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Small-town Alabama native Mickell Gladness still hooping
Gladness playing defense on LeBron James. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Sheila deVera)

Small-town Alabama native Mickell Gladness still hooping

SYLACAUGA, Ala. (BVM) —  A town of just 12,000 tucked away in the rural parts of Central Alabama, Sylacauga hasn’t had an abundance of famous people make it out. One of the most notable ones is Jim Nabors, an actor known for his role on the Andy Griffith Show. So when Mickell Gladness had a chance to represent the area in the athletic realm, people were tuned in.

But since his time at Sylacauga High School, already nearly 20 years ago, where has the basketball path taken Gladness?

It started at Lawson State Community College for just a single season where he put up pedestrian numbers. However, his 6-foot-11 frame and glaring potential allowed him to move on up to the Division I ranks for his remaining three years of eligibility. Alabama A&M was his destination. 

As a sophomore for the Bulldogs, Gladness played in 26 games and blocked 77 shots. This small sample was just foreshadowing of what was to come: Gladness becoming a defensive anchor in the paint. His junior season was his breakout campaign which saw the interior defender lead the entire NCAA in swats at 6.3 per game. That same season, he set the NCAA record for blocked shots in a game with 16, showing his consistency in altering attempts. 

His senior season with A&M saw his block numbers dip slightly to 4.5 per game, but that didn’t mean his effect on the game was any less. In fact, opponents were now settling for mid-range jumpers or three-point looks, rather than attacking the rim in a futile effort. Gladness was officially one of the nation’s best defenders. 

However, he went undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft, choosing to then play professionally for the first time ever in the Dutch Basketball League. But Gladness found his way back to the states after just one season in the Netherlands. He spent three years in the NBA’s then-D-League, and finally got his shot at the NBA in 2011. 

He spent time with the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, consisting of mostly 10-day contracts, appearing in 27 career NBA games. Though he never stuck in the league as hoped for, that didn’t stop him from having a great basketball career. Plus, not many can say they got tick in 27 NBA games, let alone reached that level. 

Gladness has gone on to play in multiple international leagues since his time in the NBA, but has now found a more permanent stop for the time being, and it’s back in America once again. The quickly-growing 3-on-3 professional basketball league called the Big3, invented by rap mogul Ice Cube, came calling for Gladness’ talents. 

The Alabama native is now a member of Bivouac and teammates with former NBAers Will Bynum, Quincy Miller, Alonzo Gee and Bobby Brown, along with a few other smaller names. 

Basketball took Mickell Gladness a long way, and his time with it is yet to be finished.