The NBA is a game of spark, surprises, business ventures, and very talented players such as John Wall and Stephen Curry. I have had the opportunity to watch both Steph and John play against each other and MAN! I was really excited. Two of the fastest guards in the league right now among Russell Westbrook & Derrick Rose. In watching them both on and off the court I have found 5 of my favorite characteristics between the two.

1. John and Steph are fast & tenatious.

While playing for Washington , John has been averaging over 3-5 steals a game and is the leader in the NBA to date in Assists. He loves to share the ball with his teammates as well as watch them succeed. In playing for Golden State, Steph was the leader in his own right in 3 pointers made. They both know how to run the floor equally and are not afraid to show emotion.

2. John & Steph are courageous.

When John first came into the league in 2010, He was coming to a team who had many issues and was in the process of rebuilding. Not only did John stay but in the last 3 years Washington has continued to improve and even made the playoffs going as far as the second round last season. On the other hand, Steph had a obstacle he had to overcome during his second season, he had chronic ankle issues which ended up hindering him. He had to have surgery but he didn’t let that hold him back, he came back stronger than ever. Steph is now in the running for MVP as his team holds the top spot in the west and highest record in the NBA thus far.

3. John & Steph have their own shoes!!

I was really excited when I found out both John and Steph were releasing their signature shoe. The #Jwall1 and #CurryOne have both propeled John and Steph into superstardom and all-stars in their own right. Both shoes are appealing to the eye and give an insight into the Men, Friend, and Family man that they are.

4. John & Steph are compassionate.

The biggest characteristic between these two athletes is what they do off the court and their big hearts. I will start with Steph. Steph started doing contests through his twitter using #SC30 where he would ask a question or a task of his fans and Steph would choose the winner and either send them a gift or go visit them. One in particular I remember, Steph wanted to see the craziest shot and whoever had the craziest one, he would visit. I never thought athletes would take the time for something like that but you would be amazed at the type of heart each player has. John’s heart proves just that. In march of 2013, he met a girl named Mya who was battling cancer and immediately took the time to spend with her and uplift her in anyway possible. He even got her favorite artist Nicki MInaj involved to allow Mya to wear one of her pink wigs. Sadly, Mya lost her battle with cancer and in a game where Washington was struggling to win, they found a way deep down to pull out a victory & #Won4Mya. During his interview, John’s emotions took over and he was in so much pain from the loss that he couldn’t finish the interview. I felt so bad for him and wanted to grab him and hug him so he wouldn’t have to feel that pain. I could see his heart in that moment and it made me respect him that much more. It’s not about how much money you make but what you choose to do with it.

5. John & Steph are fearless.

Lastly, John & Steph play so hard as leaders of their respective teams and leave everything they have on the floor night after night. Another reason why I admire them on losing nights they are always figuring out ways to get better and fix the mistakes for the next game. True Athletes with Pure Hearts and Strong souls.

I hope you enjoy this blog and be sure to follow me for more! 🙂

“He didn’t make it…..” The words I heard on the phone from my mom. February 4, 2012 started out as a typical Saturday for me but I could sense something was wrong. I was attending Northern VA Community College at the time and had a class and shortly after my class received a text from my sister stating my dad was on his way to Cleveland, OH to visit my grandmother & sick great grandfather. In my mind I thought everything was okay and didn’t realize that this day was going to be a long one. Later on in the evening I was planning to go to Stonewall Jackson High School Girl’s Basketball Regional Final against Forest Park High School. Before the game however, my baby sister who was 6 decided to eat some old food and ended up getting sick and my mom had to rush to the store to get her something to settle her stomach. My mind at this point was racing because I wanted my sister to be okay and needed to know that my dad was in Cleveland. I was able to go to the game and was sitting with some friends. It was a tight game throughout until Forest Park had a 6 point lead and began to build on it. In the 3rd quarter my phone rang and it was my mom all I heard her say was he didn’t make it and I immediately knew what that meant. I broke down and my sister took the phone, I couldn’t speak but was able to tell my friend’s uncle that my great grandfather had passed away. It was the most heartbreaking loss I had ever felt since the loss of my brother. The hardest part about hearing this news was that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye and all I had now were the endless memories. Basketball ended up being the comfort that I needed to help keep the loss of my mind. Forest Park ended up winning the game but someone I loved and was close to was gone forever. The next few days ended up being the hardest due funeral arrangements and studying for a final exam. In this difficult time I knew had to be strong and remember all the good times. One of my favorite memories was the stories my gran-daddy harris would tell or just him cooking in the kitchen. He loved making catfish as well as growing his on vegetables in his garden. If that’s the one thing I miss the most is spending time with him. He knew his sports too! We could watch games together and he could know what was going on but shortly after his stroke he stopped cooking and telling stories. I miss him so much but whenever I watch a game, I always remember where I was when I found out that he died. Although this blog is a sad one, it gives me a chance to share some of my personal memories with you.I hope you have a good week<3

Ever felt like everything you had to do from work, school, outside activities just caving in on you to the point of suffocation. I decided to blog today because that was me just yesterday. If you don’t know I am a junior at Radford University studying marketing and on the Executive Board for Diversity Awareness Programming as the Webmaster but also available to help where ever I am needed. I tend to take on a lot in organizational roles sometimes because I don’t like waiting until the last minute to get something done for an event or just my job with updating the websites and events calendar. With all of that I am taking 4 classes with Mondays & Wednesdays being my heaviest days with 3 classes and a meeting shortly after my last class for the day. When I become too overwhelmed, this is where basketball tends to calm me down or relax me for a little bit. After my meeting yesterday, I needed some relief before finishing my homework and eating something which I will get to later but I walked to the gym I was super excited because I was going to be able to at least spend 45min to a hour on the court shooting around so I thought. I was able to check out a basketball but 2/3 courts were occupied due to intermural sports and the third court was filled with guys playing full court and I didn’t want to intrude on their forever on -going game, so I decided wait. Frustration begins to build up in me because I just wanted some time to myself on the court, selfish yes but I was so stressed from everything else at this point that their was nothing else to calm me down. Part of my frustration also came from me not eating all day, which I should have stopped to do before getting super busy but I had 2 back to back classes, so not complaining but I didn’t have anytime to stop and eat and not worry about the next assignment I had to complete. I ended up leaving the gym without having the opportunity to shoot around got subway and was able to watch the LosAngeles Clippers & Dallas Mavericks game on NBA TV. I got my relief 🙂 whether I am on the court or in front of the TV basketball is my unwind technique. It helps me to refocus my mind before I have to finish the rest of the tasks I have. Even though I had a lot to take care of yesterday for those 2 hours the game was on I was able to forget everything that was on my mind. I was able to relax, I was able to enjoy. Stress often for me comes from taking on too much but I do it because I feel like if I don’t take care of it, the task at hand may not get completed on time. In a leadership role, I’ve learned it’s better to be early than to be late. I rather have 3 or 4 events fully ready to go instead of last minute racing against the clock. In my head I treat everything like it’s the 4th quarter, you go hard until the clock hits 0. You never want to put off something more than 2-3 days because then it creeps back up on you hard and then you are scrambling to get everything perfect. I don’t mind the stress but I do recommend taking at least a hour or 2 to do nothing or something you love. 🙂 Hopefully sometime this week I can get my hour or 2 stress relief on the court!. Hope you enjoy this blog!