'Ask Your Boy': Duncan Robinson Reveals Longhorns Ex Jericho Sims' Trash Talk
Former Texas Longhorns forward Jericho Sims came into his own near the end of his rookie year this past season as the New York Knicks slipped out of postseason contention. Though the Knicks floundered to the tune of an 11th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, Sims earned a three-year $5.6 million deal on July 7.
Sims perhaps made a lasting impression on New York management and fans with one emphatic dunk on the eventual top-seeded Miami Heat last January. The second-round pick out of Texas had 15 NBA points to his name when the Knicks arrived in Miami but left an indispensable mark despite playing less than two minutes in a 110-96 loss.
This dunk, which Heat guard Duncan Robinson mentioned in a recent episode of his show The Long Shot Podcast, apparently revealed the usually-reserved Sims' playful brand of trash talking.
Sims' physique at 6-9 and 250 lbs. makes him stand like a Greek god amongst mortal men, though he counters that with a relatively soft-spoken and quiet persona. It vanished after that showstopping slam in South Beach.
"We were up big, Jericho Sims checks in the game late," Robinson recalled. "After sitting for 44 minutes, (he) catches a crazy lob-dunk ... It looked like he was jumping on a trampoline, that's ridiculous."
The dunk, which came at the expense of Miami sharpshooter and defender Max Strus, was Sims' only two points of the contest.
"I'm sitting on the bench, Max Strus is in the game. Jericho Sims is at the free throw line and says to Max Strus - Max made a comment like 'Dude, chill out' or something like that, 'bounce is crazy,' whatever," Robinson said. "Jericho Sims is like 'Ask your boy over there about my bounce referencing me (Robinson) on the bench."
Robinson was enjoying a well-deserved rest on the bench after totaling a game-high 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from deep. But even after the win, he had to relive the painful memory of when Sims dunked on him when the two faced off in a non-conference showdown in college in 2017. Robinson was repping the University of Michigan at the time.
"Max comes up to me after the game and is like 'Dude, what is Jericho talking about saying that he like dunked on you?'" Robinson said. "I had to relive that moment once again. I had to show Max (the video) of Jericho dunking on me."
Here's the dunk in question:
Much like that January night, Robinson had the last laugh: his Wolverines earned a 59-52 road win over Sims and the Longhorns.
Sims was the 58th overall pick by New York in the 2021 NBA Draft last summer. He was previously on a two-way deal but is now locked in under a standard three-year contract for a young and rebuilding Knicks team.
Last season as a rookie, the 6-10, 245-pound Minneapolis native appeared in 41 games and averaged 2.2 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 72.2 percent from the floor.
Sims got substantial playing time once the Knicks began to fade further from the playoff picture. Each of the final three games of the regular season saw the rookie play 34 minutes or more.
He secured his first career double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes during a 110-98 loss to fellow Longhorn Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets on April 6. Sims then recorded a new career-high in rebounds when he pulled down 14 boards in the season's final game, a 105-94 win over Toronto.
As a Longhorn, Sims played all four collegiate seasons. He played in 119 games and had 77 starts while posting career averages of 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. More recently, Sims was one of the standouts of the Knicks' runner-up effort in Vegas Summer League play, putting up 11.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks (leading the team in the latter two categories).
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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