PHOTO: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist played eight years in the NBA before founding Change & Impact Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting awareness around stuttering, while also expanding resources and improving access to healthcare. His advocacy has focused particularly on underserved communities and on reducing the stigma surrounding speech differences.
VALDOSTA – Former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recently spoke to future speech-language pathologists at Valdosta State University.
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VALDOSTA — Former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recently delivered a powerful and personal message to future speech-language pathologists at Valdosta State University.
Speaking to a class of graduate-level students in VSU’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Kidd-Gilchrist opened up about his lifelong journey as a person who stutters and his mission to advocate for greater awareness, acceptance, and support. He spoke candidly about growing up without early intervention, navigating a world that often misunderstood him, and pursuing his dream of playing professional basketball despite the communication challenges he faced. He grew up believing his voice was something he had to hide.
When Kidd-Gilchrist shared how he did not receive his first speech therapy until he was 18 years old, a sharp gasp went around the room. Early intervention for a child who stutters is not just about supporting smoother communication. It’s also about protecting a child’s confidence, nurturing their resilience, and ensuring their voice grows stronger than their fear.
Kidd-Gilchrist said the world can be a lonely place for people who stutter. He said he did not know where he would be without the speech-language pathologist he met and worked with in college.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but he grew up in Somerdale, New Jersey. As a student at St. Patrick High School, he was considered one of the best basketball players in the United States. In July 2010, about three months after he committed to playing for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, he was part of the gold medal-winning United States team in the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Germany.
After one season with Kentucky, where he helped the Wildcats earn their eighth NCAA National Championship, Kidd-Gilchrist was selected second overall in the 2012 NBA Draft to play for the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). He remained with the Hornets through early 2020 when he joined the Dallas Mavericks.
Kidd-Gilchrist played eight years in the NBA, and while his achievements as an athlete captured national attention, he said his most meaningful work began off the basketball court, when he decided to use his platform to publicly embrace his stutter and advocate for children who lack access to early intervention resources.
He said he may have slipped through the cracks, but he does not want another child who stutters to grow up feeling isolated and overlooked.
In 2021 Kidd-Gilchrist founded Change & Impact Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting awareness around stuttering, while also expanding resources and improving access to healthcare. His advocacy has focused particularly on underserved communities and on reducing the stigma surrounding speech differences. He is proud of his efforts to encourage state leaders across the country to pass legislation that guarantees children can get the early intervention speech therapy they need regardless of their family’s ability to pay.
This work is his true passion.
Aliyah Ryan, a VSU Master of Education in Communication Disorders student from Augusta, Georgia, said she found Kidd-Gilchrist’s message inspiring.
“This presentation encouraged me to reflect on the important role speech-language pathologists can play in state-level advocacy,” she shared. “As a future speech-language pathologist who plans to work with children, I recognize that many families face barriers to accessing services, and policies like these can help improve access to care. It reinforced my commitment to not only support clients clinically but to also advocate for equitable services.”
Kidd-Gilchrist’s visit highlights VSU’s ongoing commitment to experiential learning and community engagement, connecting students with leaders whose lived experiences deepen their understanding of the populations they will serve.
“Michael travels around and speaks with groups, organizations, and universities about the impact of stuttering on everyday life,” said Dr. Matt Carter, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and program director for the Scottish-Rite Literacy Center, both at VSU. “His visit enables our students to better understand the stuttering community by interacting with an individual who has lived with and persevered through the difficulties that are associated with a severe communicative impairment.”
Before he left, Kidd-Gilchrist emphasized the critical, life-changing role speech-language pathologists play, not only in helping people develop communication skills but also in building their confidence and self-worth. He stressed the importance of compassionate, informed intervention. He reminded the VSU students that while fluency may be part of the goal, empowering a voice that once struggled to be heard is more important.
