Here are five things to know about new SportsDay reporter Mike Curtis, who will cover the Dallas Mavericks at The Dallas Morning News.
You can follow Mike on X (formerly known as Twitter) via @MikeACurtis2, but here are a few things to know about SportsDay’s newest employee.
1) Where are you from and what is your journalistic background?
This question can get a little confusing to follow, especially since Texas marks the fifth state I’ve lived in. Here we go. I was born in Paducah, a small city in Western Kentucky, but my mom moved us to Saginaw, Michigan when I was four years old. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is also a proud native of Saginaw, and he never fails to remind someone of where he’s from. We lived there until I graduated from high school in 2009, which began my nine-year tenure in Nashville, Tennessee. I received my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Tennessee State University and my master’s degree in Media and Communication from Middle Tennessee State University. After spending the summer of 2018 as an intern at the Knoxville News Sentinel (via the Sports Journalism Institute), I moved to Syracuse, New York, where I covered high school sports, Syracuse men and women’s basketball and Syracuse football. After 3.5 years in Central New York, I returned to Michigan to cover the Detroit Pistons for The Detroit News. The Pistons didn’t have much success on the court (30-127 in my time as beat writer), but it was a surreal experience to cover the team I grew up watching as a kid.
2) What are your hobbies?
Basketball has always been a key part of my life and I love to get on the court whenever I get a chance. I last played in February at UCLA in the same gym where Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Rico Hines holds his annual summer basketball runs. After five games of full court, my body quickly reminded me that I’m not 18 anymore. I also enjoy listening to music and watching movies. I’m a big Marvel fan.
3) Favorite sporting event you’ve been to?
My last two seasons covering the Pistons were full of first-time experiences, but I’d put NBA Summer League at the top of the list. The heat in Las Vegas is brutal, but the atmosphere inside the Thomas and Mack Center makes it one of the coolest events of the offseason. It can be a bit overwhelming with the amount of noticeable faces casually walking around. J. Cole, who is my favorite hip-hop artist, sat courtside to watch Victor Wembanyama’s first Summer League game. His reactions were hilarious. You have to pick your spots, especially between games, but it’s one of the best events for networking. Last year’s NBA Draft Lottery was interesting because of the gasps that rang out of the crowd when Detroit (which shared the best odds of winning the draft) fell to the fifth pick. I’ll have another “first” coming up in a couple of weeks when I cover my first playoff game. I’m looking forward to that.
4) Favorite athlete you’ve interviewed?
This is a tough question to answer because I’ve interviewed a lot of interesting athletes. My favorite high school basketball player to cover was J.J. Starling, who just finished his sophomore season at Syracuse. Buddy Boeheim, who has one of the quickest jumpshots I’ve ever witnessed, was always a joy to speak with while I covered SU. Ironically, he signed a two-way contract with the Pistons less than a month before I started covering the team. I’ve interviewed some interesting people at the professional level. Isiah Thomas. Laila Ali. Giannis Antetokounmpo. LeBron James. Breanna Stewart. It’s hard to choose just one but one of my most memorable conversations was with Allen Iverson, who attended a Syracuse game in 2022. We talked about his longtime rivalry with the Orange after playing two seasons at Georgetown. He was quite thoughtful with his responses, which is always great.
5) If not journalism, what other career (s) would you pursue?
This one is easy because my first career path was not journalism, believe it or not. As a kid, my career goals were to become an artist and architect. I’d spend hours drawing characters from Dragon Ball Z before I eventually transitioned to drawing athletes and other popular figures. I may or may not still have an early drawing of Dirk Nowitzki from his cover issue of SLAM Magazine in 2006 tucked away in a sketchpad at my mom’s house. I initially majored in architectural engineering as a freshman at TSU because of that early desire to draw, but quickly found out I was more passionate about sports and storytelling.
Thanks for listening to my soap box. I hope you enjoy my Mavericks coverage!
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