TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Labaron Philon's life has always been about competing to be the best.
The dribbling and shooting sensation out of Mobile, Alabama, seems to have basketball in his blood, but that's a little misleading. Sure, he slept with a ball every night and donned his prized Stephen Curry jersey practically everywhere he went. More often than not, his destination of choice was a nearby dirt-paved pickup basketball court with a dusty hoop held up by a couple of stones and some bags of sand.
Philon's come a long way since then, though. The freshman phenom is starting for No. 6 Alabama and pulling off his playground moves in college basketball's toughest conference, while playing on the sport's biggest stages. He scored in the double digits against five currently ranked opponents and had two more showings of 10-plus points against teams receiving votes in the latest polls. Collectively, those performances have elevated the 19-year-old into a projected top-20 pick in this year's NBA draft .
However, it's those early games on that humble court back home that could have Philon soon playing in basketball palaces, under the brightest lights, and against legendary players, just like he always dreamed.
Labaron Philon's Driveway in 2016 | Labaron Philon's Instagram
Before suiting up in front of thousands of college basketball fans, there was just Philon, his family, a basketball and a hoop. His toughest matchups were held in his driveway against his older brother, Corey Philon and his cousins, and they didn't hold back. Perhaps the most competitive year came in 2016 when he was just 10-years-old while regularly facing off against a bunch closer to 14.
"My dad used to get out there too and he was really good," Philon told BamaCentral. "It was challenging. I was the youngest player and sometimes I had to get on the court. But when I got on the court, I just tried to make the best of it. That's where most of my competitiveness comes from."
Philon is in Year 5 of his organized hoops journey, as he started to love the fast-paced game when he was able to bounce a basketball in kindergarten. He already had the NBA on his mind as Michael Jordan and Curry provided inspiration and gave Philon confidence to keep building on his goal of someday making the Association.
However, the Philon house driveway didn't have numbers on the players' backs. It didn't have a shot clock, scorekeepers, refs, cheerleaders, a visible 3-point line or cheering fans. Instead, there is a fence that would have to be climbed to retrieve an errant shot, obstacles that would need to be dribbled around, and the additional handicap of Mobile-area weather. Then factor in the competition.
A 14-year-old guarding a 10-year-old typically doesn't work out for the younger brother, but Philon had no problem facing the challenge. If anything, it only fueled him, molding the future point guard into a more dominant athlete as they'd also play at the Spring Hill Recreation Center when they weren't in the original battleground of the Philon Driveway.
This was the birth of a mindset that has remained the same for nearly a decade.
Nine-year-old Labaron Philon's Drawn Out Dream | Alicia Robinson
Alicia Robinson, Labaron's mother, called her middle son her "rainbow baby." After hearing the meaning of the term many years ago, she was brought to tears when finding out that they were thought to be gifted and talented.
Labaron's father signed him up for basketball at age 7, but Alicia knew that he was already better than the other kids.
"I would watch him just do amazing things on the court and we would just be like, 'Where does he get this stuff from?' Because I didn't play ball," Alicia told BamaCentral. "His dad played a little ball growing up and in high school. It's not like he just comes from this family of basketball players. Like he's just that special one, it was just in him."
That special one, who always had the NBA on his mind, started thinking about the collegiate level at 9, still a year before the beginning of the glory days in the Philon Driveway. Many Mobile residents are fans of the Crimson Tide over the Auburn Tigers, even though the latter is geographically closer, Labaron included.
Philon still has a drawing of himself in an Alabama jersey, wearing No. 14. In his hypothetical scenario between the rivals - which recently met in the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 meeting in Southeastern Conference history - is the stuff of legendary driveway heroics. Alabama is down 54-53 with one second to go when he hits the "Game-winner."
The bottom of the 9-year-old's drawing, which was a dream created on a Springhill Suites Marriott notepad, states Labaron's college decision: "And the university I will continue my academics and basketball career is The University of ALABAMA."
Labaron continued his basketball journey into middle school, where he was "doing great things," including the ability to dunk by eighth grade, and subsequently enrolled at Baker High School, a public school with an average of over 2,000 students per year. Baker isn't necessarily known for being a sports factory, as the most notable athletic alumni are Blaine Claussell, who bounced around NFL practice squads for four years, and Dewarick Spencer, who has been playing professional basketball in Europe for the last 20 years.
Baker had success before Labaron, as it finished a majority of seasons with positive records this century, but Labaron's abilities had locals and even people from afar doing everything they could to see a teenager play 7A basketball in person.
"He sold out games, standing room only," Alicia said. "I mean, the entire city would come out just to see my kid go. It was a great experience for me, but I think the Baker High School moments and games were some of the best that I can recall."
The attention didn't seem to bother him; quite the opposite. It's perfectly fair and safe to say that, like Jordan, Labaron thrived under the pressure and lived off the crowd. Home or away, he came into high school gyms and made it known that he was the best player on the floor from the very beginning.
It's also when Alicia realized that her son was destined to play this game for life.
"In high school, I don't know exactly when, but I would get chills. I don't get the chills anymore, but like in high school, my chills were through the roof because it was just amazing."
"He just all of a sudden grew up and became a big deal. In basketball, it went from being something that he loves to do for fun and it became a really big deal."
The stats only reinforce that narrative as Philon averaged 34.7 points per game while the second-highest scorer on the team put up 8.7. Overall, he scored 1,075 points during the 2022-23 season while Baker's runner-up tallied 217. Labaron also shot 50 percent from the field, including 33 percent from deep - both of which were team highs - and led the team in rebounds per game (6.1), assists (4.0) and steals (2.5).
"I was one of the best players in the country," Labaron said. "I was averaging a lot of points at the time, but I always kept my head down and worked. I would just say I was a hard worker. Baker High School had a lot of people and resources to keep me on the right track with school and basketball at the same time. I was really appreciative of that."
Labaron Philon at Baker High School | Christian Clemente's X/Twitter
Labaron was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Alabama Boys Basketball Player of the Year as a junior and was ranked as the nation's No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN. He was previously named the Class 7A Player of the Year in 2022 as a sophomore.
But before those awards, including Alabama's Mr. Basketball in 2023, Philon caught the curiosity of Crimson Tide's basketball assistant coach Preston Murphy, Alabama's big-name recruiter. A summer matchup during an EYBL circuit especially stood out.
"The first time I watched him, I remember just seeing his energy," Murphy told BamaCentral. "He's the guy that kind of sticks out because he's a very subtle and emotional player. That's what stood out to me.
"Obviously, he's matched up with the best of the best, so when you see him just be able to run a team and command a team, he's the type of guy that gets guys to play above their station. So just watching that and seeing how he commanded the team was very impressive."
Labaron was rapidly gaining national attention, and in this day and age of competitive basketball for NBA hopefuls, he had a big decision to make regarding his future dreams.
Labaron was receiving offers left and right throughout his time at Baker, and he even committed to Auburn on February 3, 2023 - well before his senior year started. However, it only took two months for him to decommit from a school he rooted against as a kid due to multiple members of the Tigers' coaching staff leaving, including assistant coach Wes Flanigan.
It was just the first of many life-changing decisions for the teenager.
More and more high school basketball players with NBA potential are choosing to play the game they love at prep programs that heavily focus on their athletic development. After two years of dominance and accolades at Baker, Labaron had the option to join one of these programs, but that would require him to move away from home.
That said, he didn't seem to have an issue with what most people would think would be a difficult decision. Based on his numbers, Labaron's time at Baker may have been a bit too easy for him, and the ultra competitor wanted a challenge.
Link Academy, a boarding school just outside of Branson, Mo., checked all of the boxes in Labaron's search toward fulfilling his NBA dreams. He transferred on June 17, 2023.
"Link Academy is all about basketball," Philon said. "You're working all day. When you wake up, the first thing you do has got something to do with basketball. You lift weights, eat breakfast, you got practice and class. After that, if you really want it, you're going to go back to the gym and put in the work. That's what most of the guys did at Link Academy, so it really got me to where I am now."
Link Academy player LaBaron Philon drives to the hoop.The 2023 City of Palms Classic basketball tournament continued Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Columbus High School (Miami, FL) faced off against Link Academy (Branson, MO) for a quarterfinal showdown. Link Academy moves on to the semi finals with their 68-61 victory. | Ricardo Rolon/USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA / USA TODAY NETWORK
Labaron's roster at Link Academy was filled with players having the same goals and expectations. It's essentially an all-star team of talented prospects who were the kings of their previous high schools. Some prospects would be threatened in that setting, leading to selfish basketball. Others view the surroundings as a way to improve. Philon loved it, continuing to instill his competitive mindset and mentality.
"When we didn't have games, we'd just always play one-on-one or have runs," Philon said. "That was really nice because you can't just go to any place and find high-caliber guys to play against that you'll see on the next level and we had that every day. Every day you're going to get one of the best players in the country, so that was really fun."
Many of Labaron's Link Academy teammates now play for Power-4 college basketball programs, including Texas freshman Tre Johnson, a projected first-round NBA draft pick who leads the SEC in scoring.
"I feel like he really just made me compete," Philon said. "If you don't compete against him, he'll embarrass you because he's a really good player. Just competing against him, it was really good."
The two of them helped lead Link Academy to the No. 3 spot in the final national rankings. Johnson scored a Lions-high 15.9 points per game while Labaron was third with 12.0. Labaron topped the team in assists per game with 4.1 and Johnson was the runner-up with 3.2.
Labaron's stardom on a team filled with beaming lights flicked a lightbulb in his brain to alter a decision he had made before his first game with Link Academy.
The term "Blue Blood" is often used in the college basketball world as it's a category of a select few programs that have been the major players in making the sport into what it is today, with its profound success and widespread national championships. Many argue who belongs in this most-elite tier, but Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Kansas are the certainties.
These schools tend to win the most championships, have the most players selected in the NBA Draft, and tend to have the most individual accomplishments with hall-of-famers like Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Dan Issel and Grant Hill.
Naturally, they're part of the pitch for recruits.
In the months between the decommitment from Auburn and the first time he suited up at Link Academy, Philon took official visits to Cincinnati, Ole Miss and Kansas. Liking what he saw from the Jayhawks, Labaron committed on September 25, 2023.
"You know, my initial thoughts were that obviously Bill Self is a great coach and he's had a lot of success," Murphy said. "When you're recruiting and the guy goes to Kansas, you're like, 'OK, well I guess we were on the right guy because even Kansas wanted him.' Initially, I wouldn't say it was shocking, but he went to Link Academy which is obviously close to Kansas. He got to be on a national stage and he just kept performing and performing, so it wasn't really shocking; it happens."
However, Kansas continued to add prospects, including some who would've been detrimental to Labaron's status and playing time as a freshman. His pledge only lasted seven months, and Philon decommitted on April 23, 2024.
Alabama had moved on from Philon and practically filled its 2024-25 team with offseason transfers and recruits; however, that drawing on the hotel notepad from a decade ago stayed in his mind. He decided to take an official visit four days after he forewent the Blue Blood school and committed to Nate Oats less than 24 hours later.
Labaron Philon Commits to Alabama | Travis Branham's X/Twitter
"Our roster was pretty much done and Kansas had gotten a couple of guards from the portal," Murphy said. "Labaron thought in his mind, 'Well, if I'm not gonna play a lot as a freshman, I'd rather do that in my home state. So when he got out of his letter [of intent], he had to make sure he was coming back [because] we already had Aden Holloway committed and Latrell Wrightsell was coming back. So when you look on paper, there weren't going to be a lot of minutes available.
"But he could see after a year that there would be a lot of opportunity for him to play, so he was fine with playing maybe 10 minutes a game as a freshman and just being home and in a system that was going to help develop him."
The proximity to his family back in Mobile was also important in yet another decision.
"It was really just [about] being back home," Labaron said. "I just woke up and had a feeling that if I came back home, it would be the best decision. I prayed about it a lot before I even made the decision. It was just really great because I really just trusted God, trusted my parents, my brothers and my family members. I told them I wanted to come back home. That was the greatest feeling of my life."
Labaron said it was his decision "100 percent." His family would support him and be behind him as Alicia just "wanted him to be comfortable "wherever we placed him or wherever he placed himself."
"I wanted him to have a great time and have a great experience, and be able to get a chance to do what he loves to do best. With everything that was going on, the recruiting and timing, he made the decision, and I told him 'Go for it. Shoot for the stars.' If this is where your heart is, if this is what you believe in, then shoot for it."
He drew it. He manifested it. He dreamed it. He talked about it. And now he's living it.
In case you haven't noticed, there really isn't much character development in this story, as the biggest difference overall has been Labaron's age. Since his time playing on the Philon Driveway, he's always had this competitive instinct that defies the nature vs. nurture debate.
His love of taking on the best player in a one-on-one game continued in Tuscaloosa. Labaron knew he'd have to work hard to earn minutes on an Alabama team that Oats has called the "best roster we've had since we've been here."
"I will say that much hasn't changed," Murphy said. "When he first arrived, he was very competitive. He wanted to guard Mark Sears. He wanted to really compete. He wanted to earn a role on the team. We've got a good team, we were projected to be one of the better teams in the conference and country and he wanted to earn a role in that.So he came in and brought energy and activity every day. He never skipped practice, he's never been late and he's brought it since Day 1."
"I think his [mentality and competitiveness] are probably what give him an edge over some of his peers in that '24 guard class. He's the ultra competitor."
Philon said that Sears "really challenged" him, but one of the other reasons to take him on the Preseason All-American was to show his confidence in his game "for the coaches to really trust" him. He had the work ethic and the necessary chip on his shoulder due to the Crimson Tide's depth. He still had to earn everything.
"We even talked about maybe redshirting when we brought him in the summer, and then he just filled all those thoughts in the way he played all summer and fall," Oats said. "I mean, he was the best guard in the program for multiple days in the summer. He was pushing Mark every day. Some injuries happen here and there, Wrightsell's out and Youngblood's out, he gets put in the starting lineup."
The competitiveness, mentality and demeanor have been on display ever since. Three times Philon has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week. Once again, he's a player that everyone is watching, but that only means something else at this level. Labaron suffered an ankle injury a few weeks ago that made him digress for multiple games, but Oats believed it was more than that.
"I think he's learning that just because you've had success in the past, which he had a lot of success all summer and fall and early in the year, doesn't guarantee any future success or current success," the coach said. "You've got to bring a level of respect to the game like every single game. At this level, it is going to be hard. When you play the way you've been playing and people start scouting you more, it gets harder and harder and harder."
Alabama guard Labaron Philon (0) celebrates against Memphis at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL on Monday, Oct 28, 2024. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
But once again, timing was on Philon's side. Coming off a two-point performance against Arkansas, he got another shot against Johnson. The hype surrounding the reunion regained Labaron's competitive instinct as he finished with 15 points, going 6-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-5 from behind the arc, with six rebounds, a team-high four assists and a steal in 25 minutes. Alabama dominated at Texas, 103-80.
Labaron's had his swagger back ever since.
"He doesn't change," Alicia said. "He's always been competitive. He's always had a strong mentality. He had a dream. He believed in his dream. We stepped aside. We stayed behind him every year. I mean, every night, practice, every Saturday, getting up early every Saturday for games, AAU, traveling. I can't even tell you how I was able to afford to even do all this stuff.
"But thank God I have my family, my two sisters, my mom and my brother. We have a very small family, a very close-knit family, so I'm very thankful for my support system because I don't think I would have made it without them and his dad as well. But you know, we all made sacrifices and took the time to make sure he had what he needed, and he did whatever he wanted to do. He had a dream, and he stuck with it. He's so strong-minded."
It's been quite the basketball journey, and while the lifelong dream of playing for the Crimson Tide has come true, a new one of being drafted is on the horizon. But first things first. Philon has no interest in talking about the NBA yet, and hasn't declared his intentions yet. After all, the drawing as a 9-year-old had the word "Alabama" across the front of the jersey.
"My mom and dad always tell me, 'When you're not working, somebody else is.' They just give me the edge," Labaron said. "The work you put in is going to show.
"I don't really look into [mock drafts], but I hear about it. I just try to keep a humble mentality, keep my head down and keep working."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as 'I Used to Sleep With a Basketball': The Competitive Upbringing of Labaron Philon .
