Heartwarming Wednesday (7/24/19)
Breaking down some of the NBA’s most emotional interviews
Watch this video (I promise it is worth it) and then read my analysis down below.
Amazing right? The Lukas Graham “7 Years” piano really helps it too. I’ll break them down in order.
Kent Bazemore and Dwight Howard
Bazemore breaks down why he wouldn’t want to leave “a perfect situation” and his ability to try to make everyone in the organization feel like they were responsible makes this one hit home. Bazemore is far from a superstar, but this shows how much playing in the NBA means to role players like him, guys who are often overshadowed. For Atlanta native Dwight Howard, this press conference was always going to be heartwarming. I love how Dwight says, “Oh,” as if he was so caught off guard by the emotions he was feeling in that moment, before putting his hand over his face.
Gregg Popovich
This mini speech was delivered by Pop the morning after his retirement, but seems especially relevant now as Tim Duncan just joined Popovich’s staff as an assistant coach. The whole “this person is so real and genunie”-thing gets kind of overused, in my opinion. There is something in Pop’s voice, however, that tells you he really, truly means it. At the end of the clip of him talking, the seven second pause he takes before saying, “In that respect he is,” gives me chills.
Stuart Scott
Probably the most famous clip in the video, Stuart Scott’s ESPY’s acceptance speech has been watched and re-watched my millions of sports fans. The first thing I love about it the self-awareness when he admits that he gets why people are acknowledging him (because he’s a public figure), but says that at his gut, he really didn’t feel like he belonged with the other honorees. Paying tribute to Jim Valvano and his motto? Bonus points. There’s also this beautiful philosophy he shares about how dying from cancer doesn’t mean you lost to cancer. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.”
Dave Joerger
This one always gets me. It’s not necessarily the most emotional nor is it the interview that has the most serious subject matter, but I still love it. Similar to the Pop one, it’s a coach talking about his players with extreme pride. It’s so cliché for a coach to give the whole I’m-proud-of-you-even-though-we-lost speech, yet I still find myself gravitating towards how Joerger describes his love for the guys in his locker room. In an ultra-competitive league where teams will do anything or trade anyone to get ahead, it’s clear that Dave Joerger has his player’s backs.
Allen Iverson
If you google, “How to give a great speech by only saying two words?” the top link has got to be this video. “Aaron Mckie, Aaron McKie, Aaron Mckie…Aaron Mckie…I mean…Aaron Mckie.” The Answer reacts instantaneously when he’s asked the question as if he was already thinking about Mckie. Keep an eye out for Iverson’s daughter at 9:40 — she reaches her little hand over to rub her dad’s arm in hopes to comfort him. You always hope that your favorite team’s players are best friends and fans of the 76ers have proof in this video. Aaron McKie, current coach of the Temple University Men’s Basketball team, wrote about their special relationship in a 2016 Player’s Tribune article.
Kobe Bryant
I’ll get it out of the way early that I take issue with this speech. The guy who went to Lower Merion High School, 15 minutes from Philadelphia, and whose dad played for the 76ers is telling the crowd he grew up a die-hard Lakers fan? I’ll forgive Kobe, but just because his performance on the night of this speech was so legendary. To cap off his retirement tour, the Mamba dropped 60 points in front of an electric Staples Center crowd. It was a beautiful send-off to a twenty year career — every single game of it spent with the Los Angeles Lakers. By the way, I wonder how much BodyArmour paid him to have him wear that towel during the speech.
That’s it. Follow me on Twitter if you feel like it. Peace.
