Arizona's 2015 All-Pac-12 point guard, T.J. McConnell, begins his 10th NBA season with a guaranteed contract of $44 million over the next four years. That will give him a career total of $81 million.
Not bad for an undrafted free agent who was deemed too slow, too short and not a good enough shooter to make it in the NBA.
Now with the Indiana Pacers, where he has become a crowd favorite for his grit and hustle, McConnell participated in a podcast with his Arizona coach, Sean Miller, last week. McConnell explained his NBA success.'
This entry is part of longtime Star columnist Greg Hansen's weekly notebook. Looking for more? Find updates and Greg's archive at Tucson.com/Hansen.
"My motor is my superpower,'' he said. "I stay in elite shape. That's what separates me from others.
"I pick (my opponents) up at mid-court and stay on them. I made a name for myself that way. It's my calling card.''
Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell is guaranteed to earn $44 million over the next four seasons, bringing his career NBA earnings to $81 million.
It's my opinion that McConnell was the best player Miller coached in his Arizona years, an unknown transfer from Duquesne who led the Wildcats to the 2014 and 2015 Elite Eights.
Expect to see him back at McKale Center sometime in the 2025-26 season when he is inducted into the Ring of Honor. He will qualify by playing 10 NBA seasons.
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