West Side Story

Age of innocence

"I'm from where they ball, and breed rhyme stars..."

Jay- Z - Where I'm From

Last week I covered the Los Angeles Lakers for HOOP Magazine as well as this blog GAME TIME with AG. I write a column for HOOP entitled KICKIN' IT, in which I interview various NBA players about their footwear, and shoe deals. Outside of that I also write a similar article, SNEAKER GAME, as I speak with 3 players from one team, and 3 players from another team about what they are wearing, and playing in. For the March/April '09 edition, I spoke with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, and Al Thornton from the Clippers, and Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, and Derek Fisher from the Lake Show. Once that was complete, I could utilize the rest of my time to catch up with Kobe Bryant.

Boys to Men

When I was growing up my father would say a lot of things that I'm sure he learned in his youth. One of his most famous sayings to my brother and I was "son, you're going to be a man, much longer than you're going to be a boy..." and then he would either smile or let out a hearty laugh. I didn't know what he was talking, and or laughing about until recently. Now, as an adult that statement makes perfect sense, as I have responsibilities far beyond my young mind would have ever allowed.

Nevertheless with age comes wisdom if you allow it, and I have embraced my years, as I try to learn something new everyday.

I was born in West Philadelphia, and I've lived in other places, such as Brooklyn, and Suitland, Maryland, which in looking back, they have all shaped who I am today making me well versed and rounded. Back in 1994, I met someone that was also from Philadelphia, and not only had he lived in other places in the United States, but he and his family, had also lived in Italy, and France. Interestingly enough I was introduced to Kobe Bryant in a gym, as his oldest sister Sharia introduced us after her volleyball match. I'd been running my mouth to her about how "great" I was as a basketball player, and instead of entertaining my banter she got her sibling, and that ended anything I could say in reference to basketball.

As I've grown in journalism, so too has Kobe as an international icon. I consider him as the "now" in the pantheon of past NBA legends. Disagree if you will, but I will stick to this claim, because like him or not, there is nothing that Bryant cannot do on the court, and for that fact alone, it makes him one of the best. After the game in Philadelphia, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, wanted nothing more than to shake Kobe's hand, and take a few pictures along side him. If that isn't a sign of respect, then I don't know what is.

I wanted to interview them both, as they represent what Philadelphia basketball is all about. However while I did speak with Monroe, he didn't have time for questions and answers, and I, because of our mutual respect, figured that Kobe would sit for a spell and talk, but I didn't take into account that his family and friends were at the game, so the stage was set, for an interview two days later in DC.

I drove to the nation's capital with fellow journalists Jeff Young, and Michael Tillery. Jeff is from DC, so after I taped a segment for BET News, we headed over to Howard University to catch up with friends (Chevonne, Mr. Hill), and then trekked over to the world famous Ben's Chili Bowl for some half smokes and fries...Jeff had the chili burger sub.

After filling our appetite with some good food, and nostalgic tunes, we headed over to the Verizon Center to cover what turned out to be a very entertaining game. During the 1st quarter I received a reassuring text message from Bryant's agent Rob Pelinka, saying "KB said he would try his best to give you 5 mins after the game..."

From there, I organized my questions, and analyzed the game. Afterward, true to his word, I spoke with Kobe about his latest sneaker from Nike, the Zoom Kobe IV, and the misnomer about the "suburban" tag that people so often bestow upon him.

Watch the video below for the interview with Kobe Bryant: