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Timberwolves guard Jordan McLaughlin earns high school jersey retirement

jace frederick, pioneer press
·3 min read

The schedules finally aligned for Etiwanda High School to get the opportunity it has yearned for to honor one of the greatest players in program history.

After a couple years of looking for a date, the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., school was able to retire Jordan McLaughlin’s jersey Friday night, at halftime of the basketball team’s playoff game.

McLaughlin flew out from Minnesota for all-star break and arrived in town Friday to soak in the festivities. The entire ordeal was a mad dash of sorts, with the Timberwolves’ point guard realizing this week the opportunity to hold the ceremony had finally presented itself. When he informed the school of his availability, wheels were set into motion.

McLaughlin said the honor means a lot to him, particularly coming from a program with Etiwanda’s prestige. Eagles coach David Kleckner is a high school basketball icon in the state.

McLaughlin believed his jersey was only the third boys basketball number to be retired, joining fellow NBA players Darren Collison and Jeff Pendergraph. Athletes from other sports who have received the distinction are NFL wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and American soccer star Maurice Edu.

“It’s very rare, and I’m blessed to have that honor,” McLaughlin noted.

It’s almost ironic it took so long to find a common date that worked for all involved, considering McLaughlin is still such a frequent visitor of the school.

“I go back all the time. During the summer, I go back there, work out. I talk to coach all the time, so there’s definitely a lot of ties there,” McLaughlin said. “When I go back there and I’m able to work out and see my name and number there, it is definitely going to be a dope scene to see.”

McLaughlin figured there would be a full house in attendance for the ceremony Friday given the setting of a playoff game and how much support he consistently receives from the “Eagle empire.” He knew of former teammates who would be in attendance, noting many former players stay connected to the program.

In October, Kleckner fondly recalled memories of McLaughlin’s high school play, from the floor general’s knowledge of the game to defensive deception and ability to create shots for himself and others.

“He would make plays in our practices, and our coaches would just look at each other like ‘Oh my gosh, did you see that?’ Does things that most normal high school kids don’t see,” Kleckner said. “Just how he could do something that most people couldn’t do and he just made it look so easy and he was such a natural.”

The biggest compliment Kleckner ever received about McLaughlin was when another coach approached him and asked how he got the best player on the court to be so unselfish.

“He is a great teammate. … He was just great to coach,” Kleckner said. “What is so unique to me that I will always remember is his persona off the basketball floor. He’s probably the nicest young man that I have ever coached. His compassion. I even noticed the student body kids on campus, these people were kind of drawn to him because of his personality, his kindness and that he was a very caring, compassionate young man. And he was sincere. … He’s just a good, good, great person. And the students at school recognized that and fed off of it, so he had a ton of people that wanted to be around him and be part of his existence.”

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