Road to Duke
Corey Antoine Maggette was born November 12, 1979, in Melrose Park, Illinois — a working-class suburb on Chicago’s western edge. His father was Jimmie Maggette. His mother Marguerite was one of five sisters in a family revolving around their father, Reverend Willie Dugan, a Baptist minister. The sisters lived within a short drive of each other — an extended clan bound by church, meals, and proximity.
There was a Christmas when money was tight. Corey’s brother Jimmie declined his own gifts so Corey could have what he needed. A small act of sacrifice in a modest home that crystallized the family’s values: you share what you have, you look out for the people beside you.
Corey found basketball at the Boys & Girls Club at twelve. The dream started there — not on a manicured AAU circuit, but in a community center where kids shot on bent rims. That origin never left him. When he made the NBA, he started Flight 50 Basketball Camp, initially inviting fifty kids.
At Fenwick High School in Oak Park: 23 PPG/10 RPG as a senior. State quarterfinals. Two-time All-State. McDonald’s All-American. Parade All-American. Also competed in the long jump.
The recruiting decision came down to Georgetown and Duke. John Thompson sold him like a father figure. But Coach K had a shared geography. ‘He’s from the South Side of Chicago, so right there you knew it was some type of connection being a fellow Chicagoan.’ The Chicago kid chose the Chicago coach.
At Duke
Maggette arrived in 1998 with Elton Brand (#1 recruit in America) and William Avery. Shane Battier was a sophomore. Trajan Langdon a senior. Duke went 37–2 — the best winning percentage in program history — and went undefeated in ACC play.
Maggette was the sixth man, the explosive freshman off the bench. 10.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG. ACC All-Rookie Team. His teammates nicknamed him “Maximus” for his jumping ability. His defining moment: a thunderous follow-up dunk against Temple in the East Regional Final. Julius Erving later compared his explosiveness to a young Vince Carter.
The championship game against UConn: Duke was favored by 9.5 — the biggest title-game spread in twenty years. TV networks showed Duke fans in Durham already celebrating. UConn saw it in their hotel. They won 77–74. Maggette scored 8 in 11 minutes. Langdon traveled in the final seconds. The best Duke team that never won a championship.
Then Maggette, Brand, and Avery made history: the first players to leave Duke early under Coach K. Before 1999, no Blue Devil had ever departed before his eligibility expired. ‘No one in Duke’s history had ever left, especially as a freshman. I felt it was a great opportunity to pursue this dream I started at the Boys & Girls Club.’
After Duke
A year after leaving, the Myron Piggie shadow fell. Maggette admitted accepting ~$2,000 from his AAU coach while in high school — an NCAA violation. Piggie was convicted. Duke was cleared in 2004 (unaware of payments). But the episode haunted both Maggette and the program.
Drafted 13th by Seattle, traded to Orlando, then to the LA Clippers (June 2000). The Clippers became home for eight years. “Maximus” in Staples Center: a 6-6, 225-pound freight train who lived at the free-throw line, a perennial 15+ PPG scorer. 2001 Slam Dunk Contest. Career-high 39 vs the Lakers. In 2006, the Clippers won their first playoff series since moving from Buffalo.
Golden State: 5-year, $50M. Chris Mullin praised his work ethic as a model for young players. Averaged 19.3 PPG over two seasons as sixth man. Then Milwaukee, Charlotte, Detroit (2013). Fourteen NBA seasons. ~$100M in career earnings.
His family moved to Orlando when he was drafted — Marguerite leaving her sisters behind so her son wouldn’t be alone. Charles Barkley once complimented her parenting. Julius Erving became a mentor. Michael Finley and Juwan Howard, fellow Chicago guys, advised him on saving money.
Where Is He Now
In 2006, Maggette founded the Corey Cares Foundation — serving, mentoring, and inspiring underprivileged youth through basketball. Partners with Boys & Girls Clubs. Runs the Flight 50 camp (grown from 50 kids to hundreds). Raises scholarship money. Born from the same impulse as that Christmas when his brother gave away his gifts.
In 2017, he joined Ice Cube’s BIG3 league. Opening game: tore his Achilles. Most 37-year-olds would have retired. Maggette came back the next season, was named 2018 BIG3 MVP and Captain of the Year, scored 27 in the championship, and led Power to the title at age 38.
Now a Fox Sports analyst for the LA Clippers and college basketball. Married Milagro Martinez in 2006. Son Sergio is an emerging high school basketball talent in Orange County. Lives in Southern California.
He is 45. Born in Melrose Park. His brother gave up Christmas presents so Corey could have his. Found basketball at the Boys & Girls Club at twelve. Chose Duke because Coach K was from the South Side. Part of the best team that never won — 37-2, 9.5-point favorites, beaten by UConn. One of the first three to ever leave Duke early. The Piggie scandal cast a shadow. Fourteen NBA seasons, $100 million, called Maximus, Charles Barkley complimented his mother’s parenting. Tore his Achilles at 37, won BIG3 MVP at 38. The camp he started with fifty kids is still running. The foundation is called Corey Cares, because that’s the whole point — he does.