterabs wanted rookies to feel the responsibility that came with being part of a professional locker room. They believed small tasks like this built discipline. If you couldn’t handle something as simple as picking up coffee or showing up on time, how can a young player be trusted in the big moments?
Jordan laughed about how that era would break some of today’s rookies. Back then, rookies didn’t enter the league with NIL money or with massive endorsements or teams. They didn’t have personal chefs, brand deals, and a massive social media presence. You had to carry bags, deliver donuts, pick up veterans, and do chores like this. That’s how you earned your place in the team.
Jordan has shared plenty of stories over the years, including his all-time teammate lineup. But this one gives a real look at how he started. He didn’t enter the league as a star. He entered as a rookie whose job was to serve the veterans and stay quiet.
Looking back, he admits it shaped him. The early mornings, the errands, the pressure to get things right, all of it built habits that stayed with him for years. He came in as the rookie running coffee runs. He left as one of the best centers of his generation.
