Originally published in SLAM 75
MEMO: 10/15/03; FROM: R. BENGTSON; TO: D. STERN; RE: NBA GREETERS
Commissioner,
How’s things? Thanks for letting us hang last month. I know you said we should send you a memo regarding the Dunk Contest—and you’d think that this would be regarding that—but this isn’t it. This is about something else.
You talked about a lot of your foreign goodwill trips this summer, and I was thinking about all of the international players (more and more each year) who join the NBA every season, and come to America, some for the first time ever. That’s when it hit me—certain American players should be enlisted to personally welcome each and every foreign-born player to the League.
It seemed like a great idea. These guys may have watched NBA games before, but they really have no idea what the NBA is about until they actually get here and play. Having a specific player on the opposing team show them exactly what the NBA is really like would just be the nice thing to do.
Then I saw the preseason game between the Rockets and the Kings at Arco Arena last night. And during the third quarter, when I saw what Gerald Wallace did for rookie Bostjan Nachbar (photo enclosed), I almost cried. That was exactly what I was thinking! So I just wanted to let you know that we’re watching, and that you’re one step ahead of us. As usual. Good work.
P.S. Ricky, Desmond, Jason and Kenyon would also make great greeters. And we’ll get at you with that Dunk Contest stuff soon.
