Michael Carter-Williams: Mom Manages Rookie Of The Year Candidate [Video]
Michael Carter-Williams is close with his mom. The NBA rookie of the year candidate has looked fantastic on the court this season, though he plays for the obviously tanking Philadelphia 76ers. But Michael Carter-Williams’ mom is more than a good parent, she is his manager.
Close relationships between NBA players and their parents is not abnormal. Michael Carter-Williams being managed by his mom, Mandy Carter-Zegarowski, is quite a bit out of the ordinary. Summer Dreams, a CBS documentary that will begin airing on March 15th, follows the NBA dreams of players, coaches, and referees during the 2013 NBA Summer league. The documentary chronicles the relationship between Michael Carter-Williams and his mom from being drafted number 11th overall through his Summer league experience.
The Summer Dreams documentary also looks at the Summers of Dallas Mavericks’ guard Shane Larkin, two undrafted players in Romero Osby and Dwayne Davis, D-League coach Joel Abelson who was fired on draft night by the Sioux Falls Syforce, and prospective official Lauren Holtkamp. The documentary is a personal look into the lives and relationships of the six subjects. The relationship between Michael Carter-Williams and his mom focuses in on the struggle of trying to figure out what it means for Mandy to be a mother and a manager.
“I think early on when the show was being taped we weren’t quite sure how things would evolve in terms of how in-depth my role would be,” Carter-Zegarowski said in a recent interview about the show. “We’ve figured out our roles now. I’m doing more of the everyday managing stuff, my husband Zach lives with Michael and still works with him a lot on the basketball stuff. He’s still very open to feedback on games and practices and all that.”
Michael Carter-Williams’ mom can be seen throughout the documentary struggling through her son’s Summer league experience. Carter-Williams had many ups and downs before the real season ever got started. Many were questioning the 76ers decision to trade Jrue Holiday to make room for the rookie. Now the point guard is the leading candidate to be the league’s rookie of the year. Averaging 16.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and two steals in 34.4 minutes per game, Carter-Williams is easily dominating in every statistic.
But it is not just the on court success that is making his mom proud. The 42-year-old mom of four also pushed the rookie of the year favorite to put his $4.5 million salary away and live off of his endorsements. Michael Carter-Williams, 22, won’t be able to touch his NBA salary for three years.
Michael Carter-Williams’ mom will continue to push her son beyond just becoming the NBA rookie of the year. She is setting him up for a lifetime of success.
[Image via Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports]
