What NBA player or players have you met?

[bdm860]

As a teenager/college, Dana Barros, Rafer Alston, played against them, did not go well for me.

Ha, did Rafer Alston pull out any And1 moves on you?  I'd wear it as a badge of honor to get my ankles broke by him.

[jbpats]

Not sure if this counts.
My college was in the same town Doc's family lived in. One day i was at the local park shooting around when a (I would guess) 12 year old Austin Rivers starting shooting around with me.
The only reason I knew it was him was because he told me who his dad was which was right around the time he signed to coach for the C's.

[Silas]

Not NBA but, while playing high school football back in the day I had an opportunity to play catch with Sonny Jurgensen.  For those who don't recognize the name, during the mid to late 60s he was one of the top QBs in the NFL. 

[Smartacus]

I used to be in the league at the Waltham YMCA and Marcus Smart was there supporting Coco's(The Celtic's barber) team. Smart was standing alone by one basket and I worked up the courage to go put up some shots on the hoop before my game later on in the night.

You know I buried that 15 footer and rode that high immediately right back off the court since I didn't want to start laying bricks in front of MS. Felt it was time to quit while I was ahead quit while I was ahead.

Also my best friend's cousin is Pat Connaughton's best friend. I haven't met Pat but I got a picture of my buddy standing next to Pat with the Larry Obrien trophy. Pride of Arlington MA.

[nickagneta]

Patrick Ewing when he was in high school. Robert Parish while waiting in line for something to eat after going clubbing in Boston one night. Nerlens Noel was my neighbor and a friend of my son's growing up. Just recently met Jalen Williams last Thanksgiving after going to a Santa Clara game. Met Avery Bradley and Damion Jones when they were at Texas.

[Surferdad]

Didn't actually meet any, but:
1) Calvin Murphy went to my HS (Norwalk, CT) but was 4 years ahead so never met him.
2) I passed Reggie Lewis walking across the Northeastern U campus but didn't realize it was him until too late.
3) My wife saw ML Carr in a sandwich shop in Kenmore Square. He whipped out a huge wad of bills to pay for his lunch.

[Celtics4ever]

Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, Cedrix Maxwell, Ml Carr, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, Danny Roundfield, Isiah Thomas, and Kelly Trepucka.

I have had the privilege of being a Celtics Ball Boy for a Piston game.

[ebrick0340]

Cool thread!

- Met KC Jones at a restaurant when I was a kid and he could not have been nicer. Stayed as long as he needed to sign autographs.
- Was coached by (and earned an "I Beat the Coach" button from) Rick Brunson at a basketball camp when I was about 12.
- Used to play in HS and at the Salem YMCA against Scoonie Penn. He's now an assistant coach with the Grizzlies. Never played in a regular season game, but was drafted in the 2nd round by the Hawks. Crazy talented, which just shows how good you actually have to be to make it in the league.

Honorable mention: Again, never played in the league, but I got to high five Mike Gorman on Causeway St. when the Celts came back from 21 down against the Nets in 2002! That was fun.

[mef730]

Ainge and Bill Russell (!) at the event when they put up the Bill Russell statue. Got a picture with both. Jayson Tatum, Semi and one other rookie at a STM pre-season event. Jaylen Brown, when I realized that I had no idea how to take a selfie properly. Got a photo with Terry Rozier at another event. He complimented my son on his #12 shirt. Sorry, Scary T, it was the other #12.

Not basketball, but Tom Brady at my son and daughter's little league games. Me being me, I didn't recognize him. My 7-year old son pointed him out. Turns out his son was on the same team with my kids, and he'd come to every other game or so. Everybody pretty much left him alone to be a dad, but I've never seen so many moms at a little league game!

Mike

[W8ting2McHale]

I went to college in Austin, TX. I met all of the Phi Slamma Jamma team, including Celtics 1st round draft pick, Michael Young, who was summarily cut before the season started! When does that ever happen? I can’t think of any recent 1st round picks cut before they even play an NBA game?

I wanted Red to trade up and get Clyde “the Glide” Drexler, but knew it wasn’t really possible. Hakeem was the only one I really talked to aside from shaking hands. It was obvious to me he was going to be a star even though he hadn’t started dominating at that point.

I remember Rob Williams, drafted by the Nuggets, launching shots from the mid court corners after practice was over. He made 7-10 from the right and 9-10 from the left. This was long before Steph Curry and it boggled my mind! Almost as much that his shot in the NBA ended up broken! He was such a pure scorer. I guess it was the cocaine?

On Seattle, my neighborhood hangout was near the Sonics arena and before the NBA packed them up and left Nate McMillian was a semi-regular, so I saw Patrick Ewing and The Glove, Detlef Schrempf, and a few others in their with him although I only actually talked to Nate once and didn’t meet the others just saw them coming and going.

Probably more NFL players; my high school churned out several, plus a PGA pro and a MLB pitcher. Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams and Richard Sherman are the biggest names there, Ricky was a really nice guy without the usual NFL attitude, so I don’t begrudge him smoking because it was his way of coping. Earl and his brother Tim used to come watch our High School practices. Not sure why, but we did have a lot of college and eventually NFL level talent.

[heyvik]

Met Latrell Spreewell at the Milwaukee airport. I took a selfie with him. No one around seemed to know who he was. This was just after his turning down the lucrative contract with Minnesota (or maybe New York)

Met Jared Sullinger at Foxwoods when there was a boxing match. I remember because right after meeting him, I literally threw up from too much liquor in my system (in my 20+ years of socially drinking and while at a bachelor party, this was my one and only time doing this).

[sgrogan]

I actually played pickup playground with Jeff Cross.
He went to Maine, was drafted by Dallas and played on a couple 10 days with the Clippers.

He was probably on summer break from Maine and I was a senior in High School.

I have a still vivid memory of him (6-10", 220) coming down on me (6"-180) on a fast break.
I had my arms over my head and was turning backwards/getting out of his way.
I can still hear the chain nets when he stuffed it.

[Section 87]

As a fan at the Garden, or at Season Ticket holder events, I’ve met Pierce, Powe, Walton, Scalabrine, Jojo White, Cowens, Sanders, Bruce Bowen, and Justin Reed, and I met Carlos Clark at a Worcester Counts game (he was playing for Calgary at the time). A few seasons ago, I met M.L. Carr hanging out on the commuter rail concourse, looking sad and begging for a ticket to the game. Tommy Heinsohn flipped me off when he drove by me when I was hitch-hiking in the late 1970’s.

Johnny Most came to a high school basketball game when I was in high school playing in the pep band. His son was on the visiting team (Wayland High School). When he started whining at the refs, the gym went silent and every head swiveled toward the unmistakable gravel sound of his voice.

My best such memory was watching an entire Celtics game on TV with Norm Van Lier, when he was assistant coach for the Worcester Counts. He really liked Reggie Lewis, but was not impressed with Dee Brown.

[Donoghus]

As a fan at the Garden, or at Season Ticket holder events, I’ve met Pierce, Powe, Walton, Scalabrine, Jojo White, Cowens, Sanders, Bruce Bowen, and Justin Reed, and I met Carlos Clark at a Worcester Counts game (he was playing for Calgary at the time). A few seasons ago, I met M.L. Carr hanging out on the commuter rail concourse, looking sad and begging for a ticket to the game. Tommy Heinsohn flipped me off when he drove by me when I was hitch-hiking in the late 1970’s.

Johnny Most came to a high school basketball game when I was in high school playing in the pep band. His son was on the visiting team (Wayland High School). When he started whining at the refs, the gym went silent and every head swiveled toward the unmistakable gravel sound of his voice.

My best such memory was watching an entire Celtics game on TV with Norm Van Lier, when he was assistant coach for the Worcester Counts. He really liked Reggie Lewis, but was not impressed with Dee Brown.

I absolutely love this!

Also, as someone who grew up in the Worcester area, I love the Counts reference.

[footey]

Tommy (camp counselor for Red)
Sam
Satch and Nellie (was MVP at their camp)
Cousy (played ball with him at camp; thrilling)
Debusshere (was friend of my cousin)
Walton (bumped into him in my NYC office bldg lobby)
Isiah Thomas (at theater opening)
Clyde Drexler (I was friends with his girlfriend whom he ended up marrying; great guy)
Others I’ve forgotten