Robert Covington Talks Small Ball, HBCUs, and Staying Sane in the Bubble
Robert Covington is one of the NBA’s most unique players, a 6’9” swingman who defends all five positions and hoists threes without hesitation—qualities that every single team in the NBA wishes it had on its roster. After the Rockets essentially traded center Clint Capela for Covington in a four-team swap earlier this year, Houston has bet the house on small ball with a starting five who are all under 6’ 10”.
In addition to anchoring Houston’s futuristic basketball experiment, Covington is also one of only two players in the NBA who attended a Historically Black College and University. In a recent call with GQ, the seven-year veteran talked about his role in the NBA’s small ball revolution, how he’s taking care of his mental health inside the bubble, and what HBCU’s taught him.
GQ: Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has called you the key to unlocking full-time small ball for this team. Do you ever think about how you were cut by Houston six years ago, and now you’re essential to them winning it all?
Robert Covington: Not really, but if I would’ve still been here I don’t know if I would’ve had the same type of development, so you never know. Everything comes back tenfold and to have that effect and to be praised like that, that’s just a testament to the hard work that you put in and the everyday grind that you do that led you to get to that point. Everything didn’t just happen. You had to get out what you put in, and I can say that that was a lot.
Since the season restarted, over 60 percent of the Rockets’ shots have been threes, which is an absurdly high number. Have you ever been on a team like this before?
The [Rio Grande Valley] Vipers [Houston’s G-League affiliate, which Covington played for after Morey signed him to his first NBA contract] were the first team that started it, really. That’s where I kinda got the free range of just doing it, from there. I guess it was a matter of time before all of this became prevalent. I would say we grew in Philly the same exact way. That’s how my role became what it is. Coach [Brett] Brown and Coach [Lloyd] Pierce, they saw how good I could shoot and how things came for me on the offensive end, but they said you’ve gotta turn into Bruce Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Allen, all these different people that can be things on both ends of the court.
The main person that I watched was Scottie Pippen because that was my favorite player. Coach Pierce was so adamant about watching film and teaching me and it became a thing of habit. When we didn’t watch film I’d be like ‘yo what are we doing? What’s up? You good, coach?’ But those are the types of habits that we built, and he liked to see that I was on him as much as I was.
What’s been the hardest part about the bubble to get used to?
Having no fans in the arena is not the most challenging, but it’s the weirdest part of it all. You don’t have that extra energy there that gets you hyped, gets you going. So alright, what do you do to change that and get that extra energy? Crowds do play a significant factor. That’s just the weirdest thing.
How do you generate more energy?
You just have to do it yourself. And amongst your team, get it from them. We have to do a good job at that. It’s crazy. But the team that can lock in the most with that will have the biggest advantage because then you get that extra gear you’re able to play off of.
Last year you started seeing a therapist and going to church on a consistent basis. Have those still been in your life over the past few months and how have you handled being in isolation?
Church is definitely still present in my life. Every Sunday I’m tuned in and then throughout the week I read scriptures, I read motivational messages. I don’t let a day go where I’m not doing something that enhances me or allows me to sit up here and keep my spirits going. Right now we’re not doing too much of anything outside of playing, so I’ve stayed with it. It’s kept me sane. It’s kept me confident and it’s kept me moving, and not thinking about the situation as a negative, really. Sometimes I go back and listen to the very first day I went to church. I listen to that sermon all the time, because that was the sermon that was life changing for me.
What’s the first thing you packed for the bubble?
I made sure I packed my books. I’ve finished two and a half books since I’ve been here. Clothes wise, I just brought shorts and t-shirts. I didn’t bring nothing ridiculous or none of my good stuff. I didn’t really bring any of my jewelry. I just brought my everyday watches and chains that I wear. And my PS4. That was mandatory for me.
What books have you read?
Awaken from Death: Divine Intervention and Appointments, and The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. There’s a whole lot of downtime. You spend a majority of your time in your room, trying to find something to keep yourself busy.
What did HBCUs mean to you before you went to Tennessee State University?
Before I got there I didn’t know too much about them at all. But I made some of the best memories that I will ever have at my HBCU. Go to a bigger school? Nah. I wouldn’t change that because the people who've had the most significant impact on my life, they wouldn’t be in my life.
To be at the forefront of something that can spark a major change as far as kids going to an HBCU and learning about our history and learning about our culture and learning about our ancestors, where we came from. That’s a big thing, that’s a really big thing.
How does it feel to be one of two players in the entire NBA who attended one?
I’m thankful that I went the route that I went because it gave me a competitive edge. It gave me extra grit. And to understand what fighting for something that you really want means, rather than someone giving something to you. The movement that’s going on now, I’ve been there. You’re getting a different experience based on that, other than just saying I went to so and so school. I had an experience nobody else did. It was life changing. I wouldn’t change it at all.
Originally Appeared on GQ
