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Royal Ivey — born in Harlem and raised in Queens — has already exceeded expectations by first coaching upstart South Sudan onto the world stage in their first Olympics, and then making a winning debut in Paris.
Now comes Wednesday’s showdown with Team USA, and best friend Kevin Durant. For Ivey, 42, it seems like something plucked out of a Hollywood script.
“Being in the Olympics, and getting our first win. … My life is like a movie. So this is chapter 42, and this is an amazing chapter for me,” Ivey said. “Being here, playing in the league for 10 years, now I’m coaching, I’m the OG, I’m the old head. I never thought I’d be a coach. I thought I’d be a schoolteacher or run my own prep school, but I’m a coach and I’m investing in the youth and these young guys, so at the end of the day, man, like I said, my life is a movie.
“Keep it going. Everything’s been surreal my whole life. I’ve been an overachiever in life. People told me, no, you couldn’t do this. You’re not quick enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not fast enough, and I continue to prove people wrong, and that’s the story. You can do whatever you put your mind to. You can manifest whatever you want in this life. It’s achievable, so I’m just living proof.”
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
Ivey — who’d been an assistant with the Knicks and then the Nets — took over a South Sudan team in 2021 that had never made the World Cup or Olympics.
The world’s newest country at just 13 years old, they reached their first World Cup last year. Finishing as the best African team earned them their first Olympic berth.
“He’s done unbelievable. You’ve got to be good, and you’ve got to be lucky,” Ron Naclerio, who coached Ivey at Cardozo High School in Queens, told The Post. “But when you’re good you make your luck; when you’re bad you get unlucky. I see what he’s done the last two or three years, slowly building it up, slowly building up. Getting qualified for the Olympics was quite a feat. Then the exhibition game had to have opened up their own eyes … And then beating Puerto Rico [was huge].”
An opening 90-79 win over Puerto Rico was impressive. Taking Team USA to the wire this month before a 101-100 loss in London — might be more impressive.
“The good thing Royal has is when you coach in the Olympics, it’s a little more pure coaching. There’s no three seconds on defense, you can play zone,” Naclerio said.. “I was screaming when Royal was up one against USA — I hate to say I was rooting against USA; I was rooting for Royal.”
But that was an exhibition, and Durant didn’t play. He will Wednesday.
Ivey met Durant when Ivey was a pro and Durant was a teen. They’ve become best friends. Ivey was a Nets assistant when Durant was in Brooklyn; now he’ll face him with a chance to pull off a historic upset.
“KD and him are the best of friends. Royal is the tightest person [to Durant], maybe even tighter than his own biological brother. KD was in (Ivey’s) wedding party,” said Naclerio. “KD, unfortunately he’s just another beast. I don’t think the foreigners are used to guarding the 7-footer that shoots like a 6-footer.”
After his Brooklyn stay from 2020-23 lined up with Durant’s, Ivey spent last season under Ime Udoka in Houston. His work with South Sudan is getting him notice for head-coaching jobs.
“I saw tweets this year about his name being mentioned — possibly with Washington, with Charlotte — and I said just bide your time, it’s gonna happen. And now, because [of the Olympics] it might happen,” said Naclerio. “If Houston can have a great year, and hopefully he can get some medals in the Games. … You know what it is, right now he’s the beautiful girl. Hopefully he stays beautiful.”
