TJ Stukes: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Athlete

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Give yourself the love you are giving others — I would often forget about myself when I was giving my all to people, instead of filling myself up with love so I’m not giving a version of me that I don’t know.

As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Athlete” I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Tj Stukes.

Tj Stukes is a retired professional basketball player, born in the Bronx, NY, and raised in Mount Vernon as well as the Bronx. Standing at 6'8 and 244 pounds, he has a naturally athletic body. He attended Independence CC and Pittsburg State University in Kansas, where he met his wife Samantha, and they now have two children together. Although basketball was his first passion, Tj has also pursued acting and has been in several projects, including a lifestyle Adidas commercial and the Netflix film Hustle with Adam Sandler. Tj is a natural leader with a kind personality, shaped by his upbringing in the foster care system. He currently coaches at Northern New Mexico College with his wife and prides himself on his hard work and professionalism.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! We are honored to have you with us. Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

The Story of me, well that’s a lot but to put everything in a nutshell. I was born in the Bronx NY, my mother Denise Brown, was a hood legend in Harlem and my dad, Timmy Stukes, was a sanitation worker for The Bronx and they met when they both were at the peak of their “fame”. My parents could not get along being that my dad was a womanizer and my mom was a loyalist. So I bounced around a lot, from The Bronx to Harlem to Mt Vernon back to the Bronx. I was always an athlete however I started playing basketball later than most people who go pro. The summer before I turned 17 I grew 9 inches to a healthy 6'8 so it was safe to say basketball was in my future because NY is the mecca of basketball.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I remember this one time I wanted to go to this party so bad because all of my friends were there. My mom said “I don’t trust it, so you are going to stay home” so I was pissed. Come to find out all my friends didn’t go and there was a huge fight that ended up on the news. Safe to say i never doubted my mothers word after that.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?

I’m working on something for Netflix but that’s all I could say.

Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

Dwayne Wade for sure! I’ve met a vast amount of interesting people however he is the one celeb I actually had time to know. It was so fun being around him all day and I promise if he wasn’t known far and wide as one of the best shooting guards in the world! He was so humble! My wife and I did the game show The Cube for TBS where we won 50k and he was more excited for us than we were for each other! After our segment wrapped he called us and congratulated us personally! Good time, good times.

What would you advise a young person who aspires to follow your footsteps and emulate your career? What advice would you give?

Don’t follow me, create your own path while taking small things from me and making it your own. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and be open to making mistakes and learning from different points of views.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Most definitely! Playing with the Harlem Wizards, I was blessed enough to put happiness and laughter in this world playing over 3000 games. Creating connections, reminding people to enjoy the smallest of things and having fun as much as working hard!

The truth is that none of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person that made a profound difference in your life to whom you are grateful? Can you share a story?

My wife for sure! I’m a New Yorker through and through so being arrogant to some extent is how I survived in all my years growing up. She taught me humility and real gratitude in what I do. My success is attributed to her all the way because without those two traits, I seriously wouldn’t be here or as successful as I am now.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

“The work only works when YOU work” That quote has driven me for over a decade. When motivation ran its course, discipline took over. I wanted to give up basketball so many times but I told myself that quote, multiple times if needed, I would get right back to it because if I could inspire just one person then I’ve done my job.

What do you do to prevent injuries during your workouts or during your competitions?

I’ve been blessed to not have many injuries in my career however the biggest injuries I have had were caused from outside sources. The smallest details matter when preventing injuries. Stretching and massages help, but eating right, resting, getting the right warm up in coolin down matters too much in preventing injuries.

What type of workout regime has helped you to rehabilitate from injury?

I’ve been so blessed when I was injured to have the best doctor and physical therapist while rehabbing my injuries. Dr. Rob Gotlin and Yyvonne both made sure to build me up and break me down and then build me up again, if that makes sense. I couldn’t tell you the exact regime but I can say this, I was consistently pushed to a limit every single workout. Which made me stronger mentally and emotionally, not just physically.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.

1. Be Humble — I was an arrogant kid coming out of Ny and I wish someone told me earlier to be humble instead of fueling the fire.
2. Appreciate the small things — I would only try to do big moves in my life instead of moving step by step and respecting the grind when I was younger.
3. Give yourself the love you are giving others — I would often forget about myself when I was giving my all to people, instead of filling myself up with love so I’m not giving a version of me that I don’t know.
4. Take it seriously — When I was young I always thought that basketball would last forever and now look at me, retired and realizing that life has more to offer than basketball. 20 years flew by and I sincerely wish that I would have taken way more seriously than I did.
5. The last thing I wish someone would have told me when I first started playing is to move with love. I was so angry for so long because of my upbringing that it translated to everything I did. From relationships, sports, school and it took too much energy. When I realized that love is stronger than anger was in my mid-30s and I sincerely wish I would have learned this sooner! I think my life would have been at Elysium much earlier in my life.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would say care more. When you show a person you genuinely care, as apprehensive as a person may be, still care. This world is lacking people who care without motive so if you can, CARE!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. :-)

I would love to have lunch with Mark Cuban, just to pick his brain and hear his stories.

How can our readers follow you online?

On all socials @Tjstukes182

Thank you so much for joining us. This was so inspiring.