Former NBA point guard Mike Bibby provided an insightful look into his career, from his groundbreaking role in the world of sneakers to the intense rivalry that defined the early 2000s Sacramento Kings.
The Genesis of the Air Jordan Low
Mike Bibby is a fixture in sneaker culture, particularly known for his extensive collection of Player Exclusive (PE) Air Jordans. His tenure as one of the original members of the Jordan Brand was marked by a revolutionary suggestion that permanently changed the sneaker landscape.
“I wore the Jordan VIII’s lows, I wore the Jordan V’s lows, the Jordan II’s lows,” Bibby recalled. He, along with Derek Anderson, convinced the brand to start cutting classic Air Jordans into low-top silhouettes—something that had never been done.
“For us to make that suggestion… and they went for it,” he said. Bibby believes the low-cuts are a “big hit nowadays,”proving the foresight of his and Anderson’s request. For a kid who used to buy his shoes, being on Brand Jordan and having PEs delivered to his home was “nothing better than that.”
The Princeton Offense and the Kings’ High IQ
Bibby’s seven seasons with the Sacramento Kings are legendary, largely due to their aesthetically pleasing and highly effective Princeton offense. Bibby, a self-described “cerebral player,” thrived in the system.
“It was the best thing because teams couldn’t guard us,” he stated. The offense’s success lay in its unpredictability and the collective intelligence of the roster. “We didn’t even know what we were going to do until we got out there and run around and set screens, back screens and cut,” he explained. Crucially, “EVERYBODY on our team had a high IQ; it wasn’t just one or two people.”
Bibby sees a modern-day mirror of his teammate Vlade Divac in Nikola Jokić. While Jokić is a better scorer, Bibby noted, “he can pass the ball, he has a high IQ and he doesn’t move quick but he gets the job done.”
Similarly, Bibby believes Chris Webber was “way ahead of his time.” Webber’s skillset—athleticism, shooting, and elite passing—was unique. “His passing game was probably one of the best I’ve seen between him and Vlade, who is the BEST big man passer that I’ve ever seen.”
The Lakers Rivalry: Dominance and Doubt
The Kings’ era was defined by their epic Western Conference Finals rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bibby was certain his team was on the verge of greatness. “I think that we were very, VERY close to ending a dynasty,” he admitted, believing a series win would have meant a championship and possibly two.
When asked who talked more trash, Bibby quickly named Shaquille O’Neal. But he reserved his highest praise for Shaq’s dominance: “Shaq was probably the MOST DOMINANT player that I’ve seen in my day… just being so quick, strong, athletic.” The Kings’ game plan was built around stopping him: “make sure you sag two or three bodies on him every time.”
On the lingering controversy surrounding the 2002 Game 6 officiating, which included later comments by disgraced referee Tim Donaghy, Bibby maintained: “I know that we were the better team; everyone in the league knew that we were the better team that year.” He pointed out the team’s abysmal shooting (under 50% from the free throw line and 2-for-13 from three) while still taking the game to overtime as proof of their greatness, though he acknowledged they “s–t the bed at home” in Game 7.
Locker Room Antics and Deandre Ayton
Bibby shared a wild locker room story involving Kings center Brad Miller, a passionate hunter. Since Bibby preferred a clean locker, Miller took the opportunity to prank him. “I came to my locker one day, it was two dead ducks hanging from my locker,” Bibby recalled, with “guts everywhere.”
On current NBA center Deandre Ayton, whom Bibby coached in AAU as a 12-year-old, he cautioned against premature comparison to David Robinson, calling Robinson an “ANIMAL.” However, he praised Ayton’s work ethic and future: “He has a lot of time to mature and I think that he’ll be fine… he’s the middle for them and he’s a great middle guy for them.”
What Mike Bibby is Doing Now
Mike Bibby is currently the Head Men’s Basketball Coach for the Sacramento State Hornets, an NCAA Division I program in the Big Sky Conference.
Appointed in March 2025, Bibby has returned to the city where he became an NBA legend, with the goal of reviving the struggling Hornets program. He brings head coaching experience from his time at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, where he won five state championships and coached 25 players who went on to receive collegiate scholarships.
He’s ready to tackle the college game, saying, “It’s a storybook, not ending, but a storybook story of coming back to Sacramento for basketball purposes and instead of playing now I’ll be coaching.”
