6 takeaways from Life & Basketball: The Rise of Lethal Shooter
Here’s what we learned from a new documentary about basketball’s most sought-after shooting coach Chris Matthews, also known as Lethal Shooter – learn more and watch it here.
In the 53-minute documentary, viewers will get the opportunity to learn about Lethal's journey -- from his childhood, and his college days to how he became the shooting coach everyone wants in their corner. “As a shooter, you have to have the mindset of a cheetah - about to hunt," Lethal says. "You gotta be patient, you gotta understand when it’s time to go, that’s the time. But if you’re not like that, you’ll lose your meal.”
01
How did Lethal Shooter get his name?
It was his father, Jeffrey Winslow, who coined him the nickname. “I would say around middle school, there was one particular game I went kind of crazy," he says. "My dad was like, ‘That was lethal.’ This was before social media, it was his term to me. It’s not with violence, it’s with basketball, it's with passion, it's with positive energy.”
02
Where did Lethal Shooter grow up?
Lethal learned how to play basketball on 1st Street in Washington DC. "My dad used to literally let me be outside all day until the street lights came on," he says. "About five or six years old, I realised 'Dang, basketball is pretty cool.'"
He makes it clear that growing up there wasn't the easiest. "Growing up in DC is definitely not easy," Lethal says. "You gonna be sidetracked a few times – one bad decision, you can end up dead or in jail." Whenever he found himself around situations that he knew wasn't the best, he would always hear his dad's voice, "That's not what you need to be doing."
Playing the sport at an early age provided Lethal with peace. “With basketball, it helped me to be distracted from all the negative that was going on around me," he says. "I feel like if it wasn’t for basketball, I would have been probably sucked into the same type of life. That’s when my dad would say ‘OK you can go to Rudolph and play basketball and instead of hanging out at the block, you can go work on your game.'”
03
Where did Lethal Shooter play college basketball?
Lethal played collegiate ball at two colleges, where he demolished almost every shooting record.
“So, I wanted to play in the big time. I’m blessed I had about 30 or plus high major scholarships," he says. “I chose Washington State." Why? "The reason why I chose Washington State is because Tony Bennett’s system - you know you shoot threes, that’s all I wanted to do, shoot threes.”
Without even visiting Washington State, Lethal committed. "The way Tony was talking to me on the phone, I was like ‘You know what, this is the place for me’ because I can get as far away from DC that I can so I can be focused."
But his freshman year didn't start that way. "I wasn’t focused. I was partying, having fun, just living life," says Lethal. "My dad called me 'You’re not shooting the way you usually do, what’s going on?' And I’m like 'Man, they’re not playing me, that’s why dad.' But in practice, I wasn’t showing them who I was."
Lethal remembers his first three years at Washington State were not easy. "I was getting pushed so uncomfortably because of how much Tony Bennett expected from me. He was just on me, everyday, wouldn’t let up," he says.
"So we’re going hard and we go to NCAA tournament, I don’t think I’m going to play. So of course, the night before, I’m hanging out with buddies, we’re having a good time," Lethal recalls. "The game is on the line, what does Tony do? 'Chris, come on in the game.' I get in the game, I’m not prepared, it was embarrassing. I said 'You know what, this next game I’m gonna be ready, I’m going to shoot the night before the game because this guy might just call my name randomly against Vanderbilt in the second round in the NCAAs.' So the game gets tight and crazy, when he calls me in the game, I’m knocking down shots now.”
He soon after made the decision to transfer. "I felt like I could play more. I wanted to go to a small school so it’s not so much going on," says Lethal. "So I decided to go to St Bonaventure. Once again, I’m going to a program that’s last in the Atlantic 10. My senior year comes, and we’re on fire. And we go to the Atlantic 10 tournament for the first time in like five years. I was first in the Atlantic 10 in three-point shots made, I was 5th in the nation in three-point shots made."
Finishing up his college career at St Bonaventure, "I think I ended on top because most importantly I graduated," Lethal says. "Not a lot of people where I come from make it to college, most importantly, not a lot of people graduate."
Lethal's goal after college was to play professional basketball. "It’s always everybody’s dream to get drafted to the NBA," he says. But that wasn't the case for Lethal. "I wasn’t drafted. Like dang I’m number one in the Atlantic 10 and Top 5 in the nation in threes made and I can’t even get an NBA practice?"
It was his dad who shared some wise words to keep him going. "My dad was like 'Look man, don’t sweat that. You keep working and keep doing what you need to do and everything is going to take care of itself.'"
When Lethal wasn’t picked up in the NBA, he found a career abroad.
"So I was going to different camps to show how good my game is. A lot of people didn’t know I had knee issues, I had surgery once in high school so I actually got another knee surgery. At all those camps, all the top Euro teams were saying 'Hey man, you fit what’s needed for our system in Europe.' My first contract in France was probably the most money I’ve ever made in my life, so I went to play in France, but I had this surgery."
05
What injuries did Lethal Shooter have?
Lethal had knee issues in high school and had surgery once, but unfortunately that wasn't the end of it.
"The one thing a lot of people will tell you about Europe, training camp is no joke," he remembers, mentioning running in the dirt, up the hill and with weights in his backpack. That eventually took a toll on him. "So my knee started locking up a little bit at training camp in France, so when the season started, my knee got worse," he reflects. "So I came back home to rehab again, I’m prepping everyday. Waking up the in morning, seeing the docs, shooting all day, in the afternoon seeing the docs. I’m back to who I really am."
As Lethal started hooping again and played in semi-pro teams in DC, he also started to get looks again. "I went to the G-League, I went to Russia, I went to China, I went to Mexico, I went to Iceland, I went to MBL Canada, I went to South America, but once again, injuries occurred," he explains.
The injury that really took the toll on him was when he was playing in South America. "I was playing in Bolivia and the altitude was so high that my body didn’t get used to it fast enough," says Lethal. "So I’m in practice, killing it, and I wake up in the morning and I couldn’t feel my legs. I started screaming. They take me to the hospital and they’re doing all these tests and don’t know what’s going on and they find out that my lung collapsed."
"I was literally in the bed for a month and a half straight," Lethal says. "And since I was in South America, I couldn’t have any family visit so I’m doing this by myself. I started realising this is towards the end of my career and I might be done. That’s when I started realising, 'You know what, this is over. You gave it everything you have. Everywhere you played, something happens. Everywhere you try to give it your all, something happens.'"
06
Does Lethal Shooter only train professional athletes?
In the documentary, you can see that Lethal doesn't only work with professional athletes. Throughout the film, he also trains with members of the local community and musicians including Drake, Machine Gun Kelly and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“He’s tapped in," says Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. "A lot of people go through life just not really seeing, not really paying attention - but when you’re really paying attention, you have a diligence and it’s good to be around. I want that, I like being around people that uplift me and help me grow.”
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