Kareem Reid: The Best Kept Secret
Kareem Reid was born on August 27, 1975, in Harlem Hospital. His single mother did not know what to name him while she was in her pregnancy stage until she picked up a sports magazine and saw Kareem Abdul- Jabbar on the cover. At that moment, she knew what she was going to name her child. Growing up in the Bronx, his role model was Kenny Anderson who is from Queens, New York. Both would cement their names as legends of NYC basketball.
Kareem Reid (R) and Stephon Marbury (L) at ABCD Camp in 1993. They were considered the two best Point Guards in NYC at that time.
At the age of 11 years old, he began to take his basketball game seriously playing in Cepeda Park. One day, his older brother brought him to practice and they were down a man and the coach decided to throw him in. It’s safe to say he made an impact during this practice because he was asked to come back. His first introduction to an organized team basketball was Young Life. Young Life did not have the same buzz around their names such as the legendary Gauchos in the Bronx and Riverside Church in Manhattan. One day he was playing against Riverside and made such an impact that the coach was asking him to come join their team. At this time many of the well-known players such as Stephon Marbury have moved on from the program to join powerhouse teams in the city.
Along with Felipe Lopez of Rice HS, Kareem Reid was a ‘94 McDonald’s All American. He chose to attend the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and after sitting out his first year went on to a stellar college career. Photo courtesy of K. Reid IG
His school career started with St. Nicholas of Tolentine High School. As a freshman on JV, the team went 33-1 and won the city championship. With the closing of the school, he began his search for a new high school career. His search led him to another Bronx school, the famous basketball school St. Raymond High School for Boys. The reason he chose this school was because all of the members from his previous team decided on going to the powerhouse Harlem school, the Rice Raiders, located on 124th street. During his time at St. Raymond’s, as a junior, he led the team to a New York City and state championship in 1993, and as a senior, the 1994 city championship. With these accomplishments, he was awarded being named a McDonald’s All-American as one of the top-rated points guards in the country.
Kareem Reid is one of the best Point Guards to have ever come out of New York City. Photo courtesy of K. Reid IG
His college career wasn’t as smooth as any senior transitioning into college because of his ACT score, which made him have to sit out the 1994-95 season with the University of Arkansas. When the 1995-96 season began, he was a freshman that led the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and an NIT Final Four as a sophomore. At the end of his college career, he was the all-time leader in assists with 748 and third all-time in steals with 251. After the 1995-96 season, he was named All-SEC Freshman Team and as a sophomore, he was named 2nd Team All-SEC. Coming from the Bronx, Kareem Reid has lived a life that many inner-city kids would dream of living, and every day another star is born.
Opening the 1995-96 season as a freshman, Reid led the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen of the 1996 NCAA Tournament, and the NIT Final Four as a sophomore. Photo courtesy of K. Reid IG
Aside from his success at the HS and College levels, Kareem also made himself a household name on the NYC Streetball scene. With his patented spin move and heart of a warrior, Reid always played with a chip on his shoulder. At 5’10” he was one of the shortest guys to put up huge numbers at venues such as EBC at Rucker Park, Kingdome and Dyckman just to name a few. Most notably playing with Mousey’s Dream Team and Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, Reid feasted on the competition winning multiple Championships and MVP awards. Salute goes out to Kareem “The Best Kept Secret” Reid, one of the best to ever lace ‘em up in New York City. ?