Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Family: It's More than just a Team

When it comes to sports there is one thing most every athlete will tell you, "my team is like my family." There is no doubt this statement is true, but what about athletes and their real families? This off season Kings have been treated to special glimpses into the private lives of some of their players.

We saw Jason Thompson's little brother Ryan play for the Kings in Vegas Summer League before ultimately accepting a training camp invitation to the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, just before the last preseason game the Jazz chose to waive Ryan and three others.

Then there was the Landry brothers. We were able to see Carl and his little brother Marcus battle it out on the court through most of the preseason. From all accounts, Marcus was really taking advantage of the time he was getting on the floor and making an impression on Kings fans; however, he too was waived before the end of the preseason. Kings fans were treated to a "A Day in the Life of" type segment with Carl as he returned home to Milwaukee. It was nice to get to know a little bit more about the Kings starting power forward.

In the "Here We Rise" specials on Comcast Sports Net California, we also go to go home with rookie DeMarcus Cousins to see what life is like back home for the rookie. All I can say is that boy loves his momma! He has a great relationship with her and is a different person off the court than he is on. He rarely smiles when he's on the floor, it's business. But when he's off and not playing, he is every bit of the 20 year old that he is; smiling, laughing, dancing, and having a good time.

Though no at home segments were filled of last year's stand out and Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans, there is no doubt that his family is as strong as they come. Through the wonders of Twitter, I have gotten the opportunity to get to know his older brother Doc Evans. If there is one thing I can say about the Evans' bunch is that they support each other 100% no matter what. Tyreke isn't the only talent in the family either. Doc, aka International i, is close to releasing his debut album, Just a Sample on his label Blu Print Entertainment. Not only is Doc an artist on his label but he has two other standout artists in sHERBS and S.W.A.G. They all have samples of their music up on the Blu Print Entertainment site linked above.

Blu Print is something that we should all take note of and try and model ourselves after. Read more about it on their website, but this bunch made sure that they all could reach their goals and set out this plan to get there. Being given the opportunity to really see into the private lives of players we idolize on the court is a unique experience. If there is one thing I can say about Kings players, past and present, is that they aren't in the media much. There isn't someone following them around to capture their every move on camera to sell to the tabloids. They are real people, down to earth, humble, and respectful. They are professional athletes sure, but they are people too and this off season we have seen the person before the athlete!


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