Kenneth Faried talks how he can help the Lakers, styles of play and impact
By Ronald Agers
Kenneth Faried is one of the more inspirational players in recent NBA history. Coming out of Morehead State in Kentucky (Not the HBCU as learned in the interview something Faried says a lot of people get confused!), the man known as “The Manimal” used his unwavering energy to dominate the Ohio Valley Conference in rebounding; ranking third in the country in 2008-09 and second in 2009-10. He became a double-double machine that sparked interest around the country past the mid-major coverage of media.
After returning for his senior year, Faried broke the Division I modern era career rebounding record held by Hall of Famer and Top-75 player Tim Duncan. He held the record until 1997 with a career total of 1,673 rebounds. When Kenneth led Morehead State to a shocking upset over the 4th seeded Louisville Cardinals, his game was no longer a secret to NBA teams.
No, Kenneth Faried didn’t knock down the go-ahead 3-pointer to put his team in the lead but he sure made sure it was safe with the huge blocked shot to end the game.
It was after Kenneth was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the first round that the name “The Manimal” took on a name of his own and his career took off! Folks this is just his rookie accomplishments.
- In 46 games (39 starts) he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in only 22 minutes.
- He posted career highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on April 9, 2012, becoming the first player in the shot-clock era to have at least 27 points and 17 rebounds while playing less than 25 minutes.
- He went on to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April.
- He finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting for the 2011–12 season.
- He earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors.
Faried played 478 NBA games in his career, averaging 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest over seven years with the Denver Nuggets and the 2018-19 season with the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets.
After playing overseas in places like Puerto Rico and Russia, Faried went back to his old stomping grounds back in Denver signing in the G-League with the Grand Rapids Gold to make a run for an NBA roster spot.
Kenneth Faried was gracious enough to sit down for an interview with Lake Show Life to talk about many aspects of basketball that go past the box scores, analytics and debate shows.
This interview includes how Kenneth Faried could contribute if given a chance with the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
Over the next several pages “The Manimal” talks about trying to get back in the NBA, his time in the G-league with the Grand Rapids Gold playing for Jason Terry and with former players last year, Isaiah Thomas and Darren Collison.
Plus Kenneth Faried breaks down the styles of play from overseas to the NBA while explaining why he doesn’t like this era of NBA basketball being “soft”. Lake Show Life presents one of the most energized players in NBA history… Kenneth Faried.
Press the purple bar and let’s get started…