NBA: Road to glory

-January 23, 2014

The season was flying by. Now we were 35-8, one of the best teams in the league. I had been locked in, and the team was thriving.

But tonight? Tonight was special.

The All-Star voting results were about to be revealed, and I was waiting to see if my name was on that list. Rookie All-Stars weren't common, but the way I was playing, I knew I was in.

A few teammates and I were chilling at my place, watching the broadcast. Vic was there too, lounging on the couch with a plate of wings, and Asher was on FaceTime from wherever the G-League had him.

The TV screen changed, and the host started reading off the names.

Eastern Conference Starters:

Point Guard – Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers): 860,221 votes

Shooting Guard – Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat): 929,542 votes

Small Forward – LeBron James (Miami Heat): 1,416,419 votes

Power Forward – Franklin Lincoln (Orlando Magic): 1,243,850 votes

Center – Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers): 524,809 votes

The second my name flashed on the screen, the room exploded.

"Oooh bro you're starting" Vic screams.

"A rookie starter?!" Tobias says. "You just made history."

I sat there for a second, taking it all in. A rookie. An All-Star starter. I glanced at Dom, who was smirking like he already knew this was coming.

"Yo… this is crazy." Even if I was expecting it too.

Western Conference Starters:

Point Guard – Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors): 1,047,281 votes

Shooting Guard – Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers): 988,864 votes

Small Forward – Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder): 1,396,294 votes

Power Forward – Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers): 688,466 votes

Center – Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets): 926,000 votes

As the host wrapped up the segment, my phone exploded with notifications. Texts from my family, college teammates, old coaches—everyone was showing love.

-January 24, 2014

The energy in the Staples Center was different. The arena was packed, the Lakers fans loud as ever.

-First Quarter 

The Lakers came out aggressive. Kobe was testing me early, calling for switches, trying to put me in tough defensive positions. On offense, they had Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill guarding me, and I was too quick for them.

I started simple—caught the ball at the elbow, hit a smooth mid-range jumper over Gasol. Next play, I backed Hill down, hit a spin move, and finished at the rim.

Kobe smirked. "Alright, I see you."

-Second Quarter

This was where the real battle started.

Kobe was hunting me on defense now. He hit me with a pump fake, got me in the air, and drained the jumper. Next trip down, he went fadeaway baseline—classic Kobe.

I wasn't backing down.

On offense, I caught a pass from Jameer at the top of the key. I took one dribble inside and pulled up right over Nick Young—bucket.

A few plays later, I got out in transition, caught a lob, and slammed it home.

The crowd? Silent.

Kobe nodded?

-Third Quarter

This was when things got serious.

Kobe started talking.

"Let's see if you got that killer in you."

He came down, hit a contested three in my face. Next trip, he pulled up from mid-range, cash.

I wasn't going to let him take over.

I called for an iso on the next possession. Backed down Nick Young, turned over my right shoulder—fadeaway, pure. Next play, I caught the ball in the low post, went up strong, and drew the and-one on Gasol.

The momentum shifted.

We started pulling away.

-Fourth Quarter

With three minutes left, we were up by ten. The Lakers were trying to make a push, but we controlled the pace.

With one minute left, I got the ball on the left wing, faced up Gasol, took two hard dribbles, and rose up for a one-handed dunk over him.

The crowd went crazy.

Final buzzer. Win.

I finished with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists.

-Postgame

After the game, I was walking off the court when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Kobe.

He looked at me, and said, "You got it, kid. Keep working."

That was all I needed to hear.

– New Orleans 2014

The weeks flew by, and just like that, it was All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. A celebration of the best in the game, and I was already a part of it.

-February 14, 2014 

The first event of the weekend: Rising Stars Challenge. The best rookies and sophomores in the league going at it, showing what the future of the NBA looked like.

I was selected to play for Team Webber, alongside guys like CJ, Michael Carter-Williams, and Steven Adams. On the other side? Team Hill, led by Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Davis.

From the jump, it was all offense. Fast breaks, lobs, deep threes—pure entertainment. I started aggressive, catching a lob from Oladipo in transition for a two-handed. Next play down, I caught the ball in the mid-post, hit a quick spin, and dunked over Mason Plumlee.

At halftime, I had 18 points and 7 rebounds, and we were up. But Dame and AD started heating up, and suddenly, it was a close game in the fourth quarter.

With two minutes left, we were up by four. I caught the ball on the wing, took one dribble inside, and hit a step-back three—nothing but net.

We closed it out and won 122-114. I finished with 28 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists—and walked away with Rising Stars MVP.

-February 15, 2014 

The next night was what I'd really been waiting for—the Slam Dunk Contest.

The lineup was stacked:

Me, John Wall, Paul George, Damian Lilliard, Terrence Ross (the defending champ)

For my first dunk, I threw the ball off the shot clock, caught it mid-air, and windmilled it down—crowd went crazy.

For the second, I had someone bounce the ball off the side of the backboard. I took off, East bay above the person, and dunked it so hard the rim shook for five seconds.

I made it to the final round against John Wall. He did a ridiculous dunk—took off from the free-throw line, double-clutched, and threw it down.

I had one chance to beat him.

For my last dunk I had Shaq and Kevin Garnett stand in the paint. I took off, jumped over both of them, and did a Under-the-legs.

The judges held up 50s across the board.

I won the 2014 Dunk Contest.

-February 16, 2014 

Stepping onto the court with LeBron, KD, Steph, Kobe, Melo, and the best in the world… this was different. I made sure people felt my presence.

My first play, I set a screen for Kyrie, rolled to the basket, caught a behind-the-back pass, and dunked it. Next time down, I hit a pull-up three in transition.

By halftime, I had 12 points and 5 rebounds, just having fun. LeBron and KD were going at it, putting on a show.

'Nothing to do with what I had in my time'

In the fourth, with the game close, I found myself guarding Blake. He tried backing me down, but I held my ground. He faded away—I blocked it. Crowd went wild.

Final minutes, game tied. Kyrie found me in the corner—I let it fly.

Splash.

We won 144-141. I finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kyrie was All-Star MVP.

In short, during these few days I became good friends with Kyrie, AD and Dame, and I was able to talk with a lot of other players.