January 28, 2020

Memories of Kobe Bryant & Jimmer

Just like everyone, our family was stunned by the news of the early and sudden death of Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter. There were 9 in the helicopter so there are others that are suffering just as much with the loss of a family member. We pray for comfort for them also. I guess when you hear about the early death of a celebrity, everyone is so shocked because you almost feel like you know them. It’s no less shocking for a close family member that dies suddenly but with a well known person in the public eye, it is a collective shock and mourning from people all over the world. They are larger than life it seems, but we forget that they are people just like you and me and they are subject to the same things in this life….the good things and the bad things…the happy things and the sad things. Something like this brings home the frailty of life to everyone.

I still remember where I was when we heard the shocking news of the assassination of JFK way back in the 60s, also Princess Diana’s sudden death, Michael Jackson…and I will remember where I was when I heard this shocking news about 41 year old Kobe Bryant. It’s almost like time stands still for a second and your brain takes a snap shot of the shocking event the first time you hear it and it will stay in your memory forever. It is tragic. It is haunting. It is surreal and most of all, it’s just plain sad. It’s not suppose to happen like this at such a young age…especially for Kobe’s daughter who had her whole life ahead of her. Kobe and his daughter were close, as we could all see, and they had plans for their futures… but their future didn’t happen as they had planned. The same is true for the other passengers in that helicopter. Their families are grieving the loss of their loved ones just like the Bryants… but in a more private way.

The first time I remember hearing about Kobe Bryant was when I was home visiting my parents many years ago. We were a very sports-minded family so of course my father watched the sports channels all of the time. As we were watching, the channel was showing a young, cocky, 17 year old kid named Kobe Bryant, who they claimed would one day be a superstar in basketball. I remember my mother saying that she thought he had a cute smile. Well he did become a superstar and his smile was as iconic as he was. Not only did this young kid have the talent, but he had the drive and that insatiable will to win. I don’t think he ever lost it. I think the cockiness slightly mellowed over the years and he became a leader that inspired his teammates to be the best they could be. There were many people that were not fans of his at all, but fans or not, you can’t deny that he had amazing talent on the basketball court. He wasn’t a perfect man. He made mistakes, like all of us do, but he seemed to pull his life back together after some trouble in 2003 and became a good family man and especially a good attentive father. Life is about experiences, learning lessons and trying to be better. I think he did that.

He was very involved in his daughter’s basketball. She had his smile and I can imagine she had the same drive that he had too. As he was contemplating his future after his retirement I think he found a way to, not only be involved in the sport that he loved, but to also be a big part of his daughter’s life. He had 4 daughters that I bet he would have groomed to be great basketball players too. Who knows what he could have done for woman’s basketball. All of those plans were snuffed out with this tragic ending. But his legacy will always be here. The only bit of comfort that we can feel is that Kobe and his daughter went together and if you believe in an after life, like I do, I know that all 9 passengers in the helicopter are well and happy and still live. Time, the great healer will help those left behind but what a tough road they have to travel. My heart goes out to them…especially Kobe’s wife who lost a husband and a daughter.

When Jimmer played for the Sacramento Kings, our family was really excited for them to play against the LA Lakers because we knew we would see Kobe Bryant play in person. A very kind friend of ours let us sit in their court side seats which happened to be right next to the Lakers bench. Of course I was star struck and made sure I had my video camera. What a thrill for us to see Jimmer out there playing against all of those guys. It was almost surreal to see him play against one of his childhood idols in basketball. He actually had to guard Kobe for awhile. He did very well against him and he was the typical confident Jimmer out there. I can’t remember how many points he had but it was in the teens and he played very well. So exciting.

The next time the Kings played the Lakers it was away in the Staple Center. It just so happened that my son, TJ, and two friends of his, were in LA at the time and Jimmer was able to get them good seats. The Kings lost the game but Jimmer had a good game scoring 18 points in 12 minutes. It was exciting for TJ to see his brother doing so well against the Lakers. It didn’t matter that they lost the game, because like a true good brother, he was just there to support and cheer for Jimmer.

I was watching the game on television and at the end when they shake hands, I noticed that Kobe said something to Jimmer… so being the curious Mom, I asked Jimmer what he said. He told me that Kobe said to him “Nice shooting young fella.” That meant a lot to Jimmer coming from one of the greatest shooters in the league and it probably means a lot more to him now. After hearing that encouraging, gracious comment from Kobe to my son, he became one of my favorite players and I’ve never forgotten it. He also tweeted out something to Jimmer, on the Chinese equivalent of our Twitter, after Jimmer scored 75 pts for Shanghai. Kobe respected the talents of others and he obviously noticed Jimmer’s scoring abilities. I know that Jimmer appreciated the kindness and acknowledgement from Kobe to him. It meant a lot.

So rest in peace Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the other passengers…. and God bless and comfort those left behind.

I will show you some pictures and video that I took sitting near the Lakers bench. I think my daughter Lindsay was sitting next to me just as thrilled as I was. The first video I took of Jimmer all alone in the middle of the court. It was a packed house that night with lots of excitement. The year before Jimmer had just come off being voted college player of the year and had a lot of fans and of course Kobe was a legend in basketball already. I always wondered what Jimmer was thinking about being out there with one of his favorite childhood players. He grew up being in the limelight on the basketball court so I think he probably just took it all in stride like all of the professional players. What a thrill for him and I’m sure the memories of it mean more to him now that Kobe is gone.

You will see in one of these videos that the Lakers coach stood in front of me a lot of the time but it was kind of interesting listening to him complain to the refs. They are all just short clips and a little blurry but you get the idea of what I was seeing. Wish I had taken more. This was a good Lakers team with Kobe, Derek Fischer, Luke Walton, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Steve Blake etc.

Take care everyone.

The very first encounter with Jimmer and Kobe.

Kobe watching as Jimmer made the shot.

I was close enough to see his tattoo.

Kobe and his teammate Derek Fischer, who was also a very good player. He said some nice supportive things to Jimmer also.

Kobe in his familiar resting stance on the court.

Kobe looked right at me when I was taking this video. Maybe I wasn’t suppose to be doing that.

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May 1, 2017

Another NBA presence in our house…

When Jimmer was a Senior at BYU and just getting started with basketball season, it was customary for the team to play a game at the Seniors’ hometowns….or at least close to it. Many of the guys are from Utah, or somewhere in the West, so it’s not much of a problem to schedule their games. Jimmer’s situation was different, he was from NY. After much deliberation and planning, it was going to happen. A D1 college game was coming to Glens Falls, NY. I’m not going to talk about all that happened during that game on this post, but I’ll just say it was a perfect, magical night for us all. BYU won the game against UVM. It was a memory we will never forget.

Something interesting happened at our house the day of the game. I was sitting on the couch when I heard a knock on the door. As I looked out the window, I saw a tall middle aged man. I didn’t recognize him but I noticed he was holding something in his hand. As I cracked opened the door (my husband was home so it was ok), the stranger asked me if Jimmer was home. Obviously he knew that Jimmer was in town for the game and assumed he would be staying here with us at home. Actually Jimmer had to stay with the team at the Queensbury Hotel so he wasn’t here at the time.

“Well I wanted to give him these pictures,” said the man. As he showed me the pictures, I recognized that they were taken in our house. He told me that he was one of the guys in the pictures and that he used to live in this house. He grew up here with 2 or 3 brothers ( I can’t exactly remember how many)….very tall brothers in this little tiny house. His name was Ray. I don’t know what I was more surprised by…. that he lived here at all, or that those TALL people lived here. Our house is not made for tall people. Everyone knows that if you are tall, there are places in our house that you have to duck your head, especially upstairs. How in heaven’s name did these very tall teenage boys manage in this house?!!! Ray said he was 6′ 6″ tall! I guess you make due with what you have. Well anyways, we talked for awhile about his life here and in this neighborhood. By then I had invited him in to look over his old homestead. He was clearly going down nostalgia lane as he looked around. We all can imagine how he felt being in the home where he grew up. Lots of memories.

He then proceeded to tell me that this tall black man in the picture was a young Bob Lanier. He was the #1 draft pick in the NBA in 1970. He was 6’11” tall. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. At the time that this picture was taken, I’m not sure if he was already in the NBA or he was in college where he was playing for St. Bonaventure, a college near Buffalo, NY. He actually was born in Buffalo. You can google him and read about his history and accomplishments. Very impressive. His shoe size alone is very impressive actually. Size 23!!! Of course my first question was how did he happen to have his picture taken in our house? Unfortunately I can’t remember what he said, but I know he did mention something about basketball in Albany. It will forever be a mystery as to why Bob Lanier was here. The point is that he was here. Maybe he left behind some NBA “vibes” in our house. I noticed that Lanier’s jersey was #16. Jimmer was #16 when he played for the Knicks D League. I personally like the #32 better. Ha!

Ray not only lived in this house but I also found out that he played basketball on some of the same summer teams as my husband, Al. You can see in the picture that Ray is not much shorter than Bob Lanier. Al said that he loved playing basketball and he was a good player himself. If that wasn’t a coincidence enough, he dated and married a girl who went to the same college that I did. I actually knew her. She was a wonderful, very sweet, girl. The sad part of this story is that he told me that she had passed away from a rare form of cancer a few years ago. My heart sank. As he talked about her, even though it had been awhile since she had been gone from his life, he clearly was still in a lot of emotional pain. He lingered here in the house longer than I expected. In retrospect, I realized that this man was here, not only because he was a Jimmer fan and wanted to do something nice for him by bringing him those pictures, but he also came back to his childhood home to soak in some memories of days gone by….a simpler time for him. I’m sure it gave him some comfort to be here and to talk to someone that knew his wife Kathy. Ray ended up coming back one other time just to talk but we haven’t seen him since then. My hope is that he has found solace and happiness once again in his life.

So it was quite a day that we experienced. Bob Lanier is about 68 years old now. Hard to believe those pictures were taken so many years ago.

So this tiny little house has a history for sure. It may not be in the best shape, it’s weathered and warn out, but a lot of excitement and interesting things happened here. We’ve had people from everywhere in this house. We’ve had the prestigious Naismith Award, Oscar Robinson Award, Wooden Award, Oscar Robinson award, AP award, the Espy award, etc., ESPN crews, BYU media crews, NYC crews, newspaper people, whole basketball teams from both my sons playing years, people from other states stopping by to see where Jimmer grew up, my daughter’s accolades from school, dancing and winning Miss NY Teen USA….the house actually looks like a small museum (some people have said), but to me the best thing that ever happened in this house is that all 3 of my children were born and grew up here. It was full of love for each other and love for God, much excitement, good friends, an occasional pet or two, good times, some tough times, but like every family, you wake up every morning and go to sleep at night and hope that in between, your days are filled with good health and meaningful, productive, successful experiences. The pages of life turn very quickly, and the years fly by, but this house, such as it is, has given me a lifetime of memories….and more to come I’m sure.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time….see ya!

Kay

Ray and Bob Lanier in our house…the house where Ray grew up also. Yup that door is still here. They made those doors sturdy back then.

Yup this is our front entryway….an older version, but you can see how Bob Lanier had to duck to get out of the house.

lots of action and love in this humble little home….

February 19, 2017

JIMMER DROPS 73!!

Six days from now Jimmer will be celebrating his 28th birthday, five days from now his team will tip off Shanghai’s first CBA play-off game in years, and four days from now, Jimmer’s wife Whitney is due to give birth to their first born child back in Denver, Colorado. I’d say that these very special life events could be the cause of Jimmer being on a high. So I guess it was only right that he lived up to that high by putting up a career high, and not just a professional career high – a lifetime career high!

In what turned out to be the best basketball game I have seen all year at any level, my little brother did something historic. He finished the exhilarating, double overtime, barnburner of a battle in a fashion that would make his most faithful fans have joyful flashbacks of the Jimmermania days. . . and then some. His greatest scoring performance in his college career came against New Mexico when he dropped 52 in the Mountain West Conference tournament. In his high school and AAU years I recall a lot of high 40’s, a couple 50’s, and if I’m correct even a 60-point performance. Although all of those magnetic showings were beyond impressive, they all paled in comparison to what Jimmer just did Sunday night in the heart of China (Sunday morning here in the states). Jimmer recorded a personal, lifetime best, 73 points in game that can now be considered an instant classic in the ranks of the CBA. It was an inspiring affair. It was a special moment that will definitely never be forgotten. It was a back and forth slugfest where both the Sharks and the opposing Lions played a lights out game. The kind of game where you might find yourself breathing heavy just from watching the exhausted players fight through the fatigue of a game that didn’t ever want to end. Unfortunately for the Sharks they were edged out in the end, but regardless of the outcome, it was an incredible, event played out in front of an ultra animated crowd, who can be credited with providing an absolutely intoxicating atmosphere.

Now this is it. The regular season is officially over. All the early morning training sessions, unforgiving road trips, and season long sacrifices have lead to this. The CBA Play-offs! This Friday the long awaited competition will kick off with a bang in the nation of China. Will the Sharks do what they set out 5 months ago to do? Will Jimmer be able to ride out the momentum of his historic 73-point night? I know I for one, cannot wait to find out! Stay tuned for updates on the Shanghai Sharks as their play-off ride begins!

china-pictures-and-cat-012 china-pictures-and-cat-007 jimmer-video-004

February 7, 2017

FROM CHINA TO DENVER – THE ONE CONSTANT FOR JIMMER

If the phrase, “time flies when you’re having fun,” has any merit, and I believe it does, then Jimmer’s trip home to Denver over Chinese New Year break must have felt like it was over within less than a nano second. I mean let’s face it, when you’re dealing with a 13 hour flight one way, the amount of hours you spend relaxing on your four day trip is literally almost equivalent to the amount of hours you spend in the air. Some might say that with that kind of flight to vacation time ratio, the long haul across the planet might not have even been worth the jet lag for Jimmer. However, I guess anyone who would say that, surely didn’t take into account exactly what Jimmer was going home for.

The drastic ups and downs of Jimmer’s roller coaster of a career could make the rides at Six Flags look like a slide at Chuck E. Cheese. The highs and lows can be overwhelming, and at times be very difficult to put into proper perspective. Fortunately for Jimmer, throughout it all, there has always been one crucial constant. Whether he was lighting it up at the Garden, sitting at the end of the bench in New Orleans, gazing out the window of his hotel room after a D League back to back in Des Moines, with 30 below winds whipping across the cornfields outside, or he was clear across the Pacific Ocean, hitting game winning free throws in Singapore in front of a crowd full of ecstatic non-English speaking fans, he’s always had that one constant to help him stay grounded. That one constant, is the exact thing that he was beyond thrilled to hop on a 13 hour flight last week to go see…. even if it was only for a short while. That one constant, is his family. His wife Whitney who he adores, and who is now carrying their first child due to be born in less than a month, and his picture perfect Golden Retriever named George, who lights up like a stadium every time Jimmer returns home. His family was there before the fame, during the fame, and will still be there when the fame is long gone. They’ve been there through his most challenging moments, to take on his struggles with him, and help lift him up when the pitfalls of an unforgiving spotlight tried to keep him down. They were there to celebrate with him, when the thrills of success were thrust upon him in abundance. They were there to help him make some of the toughest decisions he’s ever had to make in his life (well, maybe George had no part in the decision making process, but certainly Whitney). Those tough decisions include the decision to make a heartfelt sacrifice to leave his family behind and travel across the world to begin a new, exciting, but somewhat scary chapter of his career, in a country that he had never been to, and really knew nothing about. They were there through it all, and are there at this very moment, as his career in China begins to soar to heights we never knew would be possible on another continent. Knowing that they are there. . . there at home, waiting for him to return after months of being away. . . there on those days when it seems like everything on the court is going against him. . . there when a sports reporter paints a picture of negativity on the canvas of his career, there when he puts up 51 and leads his team to a big victory. . . but even more importantly, there when everything goes quiet, when the spotlight is no longer targeting his every step, when the critics no longer have him on their radar, and the fans have moved on to the next big thing. Those are the moments when Jimmer realizes more than ever, that he already has everything he needs. His wife, and his family…that is the one constant. They are what made 26 total hours on a plane for only a four day stay, way beyond worth it for Jimmer. They are always there, and that’s what keeps him grounded, and that’s what keeps him happy. . . no matter what.

…Now for a quick update on the Sharks. Coming off of the Chinese New Year Break, the Sharks were able to fight off a rusty start, to come back after being down 14 points to Qingdao, picking up another big victory and keeping their undefeated home streak alive. Jimmer lead the team with 37. Now the Sharks prepare for the last couple weeks of the regular season as they fight tooth and nail to enter the playoff picture as the number one seed. With some red hot teams out there neck and neck with the Sharks, such as Carlos Boozer and the Guangdong Southern Tigers, hanging on to that one seed will certainly be a challenge – but one I believe that Shanghai is up for! Stay tuned to see how the rest of this exciting regular season unfolds, as the CBA gears up for an intense, competitive playoff run!

Here are some pictures and a video of some of the beautiful sites in Shanghai.

This is why he traveled so far for only 4 days at home.

and baby makes 3… but 4 when you count George

back to work….

Beautiful sunset…they are 12 hours ahead of us normally but with the time change it’s 13 hours ahead now.

January 9, 2017

Recap on Jimmer’s All-Star weekend

Sunday night, with the spotlight shining brightly upon them, the superstars of the CBA put on a show for the wide-eyed Beijing crowd. The CBA All-Star weekend was well underway, and Jimmer was honored and excited to be a part of it. It turned out to be a really big weekend for Jimmer. In front of swarms of media, thousands of excited fans, and even some fellow former NBA colleagues, such as Stephon Marbury, Andre Blatch, and Marshon Brooks. . . Jimmer was able to capitalize on this wonderful opportunity.

He started out the weekend by unveiling his new shoe to the Chinese public as well as the world of social media. His shoe deal with 361 is now official, and for the rest of the season he will be sporting his sharp new shark blue sneakers. A lot of people have been asking us where they can get his shoe, and I promise as soon as that information is available we will be sure to make an immediate announcement!

Jimmer went on from unveiling his new shoe, to shooting his way into the finals of the 3-point shooting contest which was held Sunday night at halftime of the main event. If you haven’t heard by now, I’m proud to announce that Jimmer came away the 3-point king, winning the competition with a high of 22 points in the championship round! His 3-point prowess was on full display as he dazzled the crowd with a barrage of beyond the ark bombs, and in the end was rewarded with the CBA 3-point contest trophy.

From there Jimmer went on to have a very successful All-Star game, where he lead all scorers with a 32 point performance, knocking down a team high 6 treys. Unfortunately he fell just short of MVP honors due to his team losing a nail biter that went right down to the wire.

On the bright side however, during the All-Star game Jimmer was able record his first overseas dunk, rising up and throwing it down off of a steal that he got near half court in the 3rd quarter. His teammates rose up with smiles and excitement upon seeing Jimmer catch his first CBA jam. Even Marbury, who was on the opposing team, couldn’t help but run up to Jimmer with a big smile and give him a hug. At mid court Jimmer and Marbury, the former high school legend from Coney Island, who Jimmer had eagerly watched play in the Glens Falls Civic Center when he was only 7 years old, embraced with smiles as Steph said to him. . . “I didn’t know you could dunk?!” It was a special moment to cap off a very special weekend.

Jimmer said he had a wonderful time at the CBA All-Star festivities and he was shown a lot of love and support by coaches, players, media, and the fans. He enjoyed his time in Beijing, but now it’s back to business! The home-stretch of the season is now upon the Shanghai Sharks. Having lost 2 straight for the first time of the season coming into All-Star break, can they re-group and get back on the dominating track where they had been throughout most of the season? With a big target on their back, it won’t be easy. It will, without a doubt, be a tough fight to the finish for the Sharks as they continue to determinedly push forward on their quest for a CBA title. Stay tuned to see how the rest of this exciting season unfolds!

Here are some great behind the scene’s pictures of Jimmer this weekend, along with some footage of him catching his dunk courtesy of Jimmerwatch.

January 7, 2017

Jimmer’s All-Star CBA weekend

Here are some good behind the scenes shots of Jimmer at All-Star weekend in Beijing. Today he advanced to the finals of the three point competition which will be held tomorrow at halftime of the All-Star game. He’s had a great time so far hanging out with Stephon Marbury and other star players throughout the league. I will have more pictures and a full recap of the weekend by Monday so stay tuned!

friendly visit to a school….

Bejing air is tough….had to protect their lungs coming in to the school.

practicing in the gym before All Star Weekend begins…

All of the ALL- STARS 2016-2017 season

warming up on the court for the 3 point contest…

ready for his turn…my father must have had good seats to take this picture.

Nice arena….nice uniform

Jimmer’s up…

made it to the finals tomorrow night at half time during the game.

Shanghai Shark reps at the game…

Jimmer’s new signature shoe. He is debuting them here at the All Star game. He has partnered with a sporting goods company called 361.

If you want a Shanghai Sharks T shirt, go to http://www.kayz3.com

January 2, 2017

HAPPY “KNEW” YEAR

As soon as that extravagantly bright, world renowned, giant crystal ball dropped in the mecca of New York on Saturday night, I knew that I was ready to make 2017 the greatest year of my life. However, yesterday (New Years Day) I took some time to reflect on 2016, and as I did, something fairly profound struck me.

Well before 2017 rang in, I already KNEW that there were things in my life that I really needed to work on. I KNEW that I needed to work harder on trying to reach my goals. I KNEW that I had to get rid of the unnecessary negative thinking that plagued me at times. I KNEW that I needed to make a better effort at keeping in touch with the people who I care about the most. I KNEW that I needed to continue to strengthen my faith everyday, and that I had to keep on working towards being a more positive person. I KNEW that I needed to cut back on sweets and improve my diet. I KNEW that I needed to work on being a more tolerant person, and that I had to try to stop being judgemental. I KNEW all of these things and more! So now the question becomes, if I already knew of these crucial changes I needed to make, then why in the world would I wait until January 1st to try and make them?

Unfortunately, every year as the New Year gets closer, we use our New Year’s resolutions as excuses to procrastinate doing the things we know we need to do. It’s very easy to fall into the, “I’ll start doing this, or I’ll stop doing that after New Year’s” mentality. In all honesty, these are our lives. We know what we have to do. . . we KNEW it all along. From this point on, I believe we should make a vow to ourselves, that we will do our very best every single day to try and be better people in every aspect of our lives. So that means that when early December rolls around in 2017, and we notice we’re coming up short in some way, we won’t wait until January 1st to start making the improvements we need to make. It also means that any shortcomings we vowed to work on when 2017 struck, we must continue working on as 2017 progresses and eventually comes to an end.

Life is a never ending quest for perfection, and even though we may not ever fully get there, it certainly doesn’t mean we should ever stop trying. I hope you all have an amazing 2017. . . and remember, if you catch yourself slipping in any way, don’t wait until the New Year to fix it. . . you can always add in something new to work on once January 1st hits.

So Happy New Year to all, and whatever you want out of you life for 2017. . . start going after it now, and don’t stop unil you get it!!

THAT BLOGGLES MY MIND…

Just my thoughts…

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