Quick Pittstop at NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte!

On February 15th, my plane touched down in Charlotte, North Carolina  at 4:30 pm and it was off to NBA All-Star Weekend. I was fortunate to attend all the weekend's festivities, including the Celebrity and Rising Stars games on Friday, the 3-point, Skills, and Slam Dunk challenges on Saturday, and the main event on Sunday night, the All-Star Game. I was also fortunate enough to sit courtside for the All-Star practice Saturday afternoon, and meet NBA star Paul George and NBA legends Ron Artest, Dennis Scott, Reggie Miller, Chris Webber, and Gary Payton.  But there was one special event that I attended during the weekend that really resonated with me the most, despite the high flying dunks from Hamidou Diallo and Dennis Smith in the dunk contest, the show put on by the All-Stars, or the Jayson Tatum half-court winner to win the skills contest.

The Legends Brunch, a time for current and former NBA players and former NBA legends to gather in one place and share a meal full of laughs, memories, and great stories among teammates, had the most meaning to me. I not only was able to meet multiple legends I respect and admire such as Magic Johnson, Glen Rice, Alonzo Mourning, and Tim Hardaway Sr., but I was able to learn more about the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), a non-profit association composed of former NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters, and WNBA players, founded in 1992 by NBA Hall of Famers Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Dave Cowens, Oscar Robertson, and former NBA guard Archie Clark. I learned that the sole mission of this association is taking care of the NBA legends as they transition away from their basketball careers. Not only does the NBRPA work to positively impact communities and youth through basketball and mentorship, they provide healthcare to these former players, something else I learned during the brunch. Fortunately, through the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), dozens of players around the league have given money for affordable healthcare, and will also help NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki transition into their retirement, and possibly VInce Carter (I hope he doesn’t retire) as well.