G League, NBA veteran is looking to bring a championship to Kansas City

Renaldo Major has dedicated his life to basketball.

From the bright lights of the NBA and a D-League (now known as G League) championship to the more modest heights of minor league basketball in countries ranging from Finland to Puerto Rico, Major has built himself a basketball career that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

The all-time NBA G League leader in points (5,058), games played (400) and steals (502), among other records, has seen action ranging from 27 minutes in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors in 2007 to 10 years of experience in minor leagues for teams that don’t even exist anymore, like the Dakota Wizards and Bakersfield Jam.

And now, at age 36, Major is looking to make an impression with a Kansas City minor-league team: the Kansas City Tornadoes of a league dubbed simply The Basketball League (TBL).



“Getting Renaldo this past season was a great acquisition,” said Tornadoes coach Eddie Corporal. “He brings a lot to the table; not only because he’s a heck of a basketball player, but he’s a heck of a person and he brings a lot of leadership and maturity to this young group, and a lot of knowledge.”



The Tornadoes are entering their second season in the TBL, and their first in the newly renovated Hy-Vee Arena, the iconic former Kemper Arena.



The Tornadoes opened their season with an exhibition game against the Oklahoma Lightning, a 128-81 victory for the home team in front of a couple hundred spectators. Major didn’t see the floor during the game — he was resting following the team’s training camp.



Coached by Corporal — younger brother of former Kansas City King All-Star Otis Birdsong — and led on the court by Major, the pair are looking to bring a championship tradition back to Kansas City and Hy-Vee Arena, where the Kings won a Midwest Division championship in 1979.



“I see the potential that we have in our team,” Corporal said. “We’ve got the potential to be a really good team — this is a good team, we’ve got the potential to be really, really special. Like championship special.”



The addition of Major to the team was a straightforward process. A phone call from Corporal was all that it took to convinced the Chicago native to come to Kansas City.



“I fell in love with Coach Colonel; first conversation it was just really heartfelt and we talked about Otis and we talked about the Kings in Kansas City, and how they haven’t had a championship here in a long time and it would be big for the city,” said Major, who arrives in Kansas City from the Yakima SunKings. “And just talking about Otis Birdsong ... It just felt like home; I was just so happy and I wanted to be here.”



Being the oldest player on the team, Major expects to mostly bring leadership and experience to a young squad hungry for a championship. Major scored 5 points in his 27 minutes of NBA action with the Warriors, but as perhaps indicated by his plethora of G League records, the veteran brings more than just leadership.



“He brings so many intangibles. Not only is he a great defender, not only is he a great scorer, but just his leadership, that’s what he brings. He makes other players better. We missed him tonight,” Corporal said. “You could tell with him being on the bench helping out a little bit, but him being on the floor, he just opens things up so more better for the guys. He makes the game easier for everybody.”



The Tornadoes next take the court Wednesday for a final exhibition game against Living the Dream before opening the regular season at home on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. against the Raleigh Firebirds.

This story was originally published January 1, 2019 at 4:04 PM.