Stand up for YOU…Always

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Man, it has been a crazy roller coaster of a month for me.

One of my best friends recently told me to never feel bad for standing up for yourself. You did nothing wrong. In essence, he is absolutely right but (and their shouldn’t even be a but) lol I feel like maybe, I shouldn’t have used my voice but then again why have a mouth if I don’t use it. If anything these last few weeks have given me time to really evaluate and appreciate not only my voice but those around me pouring their lives into me.

You always know who your TRUE friends are when a situation arises and you are fighting for everything. I can count on one hand my true, genuine friends.

I woke up today feeling pretty good, the sun actually woke me up lol (super bright) and I decided to write. Kyle Lowry was on my brain, so I pulled out my laptop and here we go.

As you may recall, The Toronto Raptors are the new NBA Champions! Congrats to them and Canada! :)…but I wanted to shed a light on Kyle Lowry, not because of him turning on the heat to help his team but his act of resilience and using his voice to not tolerate disrespect from anyone (no matter who you are).

Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Kyle ends up falling out of bounds on to who we now know to be Warriors Investor Mark Stevens ( pictured above on the left in blue shirt). If you are sitting courtside, for one you are risking your body to be hit lol, if you don’t want that risk sit in box seats. Secondly, you have lots of money, we all know ticket prices sky rocket and for whatever reason people always feel entitled to NBA players and saying whatever they want to say. WRONG! and let me tell you why. When Lowry fell on Stevens, Stevens could have said a number of things or nothing at all but he chose then to say some obscene words to Kyle and be really rude and disrespectful to him.

Kyle who was in the middle of Finals game could have easily risked everything he had by laying a hand on Stevens, who could’ve been drinking etc. ( still no excuse for he said..NONE) but he chose not too and approach the referee who was standing there and let him know what happened.  Because Mr. Stevens is white, he tried to use his whiteness to get a rise out of Lowry which he didn’t. Lowry was very angry but was able to finish the game only to use his voice at the press conference calling for action. Many NBA players had Lowry’s back and spoke up as well. The NBA and commissioner Adam Silver had to do something to let everyone know this won’t be tolerated.

You may recall a similar incident in 2014 where Donald Sterling former owner of the LA Clippers was banned for life and fined 2.5 million dollars after recordings of him making racist comments were found and made public. I will never forget the feelings I had during that whole situation. It just made me think, what do people really think about me or say about me when I’m not around. People talk even when you aren’t present, my hope is that I carry myself in such that way that if I’m thousands of miles away, that it would be nothing but positive things.

So what did the NBA do…..

Commissioner Silver banned Stevens for a year from the NBA and fined him $500,000. Most don’t think that’s enough and think he should’ve got more. I think about it this way, I’m glad they did something, Stevens has most likely invested alot of money into the Chase Center (Warriors new arena), If his money is gone, do they still open? I say yes….but you just don’t know… This entire situation shows me that it is okay to say how you feel, stand up for yourself no matter what, don’t be afraid to risk losing everything. If you character stands tall that is everything you need. Believe me, something good always comes from standing up for yourself. It may not be instant, but there is always a blessing come from it.

Let me know your thoughts… Should the NBA or any sports organization make the consequences heavier for uncalled behavior? or should it be a case by case basis?

Thanks so much for reading!

As always leave your feedback or comments below or tweet me @bballmypassion 🙂

-Never be afraid to stand up for YOU…Always-

*Pics/Vids courtesy of Google*

 

The Hate is Real…..

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champs

The NBA Finals are underway with the 2 time defending Champion Golden State Warriors taking on Rookie Coach Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors.

I remember listening to a interview by Coach Kerr and he mentioned trying to 3 peat is really hard to do. It is a constant battle but it can be done. Coach Kerr knows what he is talking about he is a 6 time champ with the bulls being a key piece for one of their games.

The goal all season for Golden State has been to win another championship and basically shut all the haters up. Let your haters be your motivators and for whatever reason, everyone and their mama hates on GSW.

I get it the NBA is a business and mostly for entertainment now but if you want my honesty put some respect on their name. There was a time when the Warriors under Don Nelson struggled to make the playoffs and if they did they were booted out round 1. (yes, I have been watching and riding the warriors since the struggle years). Now that they are so dominant, it’s nothing but criticism, not as much praise. Analysts make it worse but that is their job sometimes, feed into the hype and continue the narrative.

Are you mad at the fact you have to face them every year? Are you mad that they have dominant shooters and defenders when they are HOT and shooting lights out. Golden State can destroy teams on both ends of the court and it’s fun to watch. You blink and they are up 30 in the 3rd quarter. We need that intensity the rest of these finals…BLOW THE RAPTORS OUT!…

With the Finals this year and injuries pouring in, the question becomes can the Warriors finish it? My answer: HECK YES! It just won’t be a cake walk. Yes I wanted them to sweep Toronto, but the NBA wants to drag this series out as long as it can go. I believe it will go 6 games with Golden State closing it out and winning it at Oracle. This being the last season the Warriors play in Oakland, it will be bittersweet to finish at home in front of your crowd.

Stephen Curry gets the most hate and it’s inspiring how he deals with it. Andre Iguodala said it best: ” I like Steph, I never see the hate he gets because people are jealous of what he has, I am going to do everything I can to protect his legacy” . Andre for one is a real one, real brother, real teammate. His statement shows me that the relationships and respect the Warriors have is real, not a lot of teams can say that. Stephen is the leader, his faith is strong, his character is stronger.  I can see why people are jealous of him and get frustrated when they have to play him but remember his journey has always been as the underdog. He fuels off that but I think it pushes him to rise to the occasion. Game 3, Stephen scored a playoff career high 47 points with assists and rebounds. If his teammates would have made some of the shots they missed , they might have pulled it out. But hey, take it one game at a time. Game 4 will be quite different especially if GSW gets Klay Thompson & Kevin Durant back. Kevon Looney  they really needed but he is out due to a injury caused by a foul which I think could have been prevented. I hope he gets healthy soon.

Warriors are going to do it! I want them to pull this out, They are the defending champs and 3 peating will make them apart of an elite club. The last team to 3-peat was the Lakers in 2002.(2000-2002). The Warriors will continue to fight..they got this!

The Hate is Real….but the confidence, strength, and heart of a champ is realer…

Thanks so much for reading!

Leave Comments, Thoughts below or tweet me @bballmypassion

*Pics/Videos courtesy of Google Images*