John Poulakidas rooted for the Chicago Bulls when he was growing up in Naperville.
That was a no-brainer for a basketball fan like him.
“I just think back to elementary school days when Derrick Rose was the king of Chicago,” Poulakidas said. “If you loved basketball growing up in Chicago, you loved Derrick Rose, so I loved going to Bulls games with my family.
“I was a huge fan of the NBA from such a young age.”
For just as long, Poulakidas aspired to play in the NBA. Most people would consider that to be a pipe dream, but Poulakidas didn’t. While other kids wanted to wear a Rose jersey, he had a different idea.
“I was asking for a customized NBA jersey in third or fourth grade,” Poulakidas said. “I wanted a jersey with my last name on the back.”
Poulakidas has one, but he didn’t have to pay for it. The former Neuqua Valley star realized his dream when he signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks on March 1, and he played in the final 13 games of the season, averaging 8.8 points off the bench.
Poulakidas, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, is just the second Naperville native to play in the NBA. He joins 1993 Naperville Central graduate Anthony Parker, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers over nine seasons.
“I can’t even really put that into words,” Poulakidas said. “It means so much to me. It’s a great honor just to see my family’s last name on an NBA jersey. I wanted a jersey with my last name on the back, and now I don’t need to buy them anymore.”
Indeed, Poulakidas gets paid to wear one, a surreal experience for someone whose pro potential was doubted throughout his career at Neuqua Valley and later at Yale.
“It’s been a dream come true,” he said. “To see where my hard work has taken me, I want to be an inspiration to all types of kids who might grow up thinking that something could be out of reach for them, for everybody to know that they can shoot for the stars.”
Poulakidas, who turned 23 on April 4, went undrafted last year and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
“What that means is the team tells you they’re going to bring you into training camp and you’ll get an opportunity at summer league,” he said. “Most likely you’ll get waived and play in the G League with their affiliate. That’s exactly what happened.”
Poulakidas appeared in 37 games for the San Diego Clippers, averaging 12.5 points, 3.2 points and 1.4 assists in 27 minutes per game. He shot 45.1% from 3-point range, and NBA scouts noticed.
“Thank goodness, I was able to take advantage of the opportunity,” Poulakidas said. “I think Dallas saw that and decided they wanted to take a chance on the kid from Naperville.”
It proved to be a wise decision. Poulakidas quickly got better and capped his rookie year with a performance for the ages in the regular-season finale on Sunday. He led the Mavericks in scoring, making eight 3-pointers en route to a career-high 28 points to go with four assists in a 149-128 win over the Bulls in Dallas.
Poulakidas did that while playing with Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson, both of whom high-fived him during the game. His performance brought the fans to their feet time and again.
Among them was Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton, who flew to Dallas for the game and had the time of his life. Poulakidas’ father, Michael, got tickets for Sutton.
“It was an unbelievable performance,” Sutton said. “I hate to admit it, I was like a little girl cheering in the crowd, jumping and roaring.”
Poulakidas saw Sutton eventually.
“It was super funny,” Poulakidas said. “I noticed him in the second half because he was sitting on the side of our second-half basket. I made a shot, and I saw him cheering in the crowd 15 rows up, and it was a super cool moment, right? I gave him a little celebration right back at him because I saw him cheering.”
Sutton was stunned.
“He hit a three, and he looked right at me,” Sutton said. “I didn’t even know he knew where I was. He found me in the stands. At that point, I’m like, ‘All right, John, I’m going to stand up and acknowledge you.’”
Unbeknownst to Poulakidas, an usher learned that Sutton was Poulakidas’ high school coach.
“She told another usher,” Sutton said. “They noticed I’m kind of going crazy, having a blast, and they’re like, ‘Hey, follow me,’ and they move me down a few rows.
“I’m like, ‘This is amazing. Thank you so much.’ And she’s like, ‘Don’t worry, I’m looking out for you.’”
Poulakidas made another 3-pointer and spotted Sutton again.
“He’s sitting maybe four rows up, so I’m thinking some security saw him, and I sort of share a moment,” Poulakidas said. “I kid you not, two minutes later he is courtside.
“I’m looking at him, and there’s a timeout, and I’m like, ‘How did you get the best seats in the house?’ I gave him a fist bump.”
It was a forever moment for both Poulakidas and Sutton.
“Everyone was looking, like, ‘What the heck is he fist-bumping some old bald guy for?’” Sutton said. “But the ushers knew it was a special night for me to watch one of my favorite players, and he’s having the best night of his career.”
“I even had these young ladies next to me. They know why I’m there, and they’re taking pictures of me with John in the background and sending them to me. The usher brings me a T-shirt after the game. These people were so nice to me.”
Sutton ranks the experience just behind coaching the Wildcats in the Indiana gym where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed.
“All of those circumstances led up to one of the greatest nights I can ever remember in basketball,” Sutton said. “These are things dreams are made of.”
Through hard work and determination, Poulakidas made his dream a reality. He will soon return to Naperville for a few weeks of rest before heading back to Dallas in May to start training for next season.
“I’m super grateful for it all,” Poulakidas said. “Obviously, you never know what can happen in the NBA. After all, it’s a business. So the thing I’ve wanted to do is just be grateful for however long I have, whether it’s 13 games, whether it’s 20 years.
“At the end of the day, I’m living my childhood dream, and not many people thought that the little skinny kid from Neuqua Valley would ever see one game, let alone 13, in the NBA.”
Just as Derrick Rose did, Poulakidas wears No. 1 on his jersey.
“Your biggest dream is you want to be like these players,” Poulakidas said. “You see that they’re obviously wearing their names proudly. It’s exactly what I get to do.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
