But that was still too young for a serious relationship, so he joined the Air Force and she went off to school. But when they met again, she gave up her plans to return to Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, and they were married in the late 1950s.
Trying to improve the odds of success for his family, James moved them to Brooklyn, N.Y., a few years later because he wanted to get vocational training there that would help become a better provider.
He got that training in the Big Apple, plus a little bonus, too -- another child, a son born on Feb. 17, 1963. It wasn't an easy time, however. Deloris had almost lost their little boy due to a near-miscarriage caused by stress when her mother died during her fifth month. And then there was the nosebleed which greeted the baby upon his arrival into the world.
BUT ALL EVENTUALLY WORKED OUT, and soon James, Deloris and their three kids left the cold confines of New York and returned to Wallace, N.C. They then moved to the coastal town of Wilmington, a pleasant city in the far Southeast corner of the state. They were a tight-knit bunch, this hard-working black family. And that's always been something that has remained with this boy as he grew into a man, and into one of the top sports stars in our time.
"These guys, my family, have been my inspiration to succeed," he said in an interview once. "My childhood means a lot to me. They were pushing me and fighting with me and helping me become the man I am today. My personality and my laughter come from my father. My business and serious side come from my mother."
But he was the joker in the deck of this family during the early years, certainly nothing like his father, the son of a farmer who learned that the day begins before the sun rises and ends when the stars are coming out at night.
"PROBABLY THE LAZIEST KID I HAD," his dad said of him. "He would give every last dime of his allowance to his brothers and sisters and even the kids in the neighborhood to do his chores. He was always broke."
It probably was due to the fact that he hadn't found the kind of work that he really wanted to do, because when he found sports -- baseball, to be exact -- he found something that could enjoy working at.
During Little League, he was a shortstop and a pitcher. A darn good pitcher, as a matter of fact - he threw a one-hitter that won the league title for his team in 1975. And that year, he was named "Mr. Baseball" by the Dixie Youth Association in a competition for North Carolina 12-year-olds and went to a baseball camp on a scholarship.
He then moved on to Laney High School in Wilmington where he continued to play baseball, plus a little basketball as well. After all, that was his dad's game. In 1978, he failed, however, to make the team, but with some more hard work, he was on the squad the following year.
FOR SOME REASON -- perhaps one of those inner voices we all hear sometimes in life -- he dropped baseball in his senior year to concentrate on hoops.
He was motivated, and brother, could he score. He could jump, too. Despite being only 5-foot-8 in his junior year, he could dunk the ball.
When the Laney Bucs played in their season-opener that year, they won, 81-79, in double OT over rival Pender High, thanks to the 35 points this kid nailed.
Basketball was now his only game and he devoured it like a shark devours prey. He was one of the brightest prospects in the nation when he graduated and although many schools came calling, there was only one choice: North Carolina, the place where legends are made.
During his debut as a freshman, he scored 12 points in a win over Kansas. And in the years that followed, superstar status came his way. He left college in his junior year in 1984 -- books were no longer as important as basketball. And he was promptly selected as the third pick in the first round. The pros had taken note of his intensity for the game.
"When I step onto the court, I'm ready to play. If you're going up against me, you'd better be ready," he said. "If you're not going to compete, l will dominate you."
And that has been the case ever since. Who is he? If you don't know, then click here for the rest of this story.
Please help me, this is very important. Your April 16 trivia question stated that Don Baylor held the major-league record for getting hit by the most pitches. I need to know how many pitches actually hit him. I would greatly appreciate any help you could give me. Thank you.
-- From Chris H. at a one.net somewhere.
Sure can, Chris. He was hit 267 times. Yeouch!
I am totally lost. Now even Jack Nicklaus is saying that Tiger Woods is "playing a game I am not familiar with." Does Jack really think this kid is that good?
-- From Joey C. at infinite place.
Not to worry, Joe. Most of the media was too dumb to catch that one. Nicklaus was quoting what the great Bobby Jones said about the Golden Bear some 35-plus years ago: "He plays a game that I am not familiar with." Jack is simply saying that it's time to pass the torch. But let's face it, Woods has a long, long way to go before he is in Nicklaus' league.
Wasn't there an NBA player once whose teammates voted not to give him a share of the playoff money?
-- From a pal you know too well at an edu back in Ohio.
Hiya, Kev. Haven't heard from you for a while. And you know I know the answer to that one since I went to high school with the guy. He was Frank Oleynick, who played for the Sonics. Frank got hurt one season but instead of sitting on the bench and supporting his team, he turned his nose up at them by missing games. So they in turn turned up their noses at giving him any playoff money. He was dished to Indy, where he washed out.
You don't think we are going to lose this time, do you?
-- From a Mailman at a jazzy kind of Utah.com.
Yes, Karl, I think you will be fishing back in Alaska before you know. It's just not in the cards, man.
1) How many Olympic gold medals does this fellow have? Give up?
2) How many times has he been named MVP in the NBA Finals? Give up?
3) How many seasons has he led the league in scoring? Give up?
4) Did he ever lose a Slam-Dunk competition? Give up?
5) See if you can get any one of these three: How many points, assists and rebounds did he score in his return from retirement against the Indiana Pacers on March 19, 1995? Give up?
Mike Emmett has been kicking around sports departments in newspapers and online operations around the U.S. for years. Got something to say to the Irishman? Email him with a click here.
Sports Trivia Challenge Archive