BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — When No. 24 is eventually hoisted to the Kohl Center rafters — honoring one of the most accomplished players, on and off the court, in program history — Michael Finley anticipates taking an inventory on his journey and all the people that made it possible. He already has.

Upon learning his jersey would be retired — joining those of Ab Nicholas (No. 8) and Frank Kaminsky (No. 44) — Finley confided, "It's a great honor not only for myself, but for a lot of people who were with me along the way. I think I'm more excited for those people than myself to be quite honest."

Family has always been first and foremost for Finley who got the biggest kick out of watching his mom, Bertha, ingratiate herself to Badger fans with her infectious enthusiasm. Making the 140-mile drive from Maywood, Illinois to Madison, winter storms be damned, she was there for all home games.

Bertha Finley wasn't shy about her presence, either. She never hesitated to wave the W flag or accompany the cheerleaders on the floor to the extent that she became a part of the gameday atmosphere in the venerable UW Field House on Monroe Street.

"Although we weren't winning as many games as we would have liked, she always had a great time," Finley said. "She enjoyed the fans at Wisconsin and the fans welcomed her with open arms from Day One. She truly, truly appreciated being a part of the Badger family."

Besides Bertha, who's currently rehabbing from hip surgery, and Finley's sisters, grandmother, niece and nephews, not to mention his wife Rebekah and their kids in Dallas, the "We Are Family" theme extends to his former UW teammates, particularly Howard Moore and Tracy Webster.

"My reason to come to Wisconsin in the first place," he said, "was because of those two guys."

Finley has been painfully aware of the adversity that has been dealt to Moore and his family. In late May of 2019, Moore, then a Wisconsin assistant coach, and his young son were the only survivors in a car crash that killed his wife and daughter. Moore is still rehabilitating from the accident.

Finley has his picture on his office desk. He thinks about him more than just once in a while.

"A lot of people like to take credit for the Michael Finley that you see now or the one you saw in the NBA," he said. "I know Howard Moore should be in that conversation. When I was down, he kept me up. He was like my mentor even though we were around the same age.

"I love the guy. He will always have that place in my heart."

In 1994, Finley and Webster combined with Rashard Griffith to make school history by leading the Badgers into the NCAA tournament for the first time in 47 years. After a first-round win over Cincinnati, they lost to Missouri despite getting 36 points from Finley and 27 from Webster.

"Tracy is one of my best friends," he said, mentioning him in the same breath with a college roommate James McDonald, who sits on the board of the Finley Foundation. "Between him and James, we talk at least once a week and it's not business related. I had no brothers growing up.

"I always see Tracy and Howard Moore as my big brothers and that will never change."

Loyalty is important to Finley who recently added the title of assistant general manager to his role as the vice president of basketball operations with the Dallas Mavericks. He played eight of his 15 NBA seasons (626 of his 1,103 career games) with the Mavs and has been the VP of Ops the last seven.

"Loyalty is big because with loyalty comes trust," said Finley, who will be assisting Dallas general manager Nico Harrison. "I don't have a lot of people in my circle because of that. My circle is small. Outside of my family, I have a few friends that I can call best friends and a few that I went to school with.

"Loyalty, to me, was big, especially with the coaching changes that I went through when I was at Wisconsin (from Steve Yoder to Stu Jackson to Stan Van Gundy). I had a chance to leave, but I just felt I owed the university four years because they took a chance on me when I was coming out of Maywood."

Webster, who's now scouting for the Mavs, has not forgotten his first impression of Finley.

"When he first got to Wisconsin, did I know that he was going to be an All-Star (a two-time NBA All-Star) right off the top? No, I didn't know that he would be that," said Webster, the UW's career leader in assists (501). "But after seeing his work ethic, I knew that he had a chance to be special.

"The dude was long, athletic and could shoot it better than what people thought. He has that demeanor like the kids say today, 'He wants all the smoke (ready and prepared for any task).' He was that type of guy. He studied everything, whether it was tests in the classroom or opponents.

"What I always tell people about him, 'He's not just an NBA professional. He's a PRO-fessional.' He's that guy who handles his business on and off the floor. This is not just Michael Finley getting his jersey retired because he scored all these points (2,147) at Wisconsin or played in the NBA.

"The way he walks his life is how he is measured. It's not just all the things that he has accomplished but it's all the things that he has done for people that nobody knows about because he doesn't broadcast it. A lot of stuff goes under the radar. That's who he is. He's a selfless guy.

"He does stuff from the bottom of his heart. That's why I'm happy his jersey is going up there."

Finley has heard Webster use that term — PRO-fessional — before. What does that mean to him?

"It means that I always valued the game whether I was a professional at the NBA level or a student-athlete at the UW — meaning that I never wanted to shortcut the game," Finley said. "I always wanted to get in the gym early and work to be the most prepared I could be when it came to games.

"And, at the same time, I wanted to carry myself in a professional way off the court with the way I represented the university or any NBA team that I was part of. I always wanted those franchises, those organizations to be proud of the man that is representing them on and off the court."

That pride in "representing" manifests itself in the Finley Foundation mission statement: "We are dedicated to inspiring, developing, and enhancing the skills of young people and their families and to instill the confidence needed to achieve personal and professional goals."

In developing the G.I.F.T.4.S platform (Giving Individuals the Fundamental Tools 4 Success from third grade through high school), Finley has pointed out, "I created the foundation to empower children and their families to unlock incredible results through education and life skills training."

In 2011, Finley endowed a scholarship to benefit minority student-athletes at Wisconsin. His narrative, in many respects, is emblematic of what the Raimey-Noland campaign is about in terms of creating initiatives and providing resources to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.

Mabel Watson Raimey and William Smith Noland were the first known African-American woman and man to graduate from the University of Wisconsin. Raimey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1918 while Noland earned his in 1875. Both were obviously trailblazers in much different eras.

"If you give people opportunities, it's up to them to take advantage of those opportunities," Finley said. "But a lot of times, these kids, especially where I grew up, never get that opportunity. And they can fall into the ill-wills of the world … The whole thing is about giving them that chance."

Finley is familiar with another trailblazer, Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to play in the NBA. In fact, he was the executive producer of a documentary on Lloyd's life called, "The First to Do It." Fittingly, it now applies to Finley being the first African-American to have his jersey retired at Wisconsin.

"It gives guys who have grown up in a similar situation to the way I grew up, it gives them an example that if you put the hard work into something and dedicate yourself to being a better person and player, good things can happen," said Finley, who completed his UW degree at age 41.

"Maybe it gives them the inspiration to see that they can make it one day."

Not even his closest friends, including Webster, predicted the success that Finley has enjoyed in the movie industry. Nobody saw that coming in 2009 when he started his own film production company, "Follow Through Production." Since then, the list of movie/documentary credits has been noteworthy.

"Life is a movie in that you want to star in your own movie," said Finley, who has countless hits as an executive producer (He's now with Argent Pictures). "Growing up, when you'd watch movies, you'd sometimes fantasize about being one of those characters who had a great story.

"By me getting into the movie side of things, I was able to not only tell the stories but help present the stories to the world that were intriguing to me. That's been a good place for me."

His favorite project was "The Butler" starring Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker, et al.

"I've always been a fan of Oprah — her upbringing was a tough one and to see where she is now is amazing," Finley said. "Working on 'The Butler', I had a chance to meet her and talk with her. Also, my mom had a chance to meet her, too. That made it even better.

"That was a great movie, great cast and a great experience to be a part of."

Whether it was "Birth of a Nation" — written and directed by Nate Parker, who has been one of the guiding lights for Finley in the business — or "American Made" featuring Tom Cruise, there has been an unconditional investment on Finley's part to making it right. Like his commitment to the Mavericks.

Remember, it goes back to loyalty which has led to expanded responsibilities in Dallas.

"It's exciting because I came into the front office not knowing what I really wanted to do," Finley said. "But each year, I've been able to learn so much. Because of that, and the hard work paying off, Nico (Harrison) and Mark (Cuban) thought highly enough of me for the promotion. Truly a blessing."

Finley acknowledged that he has traveled a long way from Proviso East High School where he was one of the Three Amigos with Donnie Boyce and Sherell Ford on a legendary team that won the 1991 state championship. They will celebrate that 30th anniversary this weekend in Chicago.

"Like I mentioned earlier about some guys being a part of my small circle — Donnie and Sherell — are still some of my good friends that I stay in contact with weekly," said the 48-year-old Finley. "It's great to have guys like that in your corner all these years."

Guys like Webster who said, "He's a brother to me. The respect level has always been there."

Bank on Webster, and so many other confidants, being there when No. 24 is hoisted this season.

"It represents a lot, not just to me," Finley said of his jersey retirement, "but to all the teammates I had. We have a bond. It represents those guys and the students that were there when I was. They can say, 'I went to school with that guy, and he represented the university in a great way.'

"For me, that's one of the big things I look forward to seeing when my number is in the rafters. It's also something of a legacy for my kids. If they ever decided to go to the UW, they can see their last name up there and that represents a lot for me as well."

When life imitates art — "The First To Do It" resonates in that small Finley circle and beyond.