The King of Caribana and NBA star talks candidly about career, community, carnival, kids and his ongoing connection to his Toronto home.

BY: Duane Watson

Standing at 6’11″ and 265 pounds, Jamaal Magloire often gets the “Do you play basketball?” question from strangers. And while he’s an NBA veteran, playing in the league for the past eight seasons, he hardly lets his skills on the hardwood define him as a person.

Magloire is an old soul, and at the golden age of 31, he’s a throwback for his generation. From his style of play on the court, to the pride he takes in his Trinidadian heritage, and to the importance he places on giving back, he is a man with an old-school ethic.

He’s not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, yet if you slowly take the time to peel away the many layers of Jamaal Magloire, you uncover a man who prides himself on his family, his culture, his community and his city.

Coming off the bench for the Miami Heat in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Scarborough native takes the court with his usual game face. The rigid, emotionless lines of his face and his stoic demeanour give little hint of what lies beneath.

Executing his role on the team with workmanlike efficiency, he makes a solid contribution and plays his position with little glamour or glitz. It’s that quiet approach that made him the last player from Toronto to be drafted, an approach that has defined his play in the NBA for almost 25 years.

Nowhere was the effectiveness of his understated style more evident than at the 2004 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, where he quietly led his squad in scoring, outperforming flashier teammates Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter.

Magloire by nature is a low-key guy. Sitting on the couch thumbing through his Blackberry, he’s wearing a navy blue t-shirt, blue jeans, a black baseball cap and a pair of Air Jordans. So how does he transform from a calm, mild-mannered giant to a boisterous band leader for a vibrant, colourful and electric band like the Toronto Revellers?

“I’ve played in Caribana every year, for the most part, from the age of five,” he says. “My mother and father were involved in a band called D’Regulars. They were usually the last band at Caribana and would close the parade,” he says. “I just began to fall in love with the experience from there and all those things contribute to what you see today in my band.”

Easily the tallest and quite possibly the youngest band leader in Caribana history, he’s also been effective in the role: the Revellers have been crowned Band of the Year for the past two years in a row. Magloire attributes their success to good character: “The unit that we have is so focused and so together that it translates into everything that we do. They are a part of our family, and when you take care of people they will take care of you.”

Citing his first J’ouvert experience at Carnival in Trinidad as his “baptism,” Magloire has a sincere desire to ensure that a steady diet of BET doesn’t dilute the island flavour from the youth of today. “One of the reasons I got into Caribana is because I feel like this generation is starting to stray from their Caribbean roots,” he says. “All we see on TV and hear on the radio is hip-hop and R&B and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I just feel we’ve still got to embrace our culture. My son participates in Kiddies Carnival every year and he’s an American, so I’m teaching him about it. And I just want this to go on forever.” Noting that soca makes up about 50 per cent of his iPod library, it’s readily apparent he takes his music very seriously.

Another thing he takes quite seriously is community. While he hasn’t spent more than a few months at a time in the city during the past 10 years, he’s very familiar with the gun violence in Toronto. Magloire’s younger brother was fatally shot eight years ago. “Gun violence is unacceptable. There are other ways of handling problems than shooting and killing.

I think that the way to curb gun violence is to provide opportunities for young people.” A man of his word, Magloire has been providing opportunities for young people for some time, with the Jamba Cats boys and girls basketball clubs, his annual basketball camp and the Miss Queen of the Islands Pageant.

He started the pageant three years ago to promote cultural awareness and unity amongst the Caribbean Islands, and facilitate growth and development of character in young women. “When we address young people, we often talk about men; I think so many times women are forgotten,” he says. “It’s a 12-week life skills program that began as a competition; I think they learn a lot and take a lot away and it’s a great confidence booster for them.”

While many applaud Jamaal for his connection to the community, some would argue that he’s in the mix too much. During the summer, sometimes he can be found dropping in for games in local men’s basketball leagues, at concerts, in the club, or just being out with his boys.

However, he views it differently. “I think I’m very accessible,” he says. “I think that’s what people like. Sometimes you have guys in positions of fame, and you can’t talk to them and you can’t reach out. I think what separates me is that I’m just like everybody else. I was born and raised in Scarborough and it’s hard to change that now.” As the old expression almost goes, you can take the man out of Scarborough, but you can’t take Scarborough out of the man.

“I owe it all to the support that I’ve gotten over the years. I feel obligated to do whatever I can in my power to stay involved with Toronto and be a part of the grassroots, a part of the kids and the adults, because these are the people who are watching my games and praying for me when I’m not around.”

As an NBA free agent this summer, Magloire is a player for hire. Would he consider coming home to play for the Toronto Raptors? “Yes, I want to leave all my options open,” he says. “Toronto is a great place and I see myself as one of the ambassadors of this city. I’m just going to focus on the things I can control and work as hard as I can on my body over the summer and see what happens in the fall.”

If Magloire ends up playing for the home team, he won’t have to endure those “Do you play basketball?” questions as often. In this city, many people are already well aware that he does that, and so much more.