Photograph by: Joel Hawksley courtesy of Seattle Times
It’s been almost three years since Seattle has seen NBA players go head to head. A PLUS Youth Program definitely brought the NBA back to our city. So if you weren’t at the Key Arena on Saturday, you missed out on an amazing event. Did I say, amazing? I meant AH-MAYYY-ZING!! Sarah, Teri and I had the opportunity to attend the Hoops 206 Charity Basketball Classic, presented by A PLUS Youth Program. This game definitely had the city of Seattle up in arms. A seven min drive from Columbia City, turned in to a thirty minute commute to downtown! Now you know this had to be a great event if traffic was that bad.
Upon arriving to the arena, fans were given the chance to meet and greet with some of the players and get autographs. As I walked around the concourse, I saw so many fans wearing Sonics memorabilia. It was heartwarming to see the overwhelming amount of love and support for basketball. The two and half hour NBA exhibition was truly a celebration of Seattle basketball. And let’s not forget, it was all for a great cause.
Isaiah Thomas signing autographs courtesy of MyNortwest.com
Fans got the opportunity to see: Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford, Houston’s Terrence Williams, Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix’s Aaron Brooks, Minnesota’s Michael Beasely, and Portland’s Nolan Smith, just to name a few, play some fun competitive basketball. Although Brandon Roy, Rodney Stucky, Avery Bradley, and Brian Scalabrine were expected to play, they did not. That however, did not diminish the excitement of the day. The players kept it lively and fun. There was plenty of showboating and of course the fan favorite, DUNKS!! Or maybe that’s just my favorite.
The “League” did a great job keeping with “Seattle”, but they just weren’t enough for the tag team of Spencer Hawes and Terrence Williams. Hawes led the “Seattle” team with 27 points, while Williams, the MVP of the game, added 25, to end with a final score of 140-122 over the “League”.
The NBA Stars might have brought the fans out, but there were plenty of people behind the scenes, who made the whole thing possible. I had the opportunity to interview the event organizer, Executive Director and Founder of the A PLUS Youth Program, Tavio Hobson. Trust me this wasn’t easy. He was everywhere; literally running from one end of the building to the other to make sure everything was going smoothly. It was truly an honor to speak with him and find out about how he and the rest of the team put together such an amazing event for the kids and the city. The time and energy was evident. The game was fantastic, and I know the fans, we included, enjoyed every moment.
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