Mama? Dada? Baba?
The list of common first words goes on. But how about “ball” as a baby’s first word?
During an interview with NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan on “Kings Central,” Nique Clifford, the No. 24 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, hilariously revealed what his first words were.
And, yes, there couldn’t have been a more fitting first word for the 23-year-old rookie guard/forward.
“I started playing when I was three years old,” Clifford shared with Ragan. “My parents put the ball in my hands when I was a baby. My first word was ball, so I was kind of meant to do this, I feel like.”
Sacramento traded up into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft for the No. 24 pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, acquiring the rights to Colorado State’s Clifford in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick.
The 6-foot-5, 202-pound Clifford, a fifth-year senior, led the Rams to a first-round upset of Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 steals in 35.4 minutes per game last season at Colorado State.
As with many other players in the league, Clifford was obsessed with the sport for as long as he can remember.
“I was just a happy-go-lucky kid that would play outside all day, play at the park with my friends,” Clifford added.
“I was always playing basketball or some type of sport. I played a lot of sports growing up, but basketball was always my favorite.”
There’s no doubt that Clifford always was meant to play professional basketball.
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