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By DJ Mo Twister, Special to The Manila Times
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NBA
superstar Le Bron James
displaying his all-star form. |
This is what I love about sports: Your success
and your opportunity for success, lay solely on you. In
professional sports, politics has no control.
There are no excuses. No third party blames. No
explanations such as, “I’m the best player on this team, I just
don’t have the chance to show it.” This is non-existent because
in professional sports, the stopwatch does not lie. The statistics
are what they are. Its mathematics really—you either are that
fast, that strong, that capable . . . or you’re not.
Two weeks ago, I spent 4 days in New Orleans in
what was my very first NBA All-Star game. Adidas, one of the
world’s leading sports apparel brand, sent me to cover this event
for my morning radio show on Magic 89.9. I’ve always been a
huge NBA fan, but in all my years, I have never had the chance to
attend a big playoff game, or an NBA Finals. Tickets to these
kinds of event are sold out instantly and the prices can empty a
wallet. So when I received word that I was headed for New Orleans,
of course I was ecstatic about it, but it was only when I set foot
on the hardcourt (my media pass proudly dangling from my neck as if
it were one of those diamond necklaces popular hip-hop artists wear)
that it became obvious how much better an All-Star game is than a
playoff or Finals series. Playoff games bring together two
great teams on the court, but All-Star games bring the best
players, like some sort of car show. Everywhere you look, one
of the NBA basketball’s elite players walking by—and best of
all, they are accessible to answer questions and pose for a photo.
The West All-Stars were an imposing bunch.
They were big, experienced, and they knew they had the better
players. I stood within 5 feet from Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, and
Amare Stoudamire, as they started their warm-ups. Looking at
them was like looking at the New York skyline. Seeing Kobe
Bryant and Steve Nash lacing up their shoes was surreal. A few
minutes later, I see a swarm of media men running to the other side
of the court, I can only imagine that the East All-Stars are making
their way. The first few East members I saw were Celtic
teammates Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Then Toronto big man Chris
Bosh. Suddenly, the crowd starts to frenzy and I can only imagine
why—Le Bron James enters the court. The NBA’s
biggest star. The media has dubbed him, “King James”, and
honestly, if Jesus was an NBA player, he’d probably look like this
dude.
Both teams put on a showcase for the fans and
the media. My pass allowed me to stand side by side with them,
asking questions and taking photos of the players in action.
So here are a few of my favorite photos from my All-Star weekend
experience. I can’t thank Adidas enough for making me feel like a
kid again. Oh, the East All-Stars won . . . and so did I.
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