Former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist raised awareness and showcased his advocacy to people who stutter at a talk at the University of Rhode Island on Thursday, Nov. 7.
When he first developed his stutter as a child, Kidd-Gilchrist said he kept quiet and to himself to hide it.
In school, Kidd-Gilchrist said he hated introductions or reading aloud. While in highschool, he thought he wasn’t good enough as a student.
While attending the University of Kentucky in 2012, he started working with a speech-language pathologist. The SLP guided him through college life and playing college basketball.
“It’s perfectly okay to stutter on a daily basis,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
As he grew up to play for the former Charlotte Bobcats, their rebrand to the Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks, he was self conscious talking to others.
“I was the only one who stuttered during my NBA career,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
While talking to the press or someone new, he would disclose that he had a stutter.
“I never said no to talking to the press,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
There was a specific moment in his life where he realized he wanted to help people like him, and it was his kids that motivated him, Kidd-Gilchrist said. His three kids watched him play basketball and he wanted them to understand his stutter and how he overcomes it on and off the court.
Kidd-Gilchrist said his mom always allowed him to make decisions for himself, which helped him build his confidence. She didn’t let him be victimized while he found his independence dealing with his stutter during highschool.
“At the end of the day, everybody has something that they deal with or symptoms they go through,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
Ryan Rosati, an attendee of the event and a father, said he came to the talk because his son stutters and he’s a big fan of sports. His biggest takeaway was to see his son smile, knowing there’s other people who cope with their stutters – including professional athletes.
Kidd-Gilchrist has been to over 60 colleges to give talks about his stutter, Alisa Baron, an assistant communicative disorders professor at URI said. Over the last year, the commutative disorders department planned a day where Kidd-Gilchrist could visit public schools in Rhode Island.
Before visiting URI, Kidd-Gilchrist went to Warwick Middle School, Westerly Middle School and North Kingstown High School to meet with students, according to Rhody Today.
“It’s wonderful to see young kids get to meet someone who stutters and is able to be successful in their professional life,” Baron said. “Kids are learning to not let their stutters get in the way of their own lives.”