Last Feb. 17 to 19, I took part in the NBA’s midseason showcase, the NBA All-Star Weekend, which featured such events as the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge, the Slam Dunk Contest, and the battle between the Eastern Conference All-Stars and their Western counterparts.
Let me, as best I can, recount the highlights of my All-Star Weekend experience that you didn’t see on TV.
Thanks to Adidas, I got a chance to talk to the Big Three: Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. All have new kicks in stores, most notably the Adidas_1, the first intelligent basketball shoe ever made, worn by Tim Duncan during the All-Star Game. I also interviewed Adidas’ rising stars such as Dallas Mavericks point guard Devin Harris, high-flying Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, lightning-quick Milwaukee Bucks point guard TJ Ford and Orlando Magic forward/center Dwight Howard, who leads the league in rebounds. Plus, I got a chance to talk to two up-and-comers from outside the USA, Indiana Pacers 29-year-old rookie guard Sarunas Jasikevicius from Lithuania and Chicago Bulls forward Andres Nocioni, from gold medal-winning Argentina. Finally, I interviewed a duo of the league’s top point guards, the Detroit Pistons’ Chauncey Billups and the Washington Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas, who wears low-cut Adidas walking shoes during basketball games.
I was courtside, on the floor, during the East and West practice, watching these guys in action. I was so close to Lebron James that I could grab his headband and make a run for it. I got to see Shaquille O’Neal trying to shoot three’s. Later in the East practice, the All-Stars were attempting to hit half-court shots. Lebron banked one in, Rip Hamilton swished it and the injured Jermaine O’Neal made it as well. On the West side, Kobe Bryant made it, which prompted Tony Parker to guarantee Kobe that he’ll make one during the Shooting Stars competition, which he did and which resulted in Parker’s team winning the event in record time. In between the practices, during the media availability period, I got up close to the likes of Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen, Elton Brand and Chris Bosh, who I was actually able to talk to.
Probably the least glamorous, but equally exciting experience I had that weekend was seeing and being among all the top NBA writers and analysts of this time, like ESPN’s senior NBA writer Marc Stein and stats-guru John Hollinger, former coach Jack Ramsay, NBA TV analysts Fred Carter and Rick Kamla and, of course, The Star’s own Quinito Henson. Yeah, being among all the NBA stars made me feel like the luckiest fan on earth, but being among all these guys made me feel like a legit sportswriter. And that’s a lot more fulfilling.
Finally, and this one I’m taking with me to the grave, I got scolded by Ben Wallace for taking photos of him in the locker room without his shirt on. That was memorable. Imagine this hulking giant with muscles bulging out of everywhere getting pissed at you. To my defense, I was taking pictures of everything I possibly could in there; I’m only inside an NBA locker room once in a lifetime. I was just being a fan.
For me, basketball is almost like a religion. So going to Houston for the All-Star Weekend was like going to Mecca. It’s an experience that I’m going to keep sacred.
Just like Toys ‘R Us.