For Darren Hammond, his journey with the Chicago Bulls started in an unexpected way—through his connection to NBA legend Isiah Thomas. As a close family friend of the Thomas family, Hammond’s introduction to professional basketball came through a chance encounter at a Pro-Am Tournament in 1980.
A Chance Encounter with Isiah Thomas
Recalling the pivotal moment that changed his life, Hammond said, “Well, my whole career with the Chicago Bulls started from Isiah Lord Thomas III that played for the Detroit Pistons. I was a family friend/ family member of all his brothers and aunties and cousins and we all grew up together up on the same part of the West Side of Chicago. So I was introduced to the Chicago Bulls through Isiah Thomas at a preseason game in 1981.”
It was during a summer pickup game at Marillac House that Hammond had a fateful encounter with Thomas. “Isiah played in these pickup games in the summer and he played at this location called Marillac House that’s on the West Side of Chicago. It was a Pro-Am Tournament in 1980. And the night that he played, I was there just like any other fan, you know? Supporting all the superstars like Mark Aguirre and different others like Skip Dillard and different other basketball players that was playing that night.”
When Thomas suffered a head injury during the championship game, Hammond stepped in to help. “Isiah had hit his head during the championship game — it was a night game and he had hit his head on a pole and I went and got him a towel because he was bleeding and we got real close after that and I asked him, ‘Can I come to a Detroit and Chicago when he was a rookie…’ and he was like, ‘Yeah. Meet me at Gate 3 at this certain day at a certain month…’”
Hammond followed through on Thomas’ invitation, taking a bus to the old Chicago Stadium, where he waited at Gate 3 ½. “When I got there, I waited on the Detroit Pistons bus to come up and they pulled up and that’s how that started; and I went inside Chicago Stadium with the team. He introduced me as we were going in, and we got a chance to meet the trainer of the Chicago Bulls at that time. Isiah said, ‘Hey man, this is my nephew right here. Can you get him a job as a ballboy?’ And of course, Mark said, ‘No problem.’ And that’s how it all started.”
Meeting Michael Jordan
By the time Michael Jordan was drafted in 1984, Hammond had already spent years working for the Bulls, getting to know the team’s players and staff. “Well, like I said, I was working for the Chicago Bulls for three years. I had been around all the athletes from like… ‘81 through when Michael got drafted in 1984.”
It was during the Bulls’ preseason training camp that Hammond first crossed paths with Jordan. “So when Michael got drafted, the preseason games were starting, and they were having two-week training at the facility at this location called Angel Guardian. So at the time, I would come there during my off days from school and help out with the trainer and help out around the gym where they would practice at. Orlando Woolridge and Quentin Dailey and all those guys used to call me ‘Smurf’ [laughs].”
Jordan, a young rookie fresh to the city, needed guidance on where to get a proper haircut. Hammond was the one to step in. “Michael would be staying at the hotel up north on the North Side of Chicago and so he needed his haircut, you know? He needed to get his haircut — So Orlando Woolridge would be like, ‘Man, you know little Smurf, Isiah’s nephew can show you where to get your haircut on the West Side of Chicago…’ So that’s how that started with me with Michael Jordan: Through a haircut.”
The Atmosphere at the Barbershop
Taking Jordan to Price’s Barber Shop turned into an unforgettable moment. “Most people that played basketball that knew basketball, they knew Michael Jordan from University of North Carolina and also that he was an Olympian coming out of college and that he was playing with Bobby Knight [RIP]. So he was a well-known basketball star but, not big as he got.”
The reaction inside the shop was electric. “When we walked in, it was crowded and it was crazy! The people that was in there couldn’t believe that it was ACTUALLY Michael Jordan coming in and getting his haircut! Even Mr. Price himself, you know? I mean, they all knew that I worked for the Bulls but it was very shocking that I had Michael Jordan on Madison and Pulaski on the West Side of Chicago. [laughs]”
Jordan’s First Commercial and the Birth of Air Jordans
In a twist of fate, Jordan’s first Nike commercial took place in the very gym where Hammond first met Isiah Thomas. “So it was just so crazy that Michael did his first commercial at where Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre and them played the Pro-Am games at; that’s where Nike did Michael’s first commercial at the Marillac House on the West Side of Chicago; and Michael hasn’t even played a Bulls game yet. When he did the commercial for Nike, he hadn’t even stepped on the Chicago Stadium floor yet.”
Hammond played a small but memorable role in this historic moment, as he was with Jordan right before the shoot. “So I met him up there right down the street from my dad’s house because that’s in my location and he wanted to get his haircut. So, I took him on the West Side of Chicago to this barbershop called Price’s Barber Shop on the West Side.”
The shoot itself had all the elements of classic Chicago weather. “It was raining! It was Chicago coming in winter style, you know? October. Kind of chill. Kind of cold, you know? Leaves falling from the trees, and Nike was doing their first commercial. He had his own trailer and that’s when he was doing the endorsing of the shoes and the sportswear.”
Hammond vividly recalls seeing the first-ever pair of Jordan sneakers before they became a global sensation. “These were the Jordan I’s that they banned. Yeah [smiling], these were the VERY FIRST pair of shoes—the red and white ones that the NBA was banning/ fining him each game that he wore. Because if you remember, Michael wasn’t wearing the Air Jordan I’s at first. He was just wearing Nike Air. They were Nike Air red/ white gym shoes.”
A Unique Perspective on Basketball History
Darren Hammond’s story provides an intimate look into the early days of Michael Jordan’s career and the deep connections that exist within the basketball community. From a chance encounter with Isiah Thomas to guiding Jordan through the streets of Chicago, Hammond’s journey is one of those rare, behind-the-scenes stories that bring sports history to life.
Giving Back to the Community
Beyond basketball, Hammond has dedicated himself to youth development. “My organization, The Darren Group, is one of the first partners that started with the Jordan Wings that are having these basketball clinics for underprivileged kids. These are kids that never had a chance to buy Jordans. These are kids that are not trying to play high school ball but might change their mind.”
His work is deeply personal. “So I get the kids whose family members are struggling or can’t afford the shoes, but they gotta participate in the sports activities, show up… and we reward them through the Jordan Brand. We’ve had Tim Hardaway, Chicago Bears representatives, and even Isiah himself come out and speak.”
Hammond remains committed to bridging divides—whether on the court or in the community. His hope? That one day, Jordan and Thomas can do the same. “It’s all teach one, reach one, and also trying to take kids from negative to positive activities. I’m hoping that this can be a starting point to let people know that Isiah and Michael are both good people. And maybe, just maybe, those two brothers can sit down and talk it out as men.”
The MJ and Isiah Feud: Could They Bury the Hatchet?
Hammond has a unique perspective on the long-standing tension between Jordan and Thomas. He believes that while emotions run deep, reconciliation is not entirely out of the question. “If I had a chance to talk to Michael, I haven’t seen Michael in so many years. Sometimes I get really emotional because I love my brother and I was there from the beginning, and it gets very hard on how I was used.”
Reflecting on Isiah’s pain, Hammond shared, “I think that Isiah is hurt because he didn’t get a chance to close his book on his whole basketball career and one of the main awards was playing in the Olympics that was taken away from him. And also he was asked to come on The Last Dance and Michael said that he hated him. You know, hate is a strong word.”
But does Hammond believe Jordan truly hates Thomas? “Do I really think from me knowing Michael do I really believe that he hates Isiah? No. I don’t really believe Michael hates Isiah. I think that Michael heard about some things too that maybe Isiah did. If you look at when Isiah walked off and Michael had his arms folded, I think that Michael was really expecting Isiah to come over and shake his hand. And it’s one thing about Michael: He NEVER forgets ANYTHING!! Never.”
Still, Hammond remains hopeful. “Maybe at 70?…80? I don’t know. Maybe those two might sit down and shock the world. You remember when Michael said ‘never say never’? And I’m quite sure Isiah will be willing to sit down and say, ‘Hey. Let’s do it.’ And you know what? If it happens, just think about this… How the basketball world would be if these two people could come together.”
