Home »
Misc »
How to meet a nba basketball player
How to meet a nba basketball player
How can you meet an NBA player in person?
Photo: Jonathon Klein
NBA players are some of the finest sportsmen alive.
And I mean literally. Little wonder why ladies always drool over them, and guys admire them.
If you don’t find them hot and sexy, you will find them tall and charismatic. However they come, they always seem to carry some sort of vigor with them.
If I’m to take a guess, I’d say there’s at least one NBA player you’ve been dying to meet in person – perhaps for selfies, autographs, or a meet and greet.
But with a schedule as busy as theirs and a mentality as rigid as theirs (hard work, hard play), if you don’t know how to play your cards, you might have to wait until forever before you get a chance to meet your NBA idol.
This article wants to teach you tricks you can use to meet an NBA player.
Note: If you bet on NBA games, we recommend playing all your games on Sbobet88. It is the first and the best Indonesia sports betting website around.![]()
Visits bars and clubs basketball players frequentAll your favorite basketball players have bars and spots they like to frequent. If you’ll like to meet a player in person, this is the first place to begin.
As the classy beings that they are, you’ll most likely find basketball players in some of the hottest, classiest, and high-profile clubs/bars in the city they play.
Timing is, of course, important if you want to meet a basketball player at a bar or club because they don’t always stay too long. To know when a certain player will be on the ground, you can tip the doorman or bartender and ask them to hint you whenever your target player is around.
Attend live games and keep a spot for yourselfAnother way to catch a player’s attention is by attending live games. Although NBA stars are taught to avoid eye contact with fans, most players still look at the crowd when they play because they enjoy the love and boost they get from their fans.
To get a player to notice you, you can make sure you have a regular seat you sit at most of the time. While sitting, make sure you scream the player’s name, say hi, wave at them, and do the crazy stuff that will get almost anybody to notice you. If you can, bring along placards bearing messages for your favorite star.
When the game is over, come back to the next game and repeat the same thing. Don’t worry; after a couple of attempts, your NBA idol will take notice of you and reach out.
Join your favorite player’s fan clubPlenty of NBA stars have fan clubs on social networks. In these groups, people come together to discuss the player’s performance, track their stats, and bask in the player’s achievements.
Joining your favorite star’s fan club on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram can be a great way to realize your dream of meeting an NBA player.
Oftentimes, NBA players appreciate people in their fan clubs by organizing meet and greets, autograph sessions, or photography sessions.
Even if a player is too busy or un-inclined to host any of these events, people in the fan club can demand an audience with him. If you’re one of the most vocal in the group, this can be your chance to finally meet the man behind the dunks.
Join a cheerleading squadThis is perhaps the easiest of the tactics you can use to meet an NBA player. Everybody knows how close cheerleaders are to basketball players. By joining a squad that performs at local NBA matches, you increase your chances of one day getting to meet your idol.
However, you should know that it’s not an easy task becoming a cheerleader. You’ll face a lot of rejection, and discouragements, which is why we advise people to join the cheerleading squad from high school, and from there, they can work their way up to meet their favorite NBA star.
Use social media to your advantageLots of NBA stars use social media networks. If you don’t find them on Facebook, you will find them on Twitter, or Instagram, or YouTube.
For fans looking to meet NBA players, social media networks represent a good opportunity for them to realize their dreams.
First, you’ll need to find out the handle of the player you’re looking to meet. Afterward, you’ll follow them and turn on post notification on their account so that anytime they make a new post; you’ll be amongst the first to see and comment on them.
Persistence is key if you want an athlete to take notice of you on social media. So you’ll need to keep interacting (like, comment, share, repost, retweet) with almost all their posts.
With time, the player will notice you, and you could get a meet-up out of it.
Ways to Meet An NBA Player
347
SHARES
To sign up for our daily email newsletter, CLICK HERE
Follow @marcberman Follow @SonOfTheBronx
NBA players are some of the most exciting athletes on the planet. They have a rigorous schedule and a “hard work, hard play” mentality.
What do you do if you’re trying to meet an NBA player to get to know them better? There are many surprising answers to this question, and we’re here to provide you with everything that you need to know to be successful in this endeavor.
Visit popular basketball bars and clubs
The first piece of advice may not seem that unique, and it’s not. NBA players have a reputation for going out on the town in the various cities in which they play. While they’re around, they’ll go out for drinks and dancing with their teammates. They’ll also make some new friends and perhaps even romantic partners along the way. You fit into all of this by making sure you know the right clubs and bars to be in to get the attention of an NBA player. Sure, you might have to tip a doorman or bartender, but it’ll be worth it to get next to the players. Just be prepared to face some resistance and keep trying!
Attend more games and catch a player’s eye
While they’re trained to not look at the crowd much, every NBA player loves the fans.
As much as they play hard for their teammates, they want the home crowd to love them, too. That’s why you’ll need to start attending the games of your local team and try to get good seats. At the games, you’ll have the capability of being noticed by waving signs, saying hi, or trying to gain their attention by being in the same spot every time.
Become a cheerleader
To be fair, this is going to be difficult. However, everyone knows that you can get very close to the players when you’re a cheerleader. The only problem is that you’re competing with women from all over the region if you’re trying to become one. You should have a background in cheerleading from high school and above. This is not advisable for the faint of heart. You’ll be challenged in all kinds of ways, but it could be worth it to achieve your goals of meeting an NBA player.
Join an official Fanclub.
Many of the big-name NBA players have an official fan club. These individuals meet to discuss the player, track their stats, and much more.
They tend to go to a lot of games, too. The benefit of being in an official fan club is that you can sometimes can extra access to the player. They might want to do a meet and greet, take photos, or give autographs. Nothing is preventing you from getting a little closer than that if you’d like, too.
Support them publicly on your account.
Social media accounts are a great tool for people and players to connect. NBA players love to post about their lives, beliefs, and more. So, take the opportunity to post on their public posts and you can quickly find out that they’re often willing to pay attention. While you don’t want to be a nagging individual, you could get a meet-up out of it.
Go to training
NBA training is not the most glamorous thing in the world, but you can meet the players there many times. While they are technically working, they’ll take time to notice people in the stands since there aren’t many of them.
Use dating sites
Lastly, using a dating website could be one of the best ways to meet an NBA player.
These individuals work hard all day and night, so they don’t have the ability to date as often as they would prefer. However, if you’re in the right place and using the right site, then you have a decent shot at finding a player online. The chances are you’ll have to recognize them instead of seeing their full name on the site, but if you can do that, you could make a date happen. Just make sure you’re both looking for the same kind of arrangement before you meet.
The research made by myblacky.com showed that more and more people are connecting via the Internet and a lot of NBA players use dating sites to find their partners. It can be very invigorating and worthwhile to meet an NBA player online using one of these sites. That being said, there are many other methods that one could use to meet an NBA player. Everything hinges on your desires, though. If you want to be a better fan or get an autograph, it’s a good idea to show up to games and join a fan club. People wanting romantic outcomes should make an effort to get closer through dating sites or by going to the proper bars or clubs.
Many avenues are available to meet NBA players!
Go get an education, it's too late for you to become a basketball player - The Jay's - Blogs
NBA players who started playing basketball very late
We all know basketball players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. They played basketball all their lives, they were talked about even during their school years and no one was surprised by the fact that sooner or later they would get into the world's major basketball league.
But what about the players who first picked up an orange ball, not at age three, but in high school, or worse, college? What chances do they have to achieve at least some success in the basketball field, and do they exist at all?
Everyone has a chance. This is the beauty of basketball. Today we will talk about athletes who got acquainted with basketball much later than most players.
Joel Embid
When began: 2011 (15 years)
Statistics for career: 22.
8 + 9.9 + 2.8 + 2.0 (Glasses \ Transfer \ Blocks) 9000
Achievements: All-Rookie First Team, All-Star, NCAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Process already looks like the top 3 center in the entire league. In today's NBA, if you're a center and you don't have a good and consistent shot, you're in for the fate of Hassan Whiteside. Old-school centers are no longer interesting to anyone, their actions are predictable, there is no threat from them on the arc, therefore this gives more freedom to the defending team. And that's why players like Anthony Davis, Karl Towns, DeMarcus Cousins and Joel Embiid sat down on the "basketball Olympus".
But if in the case of the first three centers, the ascent took 15-20 years, then Embiid needed only 7.
Initially, "The Process" wanted to become a volleyball player and try his hand at the European Championships. But when the young Embiid was 15 years old, he picked up a basketball for the first time and began to copy Hakim Olajuwon's style of play.
Joel liked the game so much that in the same year he went to a basketball camp organized by Luc Mba a Mute in Cameroon.
As a result of this camp, Luke was so impressed with Embiid's game and potential that he invites him to try himself in America.
Joel Embiid moves to the USA at the age of 16 and decides to become a professional basketball player.
In the states, the "Process" continued to progress and ended up in one of the best student organizations - Kansas. In his only college season, Embiid scored something like 11+8, entered the top 30 students and entered the draft with a back injury.
At first, Joel did not work out in the NBA, just because of the unfortunate injury, and for the first two years he almost completely lay in the infirmary. But after the recovery and after the last season, we see a top center, who is undoubtedly far from his peak and will continue to progress.
Dennis Rodman
When began: 1983 (21 years old)
Statistics for career: 7.
3 + 13.1 + 1.8 + 0.6
Achievements: Member of the Glory Hall, 5-fold champion NBA, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Star, 7-time defensive top five.
The best rebounder in basketball history, ready to rip opponents' elbows out with the ball, only got to know basketball in high school. And it is very difficult to call this acquaintance the beginning of his basketball career. Rodman, a model of his school years, did not really know how to dribble, and his shots from under the basket left much to be desired, not to mention the shots from the middle. As a result, throughout his school career, Rodman sat on the bench. Also, young Dennis tried to get into the school football team, but failed there too.
Of course, after such a school "performance", no college offered Rodman an athletic scholarship. As a result, Dennis graduates from high school and goes to work as a janitor at the local airport. And just at that time, the young player has a so-called "growth spurt" and decides to try his hand at basketball again, despite the fact that he did not feel very comfortable in his new two-meter body.
A family friend of the Rodmans, got a position as head coach at a small college in Texas, and offered the young Dennis a scholarship. As a result of his first and only semester (Rodman was expelled for poor progress), the young player scores 17 + 13! Agree, very good numbers for a player who a couple of years ago could not get out from under the ring.
The most interesting thing is that during high school, Dennis was only 170 cm tall. But by the time he went to college at 21, Rodman was already 204 cm tall! It's amazing how he has grown so much in just 4 years.
After his first undergraduate performance failure, Rodman was given a second chance at an Oklahoma college whose team was NAIA. There he spends three fruitful years, gaining 25 + 15, becomes the leader in rebounds and gets into the 19th draft.86, where he was drafted 3rd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the second round.
Everything that happened next is history. Dennis went from a calm and reserved player who did his job in the Pistons, like other "bad guys", into an outrageous, media player.
But it is worth noting that this did not affect his game in any way. Rodman became the best defensive player of the championship 2 times, got into the top five defensively 7 times and became the best rebounder 7 times in a row. Well, it’s not worth talking about his five championships, everyone already knows about it.
Interesting fact: Father Dennis Rodman has 48 children.
Another interesting fact: Dennis Rodman is the oldest of them.
Moving on.
Khakim Potzhavon
When I started: 1979 (16 years old)
Statistics for career: 21.8 + 11.1 + 2.5 + 3.1
Achievements for Career: Member of the Glory Hall, 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 1x NBA Champion, 1x NBA MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, one of the top 50 basketball players of all time.
The Dream, until the age of 16 he was exclusively fond of football and handball. And it was a football career that helped Hakim with footwork and body balance in the future.
At the age of 16, the two-meter Olajuwon is invited to take part in a basketball tournament (despite the fact that Hakim has never played it). There, a basketball coach notices him and informs Hakim's parents that their son may have a good career, but in Nigeria he will remain only budding. Hakim begins to train hard with his coach in order to achieve something in professional sports. Here's what he said about basketball:
Basketball is something unique. When I took the ball in my hands, I immediately knew that this is what I want to do all my life, you know? After that moment, any other sports lost their meaning for me.
As a result of all this, the parents of a young basketball player send him to America, where Houston College was waiting for him to watch. Hakim impressed coach Guy Lewis with his game and he accepted the young player into the squad.
Season 1980/1981 Olajuwon missed out because he was still too young to play in the NCAA (17 years old).
But over the course of the next three years in college, Hakim screwed up and showed the entire student league who's boss in the paint!
He becomes the Final Four MVP, also earns the NCAA Southwest Conference MVP, and the Rockets begin to fold the 1983/1984 season to take Hakim with the first pick in the upcoming draft.
If you are reading this and think that Hakim was very good, you are right. But do not forget that The Dream achieved all this in 5 years from the moment of his first basketball game!
What happened next - you yourself know everything again. Hakim became one of the best centers in the history of basketball, an innovator and creator of new offensive techniques in the paint. Seriously, show me one player in the history of basketball that has played better than Hakim in the post?
Olajuwon led his hometown of Houston twice to the championship, became the most valuable player in one of the finals, the most valuable player in the league and was twice recognized as the best defensive player.
Great career, great player!
Mutombo
When I started: 1984 (17 years old)
Statistics for career: 9.8 + 10.3 + 2.0 + 2.8
Achievements: member of the Glory Hall, 8-time All-Star, 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time rebounding leader, 3-time block shot leader.
Another African who started playing basketball very late.
Until the age of 17, Dikembe "not in my house" Mutombo was fond of football only and did not see himself anywhere except on a wide lawn (or sandy wasteland) with goals along the edges. So his youth passed, if not for his older brother, who invited him to play basketball.
Basketball meets Dikembe in style. In the first game, Mutombo cracks his chin and tells his brother that he will never play this "stupid game" again.
But still, after a couple of weeks, the brother again persuades Dikembe to play. And from that moment began the basketball adventure of one of the best defensive players in the league.
Mutombo started playing in the African League and achieved excellent results. A vivid confirmation of this is a sports scholarship from Georgetown.
Mutombo enters the NCAA at the age of 21 and immediately shows great results. In his very first season, Dikembe manages to make 12 blocks in ONE game! And in general, the period 1988-1990 was one of the best in history for Georgetown. Under the ring, along with Dikembe, was another future member of the hall of fame - Alonzo Morning. Their bunch was even nicknamed "Rejection Row".
College career can be called successful. Mutombo was named to the NCAA East Division First Team as well as the All NCAA Third Team, and was selected with the 4th pick in the 19 draft91, aged.. 25 years old.
But even with such a late start, Mutombo had a long and fruitful career, spending as many as 18 seasons in the league!
He achieved everything, almost everything. Dikembe never received the coveted ring, but few would say that his career was not a success.
Throughout his career, the Congolese basketball player has demonstrated high professionalism, quality defense and incredible block shots. Mutombo was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year four times, was elected to the league's All-Stars three times, and took part in the All-Star game eight times.
Tim Dancan
When I started: 1991 (15 years)
Statistics for careers: 19.0 + 10.8 + 2.2
Career achievement: 5-time NBA, NBA, NBA, 5-fold champion 2-time MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-Star (10 times first), 15-time Defensive Five, Rookie of the Year, 2003 Athlete of the Year, NCAA Player of the Year . Tim Duncan is the best basketball player of the 2000s and possibly the greatest basketball player of the 21st century. Try to convince me of this as much as you like, but such a stable, unselfish and simply excellent player is very difficult to find. Duncan is a hard worker who does an enormous amount of work from game to game, from season to season, without requiring any attention and encouragement from the basketball community.
But it all started in the Virgin Islands, when young Tim, looking at his sister Trisha, who was a swimmer, wanted to follow in her footsteps. Duncan trained hard every day and dreamed of taking part in the Olympic Games - 1992.
But his dream was not destined to come true. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo swept through the Caribbean and caused damage to many countries, including Tim Duncan's native Virgin Islands. And everything would be fine, but the same hurricane destroyed the only pool on the islands and Duncan now had nowhere to train.
You say - hey, if he lives on an island, then the ocean is around! Why shouldn't he train there? It's very simple - Duncan is terrified of sharks. That is why his swimming career ended so early.
At the age of 15, Duncan picks up a basketball for the first time and starts playing for the school team. And here is what his first coach said about Timmy:
Duncan was huge. He was big and tall, I haven't trained players like that for a long time.
But despite all his dimensions - he was just terribly clumsy!
Gradually Tim began to improve, averaging 25 points in his senior year at school. His game has attracted a large number of universities and colleges from all over America. And Wake Forest offered the young player an athletic scholarship.
In college, Duncan begins to develop his usual playing style. Simple but effective. Duncan combined many aspects of the game, such as high-quality post play, open mid-range shots, and tough defense. It was this style that helped not only him, but also his team, to show good results in the NCAA.
Duncan, one of the few superstars (if not the only one) who spent all four years of college! All because he promised his mother, who died the day before Tim's 14th birthday, that he would graduate from college and get an education.
In the end, over 4 years in college, Tim was 97-31, scored over 2,000 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks and was automatically selected for the 1998 draft, where he was selected with the first pick of the San Antonio Spurs.
With the Spurs, Duncan first became assistant to David Robinson, then became the team leader himself for many years. San Antonio is a 15-year dynasty, just like the New England Patriots (as a fan of all Boston teams, I just had to compare the two franchises). And all this time, the main face of the team was Tim Duncan, the man who achieved everything in the NBA.
9000 All-Star Team Member, 2nd NBA Team.
Giannis was born in Grezzi, in a family of Nigerian immigrants and until the age of 13 he played only football, having absolutely no idea what basketball is and who needs it at all.
Yannis and his family had a hard time, to put it mildly. There was a catastrophic lack of money, so he and his brother sold all sorts of trinkets, watches, bags on the streets, trying to somehow help their parents with finances. Well, after a hard day, Giannis and his brother went to the football field and chased the ball until late.
That was until 2007, when basketball appeared in the life of the young Antetokounmpo.
The young player fell in love with the game and began to devote all his free time to developing his basketball skills. And it paid off! Two years later, in 2009, Giannis starts playing for Fylatlitikos youth team.
In 2012, The Greek Freak made the main roster, spent a middle season in the Greek League Two and entered the 2013 draft, where the Milwaukee Bucks nonetheless were selected.
Giannis' NBA career developed over three seasons. The coaching staff worked very competently here, which, as Antetokounmpo performed in the league, gradually loaded him with new baggage of knowledge and skills. Giannis soaked it all up like a sponge and as time went by, his minutes played and his role in the team increased.
Now Giannis is the future of basketball, the second LeBron, the man who can make the Eurostep from the three-point line. I'm afraid to imagine what will happen to this player in the future, because Giannis is only 23 years old! And he is already a franchise player and will progress in each next season.
Mark Eaton
Started: 1977 (21 years old)
Career stats: 6.0 + 7.9 + 1.02 9.02 + 1.020005
Achievements: 2x Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star, 4x Block Shot Leader, 3x Defensive Five.
Mark Eaton's story is perhaps the most amazing of all the players featured. Despite his rather impressive height (224 cm), Mark preferred to play water polo (???) than basketball.
After Eaton graduated from high school, he went to college to become an auto mechanic. Immediately after graduation, Mark moves to Anaheim, where he begins to work in his new profession.
After three years of carefree life as a car mechanic, he is found by Tom Lubin, who was fixing his car at Mark's. Tom was a chemistry teacher and assistant head coach at a small college in California. It was he who suggested that Mark try his hand at basketball and did not lose.
In two years of college, Eton averaged 14 points and led his college to victory in the California Collegiate Championship.
After that, Mark chooses the Phoenix Suns in the 19 draft.79 in the fifth round. Eton had the right to refuse and return to college, which he did.
But this was not a small college somewhere in the middle of California. Eton received an offer from the famous UCLA, which he, of course, accepted.
Career at the main college of Los Angeles did not go up, but flew down with terrible force. In two years, Mark spent only 42 minutes, gaining 1+2 in 11 matches. And of course, no one wanted to take him in the draft. Nobody but Utah. The leadership of "Jazz" was guided by iron logic - everything can be taught to the big, the main thing is that it is big.
Fun fact: Wilt Chamberlain was in attendance at UCLA once Eaton played. The great center saw the frustrated Mark and gave the young player some advice, in particular: to "score" on attacking actions and focus on protecting his own ring, collect rebounds and pass the ball to faster partners, instead of competing with the same fast opponents.
The conversation is said to have marked a turning point in Mark's career.
"Utah" did not lose. In his first season, Mark becomes the team's starting center while setting a new league record for blocked shots in a season. In the 1973-1974 season, Mark averaged 5.5 blocks per game and also grabbed 11 rebounds and was named the best defensive player.
Eton's career can hardly be called great. But the fact that he was an excellent defensive player should not be in the slightest doubt. Two titles of the best defender of the league and fixed by “Utah” 53rd number is a vivid confirmation of this!
Players who also started late: Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Manute Bol, Michael Olowokandi, Steven Adams.
As you can see, everything depends on desire, hard work and daily training. If you are over 20 years old and you are an African seven-footer, then you have a good chance of getting into the world's major league. But if not, you still have a chance.
1 out of 100,000, 1 out of 1,000,000, but it's there. Train, improve, love basketball and you will succeed!
Thank you for your time!
www.adv.rbc.ru
www.adv.rbc.ru
Sport
TV channel
Newspaper
Pro
Investments
RBC+
New economy
Trends
Real estate
Sport
Style
National projects
City
Crypto
Debating club
Research
Credit ratings
Franchises
Conferences
Special projects St.
Petersburg
Conferences St. Petersburg
Special projects
Checking counterparties
RBC Library
Podcasts
ESG index
Politics
Economy
Business
Technology and media
Finance
RBC Company
www.adv.rbc.ru
www.adv.rbc.ru
Zenit defender Vitaly Fridzon said that he was not interested in the NBA at all. “There is real basketball in Europe, interesting matches,” said Fridzon
Follow us at
News
Vitaly Fridzon (Photo: Global Look Press)
Former Russian national team captain Vitaly Fridzon believes that European basketball has become much more interesting than the NBA.
This was stated by the defender of "Zenith" Metaratings.
“To be honest, the NBA is not interesting now. This is a show, not basketball. 60 points per match from one player is ridiculous. I don’t like this type of basketball,” Fridzon said.
www.adv.rbc.ru
According to Fridzon, the NBA was much better in Michael Jordan's time. “That's when the NBA was so NBA! It was interesting to watch, we were waiting for the transfer with Gomelsky, we were recording it. Back then, the NBA was like basketball. There was a contact game, and now it's a show for spectators and ratings," the basketball player said.
Fridzon added that he follows the Euroleague with great pleasure. “There is real basketball in Europe, interesting matches. I enjoy watching the Euroleague, it's really interesting. Tactics, duels of coaches, players. For me, this is much more interesting than the NBA,” he concluded.
Last season of the VTB United League, Fridzon played 18 games for Zenit, averaging 3.
