NBA All-Star Weekend: My Pick for the Star of the Weekend
I played a lot of basketball growing up in Egypt and watched as many NBA games and highlights as I could lay my hands on. The supply of NBA footage usually arrived in the form a VHS video recorded by friends traveling from the US. Attending the NBA All-Star weekend in New Orleans last week was hence a dream come true. The weekend is undoubtedly one of the best shows on Earth with many stars on and off the court. The NBA All-Stars put on a fantastic show on the court and keep pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible every year. You just have to watch highlights of the 2017 and 2016 highlights to appreciate that.
However and with all due respect and admiration for the NBA All-Star athletes, my shortlist of the “The Star” of the weekend is:
- The NBA: I walked away from the weekend with a deep sense of admiration for the NBA as a brand, an organization, a positive force for good in the community and as a curator of amazing experiences.
- Commissioners Adam Silver and David Stern: The current and previous commissioners of the NBA are celebrities in the basketball world. Their leadership role in transforming the game globally is undisputed. Sitting inside the Smoothie King arena where most of the events where hosted, I couldn’t help but contrast the world-class state of the NBA ecosystem to the crumbling infrastructure of the host city of New Orleans. Leadership clearly makes a big difference.
- The Admiral, David Robinson and his Mom: David Robinson, an NBA legend nicknamed The Admiral, received the Humanitarian of the Year award for his charitable work, which includes establishing Carver Academy in San Antonio, where he spent his entire NBA career and won two championships with the Spurs. David started working on setting up his charity foundation in his first NBA season on the insistence of his mother.
- Nnemkadi "Nneka" Ogwumike: Nneka is certainly a role model for young people all over the world. The American-Nigerian is a Stanford graduate and was drafted #1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft. She made history last season with her game-winning basket in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals giving the L.A. Sparks their first championship since 2002. She is one of seven players to win the regular season MVP award and a championship in the same season. Above all, her down to earth attitude and commitment to development in Africa are impressive.
By the time I landed back home and sat down with my kids to tell them all about my NBA All-Star experience, I had made up my mind. Nneka was surely my pick for the Star of the All-Star weekend.
Executive Director - Strategic Procurement @ ALDAR | Procurement Efficiency & Leadership
7 年Adam Silver and David Stern and Robinson are indeed three men who have something else in common; 1. Relentless: they are all relentless towards their desires for the sport and all it should be and represent. 2. Commitment: they are so focus and committed to they respective crafts with dedication as though the world and humanity depends on them doing it. 3. Compassion: towards the sport, fans and wider community, real role models especially for a sport with such diverse following
Managing Director at Entertainment & Sports Management
7 年That was a great Experience indeed. i enjoyed Saturday's events more than the actual game. Host city was a disappointment.