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SALT LAKE CITY — From the day Rodney Hood was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2014, the Duke product knew how much his home away from home meant to him.
“I was a little kid playing at the Boys & Girls Club, wanting to be like the big brother,” Hood said during his introductory press conference.
Now those children are looking up to him — children like Tyson Williams and Douglas Maxwell, who responded with “pretty cool” when they found out the famous NBA player would be visiting them.
“After I went to school, I needed something to do to keep me out of trouble, keep me out of harm’s way. So I came here,” Hood told KSL Sports. “I was around positive people and it made me a better person so ya’ll take advantage of it.
“Don’t take it for granted because there are a lot of other things you could be into.”
Hood visited the Capitol West Boys & Girls Club this week, and fit right in — except for his slight height advantage. The third-year NBA player answered questions and shared playing time with the children at the club.
It’s the type of gesture that goes a long way.
“They get to see they can be just like Rodney, they can be anything they want to be,” said Maren Miller, director of the Capitol West club. “When someone from the community like Rodney comes and hangs out with them, it teaches them that they are important.”
Hood knows just how important positive role models are.
“When I wasn’t at school, I was at the club,” he said. “I was playing basketball, kickball, Connect 4; whatever you want to call it.
“That’s where I did all my homework as well. In the summertime, I used to go at 7 in the morning and leave at 5:30 or 6 at night.”
Hood started going to the club when he was 4 years old and grew up there. His father Ricky has been the director of the East Mississippi Boys & Girls Club for more than 20 years.
“I kind of had to share my dad with the Boys & Girls Club because everyone looked at him like a father figure,” Hood said. “It was fun growing up in it.”
The club also taught Hood how to make plays late in games against defending world champions. He fell in love with basketball on those long days and nights in eastern Mississippi, learning how to dribble and drive as well as his schoolwork.
“They used to beat me all the time,” Hood recalled. “We used to play all day at Highland Park. We used to play at the Boys & Girls Club and it made me a better player.”
His brother Ricky Hood Jr., whom Rodney admired on the basketball court, is also by his side in Utah. Ricky knew his brother was destined for greatness at a young age — and it’s no surprise to him Rodney's helping others after what he’s accomplished.
“We give back,” Hood Jr. said. “This is home for us. It’s not necessarily giving back; this is family.”
And the Hoods hope to see a future Rodney Hood in the masses at their regular club visits.
“I see myself in a lot of those kids, just full of energy, full of excitement,” Rodney Hood said. “Not really knowing what is going to happen in the future; just being right now.
“That is the one thing I can stress to them: enjoy being young. Enjoy being in this moment, because you grow up fast.”
