Hill: Goodbye to Desmond Bane, a ‘real dude’ that represented Memphis well
Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the first half March 29, 2025. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Drew Hill
Drew Hill covers the Memphis Grizzlies and is a top-10 APSE winner. He has worked throughout the South writing about college athletics before landing in Memphis.
There was a moment, just a few days before one of the biggest trades in Memphis Grizzlies history, that local professional boxer Mike Cook tried to describe basketball star Desmond Bane.
Shortly after Bane was acquired by Memphis in 2020, the guard was introduced to Cook by then-Grizzlies assistant coach Vitaly Potapenko. Cook and Bane connected during every subsequent offseason and trained together. They became close friends.
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