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“Born Ready” needed to be reborn.
Lance Stephenson, the Coney Island product and New York State’s all-time leading scorer, earned the nickname while becoming a prep legend at Lincoln High School.
He didn’t fit with the Pacers when he arrived as a second-round draft pick three years ago. The characteristics that became part of the nickname — overconfidence in his ability and an oversized ego that bristled at criticism — led to what former teammate Jeff Foster said “was the most difficult rookie year” he can remember witnessing.
It took him three season, but Stephenson finally became ready to mature. He has morphed into is the antithesis of his “Born Ready” moniker, becoming a selfless teammate and willing complimentary piece, a starter for the Central Division-leading Pacers. When it was suggested he may be sent to the bench with the return of injured star Danny Granger, Stephenson said he looked forward to making the bench one of the NBA’s best.
“He went from a kid to a man,” said Foster, one of the players Stephenson credits for his turnaround. “He’s come lights years from where he was his rookie year.”
Stephenson was coddled his entire life, hailed as New York City’s next great player before his first varsity game at Lincoln. He was covered by local media like a pro in high school and an Internet reality show, entitled “Born Ready TV,” documented his journey.
After a solid freshman year at Cincinnati, in which he was named the Big East Rookie of the Year, he entered the NBA draft, where the Pacers nabbed him 40th overall (10th pick of the second round). There he found himself on the bench for the first time in his basketball career.
Stephenson’s NBA career began askew off the court, when he was arrested the summer after he was drafted for third-degree assault for allegedly pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs, charges that were later dropped, his agent and attorney Al Ebanks said. He was inactive much of the season and appeared in just 12 games his rookie year. He would get on veteran teammates after they were torched the night before, arrived late or lacked focus in practices and meetings, and didn’t take criticism well, keeping everyone at “arm’s length,” Foster said.
“It was hard for me coming from being The Man to being a player just on the team,” Stephenson said. “I had to learn I had to respect other players. Nobody ever criticized me [before I got to Indiana]. Everybody was just like, ‘you’re the best, you’re the greatest.’”
Clark Kellogg, the CBS announcer and Pacers VP for of player relations who has served as a mentor for Stephenson, began to see a change at the end of his rookie year. During his exit interview, Stephenson accepted fault for his lost season and acknowledged he didn’t handle criticism well. The two talked about Stephenson’s hopes, and what began as “me” turned into “we.”
“Hearing Lance talking about wanting to be a pro, wanting to help his teammates win, you have to change or you can be the most overhyped player to come out of Brooklyn. He didn’t want that,” Kellogg said. “You can change what happens to you. That’s the way I framed it.”
That summer, he spent a lot of time in Indianapolis at the Pacers practice facility watching film and working on his game. Though his minutes only slightly increased that next season, his improvement was evident.
Again this past summer, Stephenson remained Indiana and was particularly impressive in a local pro-am league, Ebanks said. He dominated like the Stephenson of old, without the “Born Ready” bravado. Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin could see the change when he attended practice in October.
“He was playing like a veteran, he knew all the plays. You could see he really understood his role on the team,” Cronin said. “That was a tell-tale sign for me he was going to play big minutes.”
When it was realized Granger would be out for the first half of the year, Gerald Green and Sam Young were expected to fill the void. But Stephenson won the job out of training camp and has put up quality numbers — 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2,8 assists in 28.6 minutes per game — in the framework of the Pacers’ system.
“Everyone talks about Paul George, but his development has been just s vital to our success as Paul’s,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.
Indiana general manager Donnie Walsh raved about Stephenson’s upside, how much room there still is for improvement while saying he has “shown he belongs in the NBA” with his two-way ability. He even noted a similarity to the league’s best player.
“Where’s he’s unusual is in transition. He’s like a mini-LeBron [James],” Walsh said. “once he gets going, he’s like a small freight train coming at you.”
Stephenson shares the credit for his metamorphosis like he now shares the ball, to coaches and teammates alike, from Kellogg to Vogel, Foster and forward David West. They all taught him what it meant to be a pro. Hall of Famer Larry Bird, the former Pacer general manager who drafted Stephenson and once said he was the most talented player on the roster, is at the top of the list. The two still talk often, though Bird isn’t with the Pacers anymore, about remaining focused, aggressive and consistent.
Stephenson’s maturity is an ongoing process, Kellogg said. He is, after all, just 22 years old, and had he not left Cincinnati, would be a senior in college.
There was the incident in last season’s postseason when he gave the choke sign to James. Just recently, he was fined $35,000 for his role in a skirmish against the Warriors, and he got into a verbal exchange with the Knicks’ J.R. Smith before halftime less than two weeks ago, which resulted in a double technical. Stephenson kept his cool the rest of the way, though, while Smith went on to get a second technical and automatic ejection.
“That was a lot of progress for him,” Cronin said.
Asked about his goals, Stephenson mentioned his hopes for the Pacers, not himself. He would like to be an All-Star one day, but added it would take a lot of hard work. He just felt he needed an opportunity, but didn’t say he feels he has proven anyone wrong either.
Such humility from “Born Ready?” No, that moniker he has been retired. He is born again as Lance Stephenson, a team-first guy. Most importantly, he’s an NBA starter with a bright future.
zbraziller@nypost.com