WEST HARTFORD, Conn. _ If the Milwaukee Bucks weren't playing in Boston Monday night, Vin Baker probably wouldn't have made it to the ceremony honoring him at his alma mater Saturday night.
Baker now works for Fox Sports Wisconsin as an analyst for the team he spent four seasons with during the pre- and postgame shows. En route to Boston, Baker stopped by the University of Hartford for an appearance at midcourt with university president Greg Woodward and athletic director Mary Ellen Gillespie.
But it wasn't just a trip to see his alma mater, it was also to see his son; Vin Baker Jr. is a Boston College freshman and his team was taking on Hartford.
Sitting courtside with Shawnee, his wife of four years, it was quite a moment for the 6-foot-11 Baker when young Vin unfurled his 6-7, 177-pound body off the bench early in the first half.
"So many emotions, all positive," said Baker, 46, who lives in Milwaukee. "I'm really blessed. I was telling my wife you only get so many moments like this in your life and I told my son earlier 'man whether you score 20 or whether you score 30, win lose or draw you made me as proud a father as you possibly could have made me so I hope that takes some of the edge off.' I'm just proud of my kid. This journey has been amazing and every now and then I'm collecting these amazing new pieces on my journey in sobriety and this was one of them."
Vin Jr. played 10 minutes and had an assist.
"It was special coming in here where your dad played," said Vin Jr., who attended Hamden Hall. "I didn't feel any pressure or anything but you know people know who I am and you know they're definitely kind of looking like 'could he be? Could he do this? Could he do that? I just keep working and practicing and trusting the process like my dad tells me so that when my time does come they'll know really what it is."
The Eagles won, 73-61.
As Baker said, the points scored by his son nor the final score matter all that much. The former America East player of the year, four-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist has seen the highest of highs. The Old Saybrook product was the eighth overall pick of the Bucks in 1993, averaging 15 points and 7.4 rebounds in 13 seasons.
But Baker was out of the league in 2006 and into a rehabilitation facility for the fourth time, Rushford in Middletown in 2011. On top of that, he was broke. Just two years ago, Baker was working in North Kingstown, R.I., as a barista at Starbucks.
"I will enjoy sobriety seven years on April 17, 2018, seven years of sobriety," Baker said with a wide smile. "I'm enjoying the best part right now even more so than being in the NBA. This is the best life I've ever had."
The best life he's ever had?
"The beautiful thing is, especially in recovery, sometimes you got to go through something tumultuous, something epic to understand how good life is and living life on life's terms," said Baker who in addition to doing Bucks games works in player development for the franchise that first drafted him. "It's almost like if I didn't go through what I went through I wouldn't appreciate my mother (Jean) and my father (James), the University of Hartford, my son playing in here. I'm just blessed.
"The University of Hartford, President Woodward, Mary Ellen have all been wonderful to me. It was one of those nights, you've had them before, where you'll always remember it and cherish. It was one of those nights... I didn't think seven years ago I could have night like this. ... I told myself I wasn't going to cry but I didn't think seven years ago I would ever have a night like this. It was the furthest thing from my imagination just like the 1993 draft when I was in Old Saybrook, a night like this was the furthest thing from my imagination. God is good, man."
The alcohol abuse ultimately led to the end of his career but Baker knew these kinds of stories can have really bad endings, death or jail among them. He didn't allow it to happen. Baker got on a road to recovery that has no fast lanes.
Seven years in April. On Saturday Vin Baker saw more motivation Saturday night.
"I was young when he was going through the things he was going through and I just wasn't old enough to understand but I heard stories and you have the internet and people are always in your ear," Vin Jr. said. "I know he's been through a lot. To go through that, to be at the bottom and work his way up it's just a blessing and a perfect of example of what staying the course and never quitting or giving up can do. I couldn't feel what he felt or experience what he experienced but I've seen the progress and I'm super proud of him; where he is now, being sober almost seven years. I'm real proud of my father."
Baker spent five days at Rushford. He went back to church and hasn't looked back since. On that road to recovery he connected with Howard Schulz, the owner of Starbucks, but he was also the owner of the Seattle Supersonics where Baker played from 1997-2002.
Baker then entered a different kind of program _ manager trainee.
"It was part of the journey," said Baker, who trained in North Kingstown, Old Lyme and Branford. "It was a great part of my journey. I was training to be a store manager there. It was a place in my life I needed. When you're hurt and hit with addiction the one thing you lose, other than the ability to say no, is hope. Starbucks gave me hope."
Baker, with Schultz, spoke to about 250 Starbucks employees in Seattle about recovery a few weeks ago.
He's kicked off a foundation, "Bouncing Back," which deals with all levels of recovery but alcoholism, in particular. According to the nonprofit organization's mission statement the foundations is "...compassionately dedicated to improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities affected by alcohol and drug addiction and dependency."
"We're going to branch out," Baker said. "We're going to have one in Wisconsin and Connecticut. I'm going to be asking friends and family to help me help people feel like I feel in recovery and sobriety. I want to open sober houses in Connecticut and Milwaukee."
