My trip to Dallas started out with uncertainty. Our flight left Seattle early Thursday morning with the knowledge that many flights were canceled going into DFW, because it was snowing with a forecast of 9" of snow for that day - the most in over 40 years. Do you believe in Climate Change?
Our flight was one of the few that made it in and I arrive in time to go to Jam Session and the Legends Shoot-Out. After signing autographs for a while AC Green, Bruce Bowen, Mitch Richmond and I competed in a Legends shoot-out (that makes me feel old). I felt much older after only making 3 out of 12 NBA 3 pointers, but then again I had lots of excuses: I had not shot 3's in a while, the balls were slick and I had to pee. :) Fun time joking around with AC and talking about the jerry curl he used to have. I remember I had a roommate in college with a curl and I made him put a towel on the back of the sofa.
The plan that night was to attend at least one of the many parties and we went on to Magic and Zo’s billiard party to support the relief effort in Haiti. Over 2000 people showed up – and all the celebs were out to play. The music was so loud my ears were ringing for 2 days!
The next day I helped build a playground at an elementary school (not much work in 1 h, but the actually work crew did a fantastic job and most of the work), met with NBA.com about hosting their German website, went to the NBA Partner Reception and on to the FedEx dinner (a group I have gotten to know well over the years). Afterwards I stopped by the TNT All Star Reception and had planned on going to Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry’s party. At that point it was already late and I was not very excited to head out to an airport hangar in the snow.
All-Star Saturday was spent at the NBA Africa reception and then at the evening festivities at American Airlines Arena. Steve Nash surprised everyone in the Skills Challenge again that a 35 year old can still rule just by having fun and playing with enthusiasm (duh – trying to be cool in a competition usually does not win it). The 3 Point Competition was close and competitive, but not very exciting and the Slam Dunk Contest was marginal to say the least. I believe people still had a great time because the atmosphere was very entertaining and American Airlines Arena is one of the best.
On Sunday morning I played a pick-up game with the International Media. About 20 guys showed up and we had two courts going for a little over an hour. Age and skill levels were all over the place and it made for some funny moments until a late 50 year old former player from Hungary got into it with a 35+ year old Canadian, who played hard, but would have been better at ice hockey ( I told him: “Son you’re playing hard, but you’re killing us!”). I had to separate the 2 teams and tell the guys that we are playing for fun and beers and not the MVP trophy.
Right after I rushed to the Legends Brunch where I was very honored to be able to present Sam Perkins with a Community Service Award. The event was attended by over 1000 people and well done.
Following the brunch I was a last minute substitute for the NBA 80’s Round Table with Bill Walton, Kevin McHale, Daryl Dawkins and Michael Ray Richardson. I felt a little out of place because even though I played against all of them it was at the tail end of their careers. Some funny stories were told and you can check it out on NBA TV. Of course I have a couple more Daryl Dawkins suits for you:
Getting to the All-Star game that evening only took us a little over an hour compared to some people who spend 2+ hours in traffic. 108,000 people attended - Guinness Book world record! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The game was as All-Star games go, but at least it was close at the end. Steve Nash tried his best to get his buddy Dirk Nowitzki the MVP trophy, but the unbelievable athletic and showmanship talents of Dwayne Wade and LeBron James overshadowed his great shooting. The half time show might have been the highlight of the evening with Beyonce and ? rocking the stage and a 100” screen showing close ups of Beyonce’s skimpy outfit and behind. I felt like I was a fly on the wall of a small dressing room. I watched people looking at the screens mesmerized and maybe drooling a little.Getting home from the game was no joke and then at 1 AM knowing I had to get up early I called it a night. With all the NBA activities and scheduling quite a few meetings in-between with agents, players, adidas and the NBA the 4 days went by quickly. I hope to be able to get some rest the next couple days. I know from experience that the players attending All-Star can’t re-charge their batteries for the second half of the season like they wish they could. Too many events and way too many parties. Almost every player has one plus Magic and Zo, Michael Jordan, the NBA and Player’s Association and a few of the rappers.
Like they say: NBA – it’s fantastic!
See you next year in LA LA land!
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